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From the first volume of John Seally’s ‘A Complete Geographical Dictionary’, this map of Asia includes the ancient kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia, and the Sunda and Molucca islands (‘Molucca or Spice Islands’) of maritime Southeast Asia.

Coloured borders divide this late 18th century map of Asia into empires, kingdoms and regions. Five major rivers that flow south through mainland Southeast Asia are named: Aua, Pegu, Tenasserim, Menan and Camboya.

On this map of Asia, Borneo is labelled ‘The Inland Part of this Island is inhabited by the Biayos a savage People’, a description seen on many contemporary maps. The ancient kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia are also shown.

On this map of Asia, Borneo is labelled ‘The Inland Part of this Island is inhabited by the Biayos a savage People’, a description seen on many contemporary maps. The ancient kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia are also shown.

This mid-18th century map of Southeast Asia includes written notes on goods produced and traded, geographical features, and wild animals found in each part of the region.

The letters ‘E’ or ‘D’ are marked after place names to indicate if they are English or Dutch colonial possessions: e.g. ‘Marleborough Fort E’ on Sumatra or ‘Concordia Fort D’ on Timor. The Philippines are labelled ‘to Spain’.

Map dedicated to William Cowper, whose coat of arms sits atop the cartouche. It features two horses holding a crest with three martlets (mythical birds used in heraldry). The cartouche also features Asian traders. Monsoons are marked on the map.

A map by the influential London cartographer, Herman Moll (1654?—1732), showing Southeast Asia in the context of the wider Asian region. Interestingly, the Strait of Malacca is labelled as the ‘Str. of Sincapora’ (Straits of Singapore).

The arrows on this map show the direction of the seasonal monsoons: each arrow has a label, indicating the month. The northeast coast of Borneo is labelled ‘A Desart [desert/deserted?] Coast’, while the south is labelled ‘Pepper Country’.

This map is dedicated to William Cowper, whose coat of arms sits atop the cartouche. It features two horses holding a crest with three red martlets (mythical birds used in heraldry). The colourful cartouche also features Asian traders.

A detailed late 17th century map of Asia, showing ancient kingdoms and the place names of important settlements. The cartouche features a drawing of Asian traders selling their goods, while a camel, monkey and two birds look on.

This 17th century map of Asia is based on a map by the Dutch cartographer Frederik de Wit (c. 1629–1706). The text is in the original Latin, except for the title which has been changed to English. The original cartouche has also been retained.