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This early 18th century map of Batavia (Jakarta) shows an important port city, with military forts, a long pier, and many ships at sea. However, the map also shows a city surrounded by fields and plantations, for producing crops and grazing animals.

There is a port at the south of this map of the Côn Đảo archipelago (Vietnam), and notes giving details such as a suitable location to careen ships (turning a ship on its side for cleaning or repair). A ruined English fort is also marked.

A map of the landing of British troops at Chillinching (Cilincing, 12 miles to the east of Batavia), part of the 1811 invasion of Java during the Napoleonic Wars. The frigate Leda is at the river mouth, as the British soldiers row to shore.

Made for ‘A History of Java’ by Sir Stamford Raffles, this map includes a list of administrative districts with their populations, and four inset maps of harbours. Another inset map shows rocks and minerals, mountains and volcanoes, and teak forests.

Made for ‘A History of Java’ by Sir Stamford Raffles, this map includes a list of administrative districts with their populations, and four inset maps of harbours. Another inset map shows rocks and minerals, mountains and volcanoes, and teak forests.

Known as the ‘Jackson Plan’, this is the earliest known plan of the city of Singapore, created by Lieutenant Philip Jackson in 1822. It was based on how Sir Stamford Raffles wanted Singapore to be developed, rather than the actual layout of the time.

An early 19th century map of Singapore’s southern coast and islands, with bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and reefs, anchor points, and notes to aid navigation. The roads and main buildings of Singapore city are also shown.

This mid-19th century map of Southeast Asia is illustrated with drawings of indigenous people from New Guinea, a ‘bee bear’ (probably a sun bear), a sailboat in front of Victoria Mount in New Guinea, and a village and palm trees in Sarawak, Borneo.

A late 19th century map of the town of Malacca and its surrounding area, including jungles, forests, mountains, rivers, roads, villages, tapioca estates and factories, and police stations. There is even a leper hospital on an island off the coast.

Map of state of Perak (Malay Peninsula) with a table of statistics: area, population, road/railway/river lengths, revenue, tin exports. Straits Settlements highlighted red. Someone has added handwritten travel times/distances by steamer/road/train.

Map of the state of Perak (Malay Peninsula) with a table of statistics: area, population, road/railway/river lengths, revenue, tin exports. Gold and tin mines are marked, and the Straits Settlements are highlighted in red.

Map of the Malay state of Johor, and Singapore. The route of a proposed railway north from Johor Bahru is shown. Apart from rivers and mountains, much of the terrain is blank, with labels such as ‘Unexplored Hill Country’ or ‘Dense Jungle and Swamp’.