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This mid-19th century map of Asia has colour-coded borders that show the beginnings of the emergence of the modern nation states of Southeast Asia, such as Laos, Burmah (Burma), Siam (Thailand) and Malaya (Malaysia).

A sketch of the river networks discharging into the Gulf of Siam (Gulf of Thailand), derived from the observations of mid-19th century American missionaries. Settlements along the rivers are noted, as are areas where sugarcane was grown.

Map of the eastern half of the Dutch colonial administrative region (residency) of Palembang, Sumatra. A fort is marked in the town of Batoeradja. (From ‘Algemeene Atlas van Nederlandsche Indie [General Atlas of the Dutch East Indies]’.)

Map of the Dutch colonial administrative region (residency) of Riouw (Riau) focusing on the islands and sea passages, with bathymetry (sea depth) marked. (From ‘Algemeene Atlas van Nederlandsche Indie [General Atlas of the Dutch East Indies]’.)

Map of the eastern half of the Dutch colonial administrative region (residency) of Timor, with an inset map of its capital city and port Timorkoepang (Kupang). (From ‘Algemeene Atlas van Nederlandsche Indie [General Atlas of the Dutch East Indies]’.)

The use of hachures—short lines/dashes that give a sense of the shape and steepness of terrain—highlight the mountain ranges along the west coast of Sumatra, with rivers flowing east. The island is divided into administrative ‘residencies’.

The residency of Bagelen, Central Java, is shown divided into regencies and districts. Coffee, tea and cinnamon plantations, fields of rice, alang-alang and other crops, mountains, rivers, hot and mineral springs, settlements and routes are marked.

Map of the city of Malakka (Malacca/Melaka) and its surroundings, with rivers, hills and a coastal road marked. There is a military fort, presumably the ‘A Famosa [The Famous]’ fort that is noted on the map as having been demolished.

Map of a proposed extension of a telegraph system from Rangoon (Yangon, Myanmar) to China. Includes current and projected railways, steam ship routes, and population figures for western China. From the British magazine ‘The Illustrated London News’.

Map of the city of Malakka (Malacca/Melaka) and its surroundings, with rivers, hills and a coastal road marked. There is a military fort, presumably the ‘A Famosa [The Famous]’ fort that is noted on the map as having been demolished.

The borders on this mid-19th century map of mainland Southeast Asia are colour-coded to show kingdoms, countries and colonial territories. Twelve different scales are shown, as different countries used different measurement systems.