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A piece of paper printed with a list of the various regions of Asia, including the regions of Southeast Asia, has been adhered to the right-hand side of this late 18th century map of Asia.

The arrows on this map show the direction of the seasonal monsoons of Southeast Asia during the late 18th century. Each arrow has a label in French, indicating the month. The hatched sea areas are where the winds always blow in the same direction.

Notes on the back of this map describe the kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia: religion (people are idolaters, a few Christians and Jews, many Muslims), royalty (kings are rich, people are unhappy) and geography (rivers render the lands fertile).

Notes on the back of this map describe the kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia: religion (people are idolaters, a few Christians and Jews, many Muslims), royalty (kings are rich, people are unhappy) and geography (rivers render the lands fertile).

The outline of the island of New Guinea is very vague on this early 17th century map of Southeast Asia. The cartouche is decorated with two figures of Asian warriors: one holds a spear, the other a sword. There are also drawings of mermaids.

Four long rivers flow south through mainland Southeast Asia on this map: the ‘Menan’, ‘Manthabam’ and ‘Cosmin’ originate at a mythical lake (‘Chiamai Lacus’) in southern China, while the ‘Mecon’ (Mekong) flows from the hills of Cochinchina (Vietnam).

A white banner at the right features text that notes that the ‘Insule Molucce’ (Maluku Islands) are famous for their abundance of spices, which are sold across the world. There are also Illustrations of mermaids and sea monsters wrecking a ship.

A red banner at the right features text that notes that the ‘Insule Molucce’ (Maluku Islands) are famous for their abundance of spices, which are sold across the world. There are also Illustrations of mermaids and sea monsters wrecking a ship.