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A map of a small island chain off the west coast of the island of Gilolo (modern Halmahera in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia). The military forts and ships were used by the European colonial powers during conflicts over the area’s spice trade.

Early navigation map of the South China Sea. The web of lines is a rhumbline network, while the numbers indicate sea depth (bathymetry), both used to aid navigation. A route around the Gulf of Thailand is marked with text and the dates 1643 and 1644.

A brightly-coloured hand-drawn map of the South China Sea. The compass is at the centre of a rhumbline network, a web of lines to aid navigation. Bathymetry (sea depth), islands, anchor points, shoals and reefs are also marked.