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The Lesser Sunda Islands are shown spread over these three late 19th century maps. Each island is divided into local administrative districts, with cities, mountains and routes marked. Shoals, lighthouses and anchor points are shown at the coasts.

Map of Bali, with five inset maps showing locations of Dutch military interventions on the island from 1846 to 1868. Troop positions and Balinese defences—barricades, moats—are marked, along with terrain, roads, palaces, temples and villages.

Bali under Dutch colonial rule is shown here divided into eight regencies (administrative divisions). Contour lines indicate elevation, with the heights of some mountains noted. Shoals, reefs and sandbanks are marked around the coast.

Fifty-seven separate maps of bays, roadsteads—a body of water sheltered from tides/currents—and anchor points around the Lesser Sunda Islands. Landmarks, lighthouses, bathymetry (sea depth), shoals, reefs and other obstructions are marked.

Contour lines show the terrain of these two districts at the western end of the island of Bali. Roads connecting the ‘desa’s [villages]’, Hindu temples and rivers are marked. Anchor points around the coast are marked for ships or for local vessels.

This map shows Java and Bali divided into Dutch colonial administrative areas (‘residencies’), and features mountains, rivers, settlements, and routes. It was designed to be folded within book covers so it could be easily carried.

This map shows Java and Bali divided into Dutch colonial administrative areas (‘residencies’), and features mountains, rivers, settlements, and routes. It was designed to be folded within book covers so it could be easily carried.

Map of the Dutch colonial region of the island of Bali, featuring bathymetry (sea depth) in the Bali Strait, and an elevation showing heights of mountains. (From ‘Algemeene Atlas van Nederlandsche Indie [General Atlas of the Dutch East Indies]’.)

This map of Java uses hachures: short lines/dashes that give a sense of the shape and steepness of terrain. The coast is marked with shoals and reefs (dotted lines and crosses), bathymetry (sea depth, in figures) and anchor points (anchor symbols).

Map of Java divided into administrative areas. Mountains are shown pictorially, major rivers are named, and the coasts have shoals. The map is orientated with south at the top, so the island looks ‘upside down’ compared to how it is usually shown.

Map of Java divided into administrative areas. Mountains are shown pictorially, major rivers are named, and the coasts have shoals. The map is orientated with south at the top, so the island looks ‘upside down’ compared to how it is usually shown.

Amongst the mountains and jungles of mid-18th century Bali, this map shows three royal palaces, walled encampments, and seven Buddhist temples (or ‘stupa’) on the east coast. Inset illustrations depict a palace and a temple in detail.