Search

On this map of Asia, the South China Sea is labelled ‘Malayan Sea’. Small islands, shoals and reefs are shown. A label in Cochin China (Vietnam) reads ‘mountains inhabited by the uncivilized people called Kemoys’.

Map of Asia, marked with populations of cities and lengths of rivers. Mainland Southeast Asia is divided into kingdoms, but maritime Southeast Asia is mostly blank, and parts such as Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands are left off entirely.

On this map of Asia, the South China Sea is labelled ‘Malayan Sea’. Small islands, shoals and reefs are shown. A label in Cochin China (Vietnam) reads ‘mountains inhabited by the uncivilized people called Kemoys’.

Map of Asia, marked with populations of cities and lengths of rivers. Mainland Southeast Asia is divided into kingdoms, but maritime Southeast Asia is mostly blank, and parts such as Java and the Lesser Sunda Islands are left off entirely.

Map of the Strait of Malacca, with inset maps of a central part of the strait and of the Singapore Strait. Bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and reefs are marked, and there are elevations (side views of hills and mountains to use as landmarks).

Chart of the Singapore Strait, Riau Archipelago and Lingga Islands, marked with bathymetry (sea depth), side views of landmark mountains (elevations), written notes, and islands, shoals and reefs, all to aid navigation.

Chart of the Singapore Strait, Riau Archipelago and Lingga Islands, marked with bathymetry (sea depth), side views of landmark mountains (elevations), written notes, and islands, shoals and reefs, all to aid navigation.

This map from 1800 is by the Scottish cartographer Alexander Dalrymple, who was the first Hydrographer of the British Admiralty. It documents the river systems of the Birman Empire (Myanmar) and modern Thailand, Laos, Cambodia and Vietnam.

Navigation chart of part of the South China Sea leading to the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait. Features bathymetry (sea depth), anchor points, shoals and other obstructions, landmark hills, and detailed explanatory notes.

Chart of the north coast of Java, featuring a rhumbline network—a web of lines to help plot routes—bathymetry (sea depth), shoals, reefs and side views of landmark mountains (elevations), all to aid navigation. With an inset map of nearby islands.

Navigation chart of part of the South China Sea leading to the eastern entrance of the Singapore Strait. Features bathymetry (sea depth), anchor points, shoals and other obstructions, landmark hills, and detailed explanatory notes.

Chart of the north coast of Java, featuring a rhumbline network—a web of lines to help plot routes—bathymetry (sea depth), shoals, reefs and side views of landmark mountains (elevations), all to aid navigation. With an inset map of nearby islands.