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This colourful hand-drawn portolan (nautical) chart was designed to aid navigation. It features a rhumbline network (the web of interconnected lines), bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and reefs, anchor points and written notes.

A navigation map of the Banda Islands marked with bathymetry (sea depth), shoals and anchor points. On the island of Goenonghapy (Banda Api), a volcano erupts (‘api’ means ‘fire’ in Indonesian), and there is a military fort (‘Campa Nga’) on Nera.

This mid-17th century Italian map shows the eastern islands of maritime Southeast Asia. Text on the map refers to winds (‘Venti’), currents (‘Corrente’) and air temperature (‘L'Aria è Calda e Humida [The air is hot and humid]’).