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Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting the colonial possessions of the Netherlands (Dutch East Indies), Spain (Philippines), Britain (Straits Settlements, Burma, part of Borneo) and Portugal (East Timor). From the German atlas ‘Stielers Handatlas’.

Dutch map of the East Indies, with mountain ranges represented by simple hachure marks, and just a few rivers marked. Mainland Southeast Asia is labelled ‘Achter Indie [Beyond India]’.

Dutch map of the East Indies, with mountain ranges represented by simple hachure marks, and just a few rivers marked. Mainland Southeast Asia is labelled ‘Achter Indie [Beyond India]’.

Map of India and mainland Southeast Asia, with coloured borders indicating European colonial possessions.

Map of India and mainland Southeast Asia, with coloured borders indicating European colonial possessions.

Map of Southeast Asia highlighting European colonial possessions. Unusually, the south coast of the Philippine island of Mindanao is shown twice, reflecting uncertainty about its true location. Names of indigenous peoples are listed on Borneo.

Map from Johannes Olivier’s book ‘Land- en Zeetogten in Nederland's Indie [Land and Sea Journeys in the Dutch Indies]’, showing European colonial possessions and indigenous kingdoms in Asia.

Map from Johannes Olivier’s book ‘Land- en Zeetogten in Nederland's Indie [Land and Sea Journeys in the Dutch Indies]’, showing European colonial possessions and indigenous kingdoms in Asia.

On this map of Asia, India and mainland Southeast Asia are labelled together as ‘Ost Indien [East Indies]’. In maritime Southeast Asia, the Sunda Islands are coloured yellow, the Maluku Islands and New Guinea are blue, and the Philippines are red.