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In the 18th century, European maps tended to use their own country’s meridian, so on this French map of Southeast Asia longitude is measured from the Paris Meridian. Eleven different scales are also shown.

The arrows on this map show the direction of the seasonal monsoons of Southeast Asia during the late 18th century. Each arrow has a label in French, indicating the month. The hatched sea areas are where the winds always blow in the same direction.

This map shows the islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo, the straits of Sunda, Malacca and Bangka, and the Gulf of Siam. The points of the compass can be seen radiating out from a central compass rose.

The regional borders of early 18th century Southeast Asia are shown on this map. Mountains are shown pictorially, and larger settlements are marked with a red building symbol. Southern Borneo is labelled ‘Pays des Mahometans [Land of the Muslims]’.

The regional borders of early 18th century Southeast Asia are shown on this map. Mountains are shown pictorially, and larger settlements are marked with a red building symbol. Southern Borneo is labelled ‘Pays des Mahometans [Land of the Muslims]’.