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Produced by the British Admiralty’s Hydrographic Office, this map includes various navigational aids, such as maritime routes, bathymetry (sea depth), tide and current data, and elevations (side views of hills and mountains to use as landmarks).

Regional borders are colour-coded on this mid-19th century map of mainland Southeast Asia, with British colonial territory in red (including part of the Burman Empire, the Straits Settlements, and Sarawak on Borneo).

Although this mid-19th century map covers all of mainland Southeast Asia, the Burman Empire (Myanmar) is shown in greater detail, especially its districts, rivers and place names. It was produced by the James Wyld, geographer to Queen Victoria.

The shoals and reefs of maritime Southeast Asia are highlighted on this colourful mid-19th century map, with the treacherous waters around many islands and straits marked.

Longitude is indicated in two different ways on this mid-18th century map: along the top border, it is shown in degrees (number of degrees east of London); more unusually, along the bottom border, it is shown in time (number of hours east of London).

Labels on this late 18th century map of Southeast Asia describe two indigenous populations—the ‘Kemoy’ of the mountains along the border of Cochin China (Vietnam) and Camboja (Cambodia), and the ‘Biayos’ of central Borneo—as ‘a wild Nation’.

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.

Coloured borders divide this late 18th century map of Asia into empires, kingdoms and regions. Five major rivers that flow south through mainland Southeast Asia are named: Aua, Pegu, Tenasserim, Menan and Camboya.

This map shows the islands of Java, Sumatra and Borneo, the straits of Sunda, Malacca and Bangka, and the Gulf of Siam. The title is given in both French and Dutch, as are some of the place names on the map.

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.

Longitude is indicated in two different ways on this mid-18th century map: along the top border, it is shown in degrees (number of degrees east of London); more unusually, along the bottom border, it is shown in time (number of hours east of London).

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.