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An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

This 18th century map of Southeast Asia by the French cartographer Gilles Robert de Vaugondy features the national borders of the Philippines in green, and of modern Indonesia in yellow. The Malay Peninsula and modern Cambodia and Vietnam are in red.

Map of Asia based on observations of members of the French Academy of Sciences. Its decorative cartouche features a drawing of a censer (incense burner).

Map of Asia based on observations of members of the French Academy of Sciences. Its decorative cartouche features a drawing of a censer (incense burner).

An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

This map of the Eastern Hemisphere (Asia, Europe, Africa) shows New Guinea (‘Nouvelle Guinee’) and Australia (‘Nouvelle Hollande’) as one landmass, demonstrating that there was some uncertainty about the area’s geography in the early 18th century.

An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

An early 18th century map of Asia by the French cartographer Guillaume Delisle (1675–1726). Regions are indicated with coloured borders, and the southern part of Borneo is labelled ‘Côte de Mahometans [Coast of the Muslims]’.

A map of a small island chain off the west coast of the island of Gilola (modern Halmahera in the Maluku Islands of Indonesia). The military forts on the islands were used by the European colonial powers during conflicts over the area’s spice trade.