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Two maps, one of which features mainland Southeast Asia: Anam (Tonquin and Cochin China) in red, Lower Cochin China in green, Cambodia in yellow, and Siam in white. An inset map shows maritime routes between Europe and Asia.

Crops are marked on this map of Asia: Sumatra and Java have sugar, coffee, tea; the Lesser Sunda Islands and Maluku Islands have cinnamon, nutmeg and clove; mainland Southeast Asia has sugar and cotton. Arrows on the sea indicate currents.

Crops are marked on this map of Asia: Sumatra and Java have sugar, coffee, tea; the Lesser Sunda Islands and Maluku Islands have cinnamon, nutmeg and clove; mainland Southeast Asia has sugar and cotton. Arrows on the sea indicate currents.

Map of the Indian Ocean showing the currents (represented by arrows), including during the North East and North West monsoons. Numbers on the arrows indicate the current’s speed.

Chart of the Indian Ocean, showing climate and weather-related data, including around the seas and straits of Southeast Asia where trade routes are marked, along with monsoon and typhoon regions, and currents during the different monsoon seasons.

Southeast Asia is shown on sheets two and three of this 12-sheet map of the Indian and Pacific oceans, including detailed inset maps of the straits of Singapore, Bangka, Gaspar and Sunda, with bathymetry (sea depth), shoals, reefs, anchorages etc.

To aid navigation, this map shows small islands, shoals and reefs, maritime routes for use during monsoons or at particular times of the year, bathymetry (sea depth), past explorers’ routes, shipwrecks and text about monsoons, typhoons and currents.

Maritime routes had to be adjusted in response to the changing monsoon seasons, as is seen on this late 18th century map of the Indian Ocean. Drawings of the heads of children blowing—called ‘wind-heads’—are used to indicate wind direction.