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The Lesser Sunda Islands are shown spread over these three late 19th century maps. Each island is divided into local administrative districts, with cities, mountains and routes marked. Shoals, lighthouses and anchor points are shown at the coasts.

Map of Soemba (Sumba) in the Lesser Sunda Islands, divided into three departments and 26 districts. Mountains, rivers, anchor points, shoals and reefs are marked around the coasts. Much of the interior of the island is left blank.

Map of Soemba (Sumba) in the Lesser Sunda Islands, divided into three departments and 26 districts. Mountains, rivers, anchor points, shoals and reefs are marked around the coasts. Much of the interior of the island is left blank.

Map of the western half of the Dutch colonial administrative region (residency) of Timor, featuring Flores, Komodo, Sumba and Savu islands, and their straits. (From ‘Algemeene Atlas van Nederlandsche Indie [General Atlas of the Dutch East Indies]’.)

Although this map’s title refers to the south-western islands of the Banda Islands, it actually focuses on the Lesser Sunda Islands, including Flores, Sumba and Timor. The islands feature mountains and jungle, with shoals and reefs around the coasts.

Hand-drawn portolan (nautical) chart of the Lesser Sunda Islands, featuring a rhumbline network (the web of interconnected lines), shoals, reefs, elevations (side views of landmark mountains), and names of coastal settlements, all to aid navigation.