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Map of Asia featuring steamship routes—including around Southeast Asia—connecting ports such as Penang, Singapore, Batavia (Jakarta), Saigon, Bangkok, Rangun (Yangon), Manila, Macassar (Makassar) etc. There is also an inset map of Singapore.

On this map of Southeast Asia, numerous small islands, shoals and reefs are marked and named, especially in the South China Sea and around the Sunda and Maluku islands. Submarine cables to carry telegraph messages around the region are also shown.

This 1883 map shows European colonial territories in Southeast Asia. An inset map details the proposed French annexation of Tonquin, Annam and Cochin China (modern Vietnam). International telegraph lines are also marked.

A map of Southeast Asia coloured to indicate the five different language families spoken in the region in the late 19th century. Names of indigenous tribes/languages are marked in red text, with European colonial possessions in grey.

This map of mainland Southeast Asia features short texts noting mines, trade routes and travel times (‘5 to 7 days on Elephants’), history (‘conquered by the King of Siam 1809’), peoples (‘states tributary to the Chinese’) and products (‘Tea Tree’).

On this hand-drawn and coloured map of Asia, the colours differentiate the colonial territories of the European powers: for example, New Guinea is divided into Dutch, British and German areas, and Borneo is split between the British and Dutch.

Map of a proposed extension of a telegraph system from Rangoon (Yangon, Myanmar) to China. Includes current and projected railways, steam ship routes, and population figures for western China. From the British magazine ‘The Illustrated London News’.

The colonial possessions of Britain, the Netherlands, Spain, Portugal and Denmark are shown on this mid-19th century map of Southeast Asia. There are inset maps of Penang Island and Singapore, and text describing the region’s colonial history.

On this map of Southeast Asia, British colonial territory is highlighted within red borders: the Straits Settlements (Singapore, Malacca and Penang) on the west coast of the Malay Peninsula; and British Burma (Chittagong and Aracan, and Tenasserim).

The colonial possessions of Britain (in red, though faded on this map), the Netherlands (green, but discoloured to blue) and Spain (the Philippines, brown) are shown on this map, with independent areas such as Borneo and the Maluku Islands in yellow.

Some regions on this map of Southeast have a descriptive label: New Guinea is described as unknown to Europeans; Borneo was abandoned by Europeans due to the ‘unmanageability’ of the inhabitants; the Philippines were discovered by Spain in 1565.

Some regions on this map of Southeast have a descriptive label: New Guinea is described as unknown to Europeans; Borneo was abandoned by Europeans due to the ‘unmanageability’ of the inhabitants; the Philippines were discovered by Spain in 1565.