Search

Map charting the three expeditions of the British Royal Navy captain James Cook, including HMS Endeavour’s journey via Batavia (Jakarta) in 1770, and HMS Resolution’s journey through the South China Sea (after Cook’s death) in 1779.

This map of the Sunda Isles (‘Isles de la Sonde’) (with red borders) and Maluku Islands (‘Isles Moluques’) (green borders) also includes mainland Southeast Asia (blue borders), the Philippines (yellow borders) and New Guinea (green borders).

A late 18th century map of Asia featuring rivers, mountains, reefs and shoals. Regions are colour-coded, with the borders of the kingdoms of mainland Southeast Asia in green, and the islands of maritime Southeast Asia in yellow and red.

A late 18th century map of Asia published in London by John Bowles, with regions indicated by colour. Central Borneo is labelled ‘Part inhabited by the Biayos’, which is seen on many contemporary maps, often with the comment ‘a savage people’.

This late 18th century map features a number of labels describing the local populations, including the Kemoys ('Savage People') of the mountains of Cokin China (Vietnam), the Biayos of Borneo, and the 'Wild People' of the mountains of Pegu (Myanmar).

Map of Asia, with mainland Southeast Asia in red and divided into ancient kingdoms, Sunda Islands in yellow, and the Philippines in grey. Twelve different scales are shown, as different countries used different measurement systems.

On this map of Asia, borders are outlined and cities underlined in different colours to show the colonial territories of the European powers: e.g. at this time, Benkulen (Bencoolen) on the west coast of Sumatra is British, and Malacca is Dutch.

Map of Asia, with mainland Southeast Asia in red and divided into ancient kingdoms, Sunda Islands in yellow, and the Philippines in grey. Twelve different scales are shown, as different countries used different measurement systems.

On this map of Asia, borders are outlined and cities underlined in different colours to show the colonial territories of the European powers: e.g. at this time, Benkulen (Bencoolen) on the west coast of Sumatra is British, and Malacca is Dutch.

This map of Asia features a decorative cartouche with drawings of two women—one with a cornucopia and one with a censer (incense burner)—and a French coat of arms. Interestingly, the map is dated 1792, during the French Revolution.

Hand-drawn coloured borders have been added to this map to distinguish various regions: mainland Southeast Asia and most of the islands of maritime Southeast Asia are bordered in green, with Borneo and the Philippines in red.

A late 18th century map of Asia, with notes on the principal states, empires and kingdoms of Asia written in French on the right-hand side.