Ceylon (Sri Lanka), Maldives

Antique Maps of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the Maldives

This category brings together original antique maps of Ceylon (Sri Lanka) and the Maldives—two island regions central to Indian Ocean navigation, commerce and colonial rivalry. Early European cartography was shaped by Portuguese, Dutch and later British maritime interests, with maps and charts emphasising anchorages, reefs, channels and coastal profiles.

Atlas publishers such as Ortelius, Mercator, Blaeu and Hondius helped establish enduring European representations of the region, while later French and British cartographers—including Guillaume Delisle, d’Anville, Bellin and Admiralty hydrographers—improved accuracy as surveying techniques advanced. For the Maldives in particular, nautical charting and route mapping were vital given the complexity of atolls and lagoons.

These maps are valued for their historical insight into trade routes linking Europe, the Middle East, India and Southeast Asia, and for their decorative and engraved qualities—often with clear coastline work, period place names and, in some examples, original hand colouring.