British Empire, Showing the Commercial Routes of the World and Ocean Currents

A scarce, detailed, c.19th-century colour-printed lithographic map of the world showing the extent of the British Empire with trade routes and ocean currents, from the first edition, third state of, The Times Atlas.

Around 1900 the British Empire was already the largest empire in history and close to its greatest extent. It covered around almost 25% of the world’s land surface. Its principal territories included British India—comprising present-day India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Burma which was by far the most populous component of the empire. Other major dominions included Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. In southern Africa Britain controlled the Cape Colony and neighbouring territories that later formed the Union of South Africa, while Egypt had been under British occupation since 1882. Across eastern and southern Africa, Britain also administered territories such as Kenya, Uganda, and Rhodesia. The empire further included numerous colonies in the Caribbean and the Pacific, including Jamaica and Fiji. At the time, Britain also possessed the largest navy in the world with strategic naval bases at Gibraltar, Malta, Singapore, and Hong Kong, that allowed Britain to control many of the principal maritime routes linking Europe with Asia, Africa, and the Pacific. This naval predominance enabled the protection of the trade routes that connected the empire’s widely dispersed territories. During this period Britain remained the leading maritime power and London functioned as the world’s principal financial centre.

There are three insets at bottom:
Left     : Steam Ship Lines of Central America & the West Indies
Centre : Steam Ship Lines from Ports of Western Europe
Right    : Eastern Steam-Ship Lines.

Collections:
National Library Australia: Bib ID: 6848776
State Library New South Wales: 991024617646902626
State Library Victoria: MAPEF 912 T48AT
British Library London: System number: 003559823
National Library Scotland: ID: NLS b.225.g.1
Bodleian Library, University of Oxford: Shelf mark: C17:70 Atlas fol.
University of Cambridge Library: Class mark: Atlas.4.89.1
Library of Congress Washington D.C.: LCCN: 06041079