This map of the ancient Indian Middle Indo-Aryan languages shows their development and zone of influence from the 3rd century BCE to the 7th century CE. One of the two that most closely pertains to Sri Lanka is Elu, considered the earliest form of the Sinhalese language, with origins in the 3rd century BCE. The second was Tamil, one of the longest-surviving classical languages in the world, with an extensive body of literature dating back to at least 500 BCE. But whilst Singhala is a descendant language of Sanskrit, an ancient language that emerged around 1500 BCE, Tamil is not.

This second edition of Michael Servetus' map of Ceylon depicts Ptolemy's famous “Geographia”. Michael Servetus (1509 - 1553) was a polymath, a Spanish theologian, physician, cartographer, and Renaissance humanist. His map used Lorenz Fries's woodcut maps and was published by Gaspar Trechsel in Vienna. The engraving shows a map of the island of Taprobana, which was then variously identified as Ceylon or Sumatra. Lorenz Fries, the famous physician, astrologer, and geographer, actually made the woodcuts back in 1522, and his map depicts rivers, canals, waterways, place names, fortifications, and administrative boundaries.

A chart showing the Maldives and the tip of Sri Lanka created by an anonymous draughtsman sometime between 1550 and 1650.

A map created by Jan Huygen van Linschoten (1563-1611), a Dutch spy, merchant, traveller and writer who was based for several years in Goa. His covert reports about Asian trade and navigation - hidden by the Portuguese – were published in his book “Itinerario.” Its highly detailed nautical data enabled the Dutch East India Company and the British East India Company to break the 16th-century Portuguese monopoly on trade with the East Indies.

Created by an anonymous cartographer sometime between 1606-1625, this early Dutch map of Ceylon was probably based on a Portuguese original.

A hand coloured outline map of Ceylon published by Isaacus Elzevirius, Iudoci Hondii, and Lugduni Batavorum, and based primarily on Ptolemy's Geographia, produced around 150 CE.

This map of Chilao is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of the fort of Sofragam is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Manar is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630. .

This map of Trincomale is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Galle is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of the fort at Mature is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Jaffnapatnam is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Negombo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of S. Lourenso in Columbo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Belligam is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This sketch of the land at Negombo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This copper-engraving uncoloured map of the island of Sri Lanka was part of a 1032-page atlas published by
T. Cotes for Michael Sparke and Samuel Cartwright in London, and copies the map created by Mercator Hondius in his 1607 work, Atlas Minor.

A Dutch drawing of the island by an unknown draughtsman marked as “Kaart van het Eiland Ceylon en de Kust van Madure” and thought to be created sometime between 1650 to 1700

A map of Adam’s Bridge created by an anonymous cartographer sometime between 1656 and 1725.

This Dutch map of Galle by Johannes Vingboons emphasises the city's defensive structure, as well as its main buildings and street grid.

The Dutch map created sometime between 1665 – 1668 for the Blaeu-Van der Hem Atlas by Johannes Vingboons, with flags marking the Dutch forts.

An aerial view of Negombo by an anonymous draughtsman showing the fort in the centre.

Created by an unknown Dutch cartographer, this map of the west coast of Ceylon reaches from Manarbel to Galle.

A drawing by an anonymous draughtsman of the western coast of Ceylon from Manaar to Negombo, created sometime between 1675 and 1775.

A map from a 2-volume atlas made by Pierre Du Val (1619-1683) and published in Paris by Chez Pierre Du Val and Chez Nicolas.

A plan for alterations to the Dutch fort in Colombo by Jan Christiaensz Toorzee. After the capture of Colombo in 1656, the VOC realised that the full extent of the Portuguese fortress could not be successfully defended. It was therefore decided to separate the core part, which they called the ‘Castle’, and the residential area.

This map, created sometime between 1700-1800 by an unknown Dutch cartographer, shows part of Mantotte and Nanaton – historically known as Manthottam in Tamil and Manthota or Mahathiththa in Sinhalese was an ancient port town in Mannar district and the main port of the Anuradhapura Kingdom.

Created by Chatelain Henri (1684-1743) and published by L'Honore & Chatelai, Freres Chatelain, this is a map from the first edition of a 7-volume Historical atlas of the world, the Atlas Historique. Although the text's primary focus was geography, the atlas also included a wealth of historical, political, and genealogical information. It was intended for a general public fascinated by recently conquered colonies and new discoveries. The engraved map of Sri Lanka shows towns, roads, the locations of Dutch forts, mines, rivers, and mountains, and depicts numerous elephants.

An engraved print of the Dutch VOC fortress created by François Valentyn for his monumental work - “Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën” (Old and New East Indies). Mannar Fort was built by the Portuguese in 1560, fell to the Dutch in 1658, and to the British in 1795.

A map by the Dutch cartographer CP Boomgaard and inscribed “map of a piece of country called Cattoegalawille by the Inlanders, lying in the Hewegam Corla, in the village of Degambedde, about half an hour's gate from the fortress of Hangwell.” Hanwella was the largest of a string of Dutch forts along the River Kelani, built to tighten control over the interior. It included a house for the fiscal and warehouses for provisions and herbs. According to sources, the fort was manned by the Company's outcasts, who were not particularly welcome in Colombo.

A Swedish map discovered in the library of Lund University, through its publisher remains obscure.

A Dutch map created by J.H. Steijn and A. van Manheijm that shows land and villages near Jaffna.

A Dutch map (1 of 5) by the cartographer CP Keller, depicting a slice of land close to Hakmana, north-east of Mature, on a tributary of the Tangale River. The territory was overseen by a small VOC fort at Katuwana, which, together with the fort at Akurressa, was intended to safeguard the link between the coast and the border town of Katuwana.

A Dutch map (one of several) by the cartographer CP Keller, depicting a slice of land close to Hakmana, north-east of Mature, on a tributary of the Tangale River. The territory was overseen by a small VOC fort at Katuwana, which, together with the fort at Akurressa, was intended to safeguard the link between the coast and the border town of Katuwana.

A Dutch map by the cartographer CP Keller, depicting a slice of land close to Hakmana, north-east of Mature, on a tributary of the Tangale River. The territory was overseen by a small VOC fort at Katuwana, which, together with the fort at Akurressa, was intended to safeguard the link between the coast and the border town of Katuwana.

This map of Cattoecare, or the ancient 'Reuzentank' (Giant Tank) near Mannar, by Jacobsz. van Baltus Lier, so carefully depicted in the chart, shows how greatly the Dutch came to rely on the extensive water system and water engineering from Sri Lanka’s ancient times

Created sometime between 1750 and 1770 by the Dutch cartographer Baltus Jacobsz. van Lier, this map of Ceylon shows the cattle and elephants in each district.

Created by an anonymous draftsman sometime between 1750 and 1800 of the southwestern coast of Ceylon.

Created by an anonymous cartographer, this map shows two of the corles or revenue districts in northern Sri Lanka - Hapitigam and Alloetcoer.

A remarkable map created sometime between 1765 and 1770 by an unknown Dutch cartographer of the Kandyan kingdom, showing just how formidable its natural defences were.

A Dutch drawing of Colombo by an unknown draftsman created close to the end of Dutch rule over the island.

The Dutch Governor Baron van Eck's expedition to capture Kandy was a mixed success, with the city briefly captured at great cost. Eck died shortly afterwards, and it was left to his successor, Willem Falck, to finally conclude a treaty in 1776 with the Kandyan King, Kirti Sri Raja Sinha. This gave the Dutch a monopoly on all trade, except for elephants, in the areas they controlled. The map is engraved - “Map of the marches, made by the different commands to take Candie, under orders from Mr John, the Baron van Ek, Governor of the island of Ceylon, / and raised by his orders on 2. January 1765 and put in net to be presented to Monsignor van der Parra Governor-General of Establishments for the Dutch Company of in the East Indies, 12 March 1766 by J.L. Guijard by the cares of Mr. Governor Falk.”

Published in Geneva by Jean-Leonard Pellet, the maps show the lower part of India, including the Island of Ceylon and the Malabar and Coromandel Coasts. The publisher notes that it was created by M. Bonne, Engineer, Hydrographer of the Navy, to accompany a ”Philosophical and Political History of the Settlements and Trade of the Europeans in the East and West Indies.”

Created by the Dutch cartographer Carl Friedrich Reimer, this map shows the Oostenburg fort - started initially by King Rajasinghe II, and taken over by the Portuguese, Dutch and British. Its site is today almost entirely lost.

A blueprint of the fortifications designed by Paravicini di Capelli, the Dutch captain-engineer of Ceylon, consisting of a fortified resistance sector on part of the east-west side and Slave Island, and the blocking off of the beach by a new line.

This map of the Dutch fort at Galle was published at the very end of the Dutch rule over Ceylon. Six years after it was made, the city and the country fell to the British.

Created by an anonymous Dutch cartographer, this map of Trincomalee depicts the British landing when they captured Ceylon from the VOC in 1795.

Published by Joseph Philipp Schalbacher in Vienna, this map is from his massive atlas of German-language maps covering the world.

A map of Ceylon engraved for Luffman's Select plans by John Luffman (1756-1846), a 2-volume atlas of engraved, hand-coloured plans of cities, harbours, and ports around the world, plus some countries, regions, and islands.

Drawn by Aaron Arrowsmith, hydrographer to H.R.H. Prince of Wales and published by Arrowsmith, of 10 Soho Square, London, this map of Sri Lanka detailed the British and Kandyan possessions at the end of the first Kandyan War. The British, fearing that French control of the Netherlands would give them control of the strategically important port of Trincomalee, occupied Dutch possessions in Sri Lanka in 1795. British possession would later be enshrined in the Treaty of Amiens of 1802. The interior of the island was controlled by the Kingdom of Kandy, which had lived in uneasy, sometimes violent, peace with the previous colonial incumbents, the Dutch and the Portuguese, for the past 200 years. This uneasiness continued, and in 1803, the first Kandyan War broke out when the British marched into Kandyan territory. Although they successfully occupied Kandy, resistance was more substantial than expected, and the army, weakened by disease, was resoundingly defeated. The war would continue for another two years, with neither side gaining a decisive victory, and it would not be until 1815, when the British overthrew Sri Vikrama Rajasingha and gained control of central Sri Lanka.

A hand-painted map published by R. Wilkerson in London. "Hindoostan" was the historical and common name for the Indian subcontinent during the British colonial era, encompassing the entire Indian subcontinent

This French marine chart of the coastal area of the Gulf of Bengal from Ceylon to the Gulf of Siam shows ocean depths by soundings. It was based on French admiralty charts and published by the Depot Général de la Marine in France.

This chart of the Indian Ocean shows the coasts of Africa, Arabia, Iran, India and Ceylon, with depths shown by soundings. It was part of a French marine atlas that used French admiralty charts to provide a full working atlas for officers navigating eastward, and was published by the Depot Général de la Marine in France.

An engraved and hand-coloured map published by Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy in Edinburgh.

A map of Celyon from the first edition of the Arrowsmith atlas, engraved by Sidney Hall and published by A. Constable & Co. in Edinburgh and London.

Published by M. Carey and Son in Philadelphia, the map is from the first American edition of the atlas, which was based on the 1817 London edition published by J. Barfield. The text provides a history and description of India, with locations of battles and sieges shown in chronological lists keyed to little flags on the maps.

The first edition of Fielding Lucas' general atlas was considered the finest general atlas produced in the U.S. at the time, and this map from within it includes Nepal, Ceylon, and parts of Tibet. It was published in Baltimore by Fielding Lucas Jr.

A hand-coloured lithographed map that covers Sri Lanka and parts of Kerala, Karnataka, and Tamil Nadu, part of the six-volume Atlas Universel, published in Brussels by Ph. Vandermaelen. The atlas was the first atlas of the world with all maps on the same scale (about one inch to 26 miles.

A hand coloured, engraved map showing Ceylon, published by D. Lizars of Edinburgh.

Published by James Wyld in London, this map is from Wyld’s New General Atlas Of Modern Geography. It covers the Indian provinces, extending from Aurangabad in the North to the northern half of Sri Lanka in the South, and depicts administrative boundaries, major cities, and towns.

Published by Adam & Charles Black in Edinburgh, this second edition is from the Atlas and was engraved exclusively by Sydney Hall, credited as the first engraver to use steel plates in map engraving.

A hand coloured map, with outline colour by boundaries that shows cities, rivers, and roads. It was published by G.F. Cruchley in London and was created by A. Arrowsmith, Hydrographer to the King.

Published in London by Chapman and Hall, and created by JW Lowry, J Sharpe and Joseph Wilson Lowry.

Drawn & Engraved by H. Winkles and J. Rapkin, this map of Ceylon was published in New York by J. & F. Tallis and shows the Island in outline colour by region, encircled by drawings of local lakes, mountains, ruins, and temples.

Published by Edward Stanford under the Supervision of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge, this is one of over 30 maps in the Atlas of India, produced by the Society to encourage broad use of maps in education.

Engraved & printed by W. & A.K. Johnston, Edinburgh, for William Blackwood & Sons, this map of the south-eastern provinces of India also covers Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, and parts of Burma, Thailand, Malaysia, and Sumatra.

Published for the Church Missionary Society by Seeley, Jackson, and Halliday ion London, this third edition of The Church Missionary Atlas depicts in maps the missions in various countries operated by the Church Missionary Society, showing also roads, buildings and landmarks, rivers, major towns, rivers and mountains as well as numbered references to churches and missions and alphabetical reference to landmarks.

Published by Weimar Geographisches Institut, this map in the 42nd edition of the Atlas (which first appeared in 1856) is one of 5 devoted to Asia, with the lithography colour-coded by region and British possessions, and showing cities, towns, roads, and rivers.

This engraved colour map from Stieler's Atlas, published by Justus Perthes, covers Sri Lanka, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Nepal, Bhutan, Tibet, and parts of China, Burma, Afghanistan, and Central Asia. The atlas was first published in 1817, with editions continuing well into the 20th century - the most comprehensive and best executed 19th-century German atlases.

Created by J. Rapkin, the cartographer and engraver, this map shows the British Indian presidencies of Bombay and Madras, with provincial borders delineated and vignettes along the margins featuring The Tomb of Mahomed Shar; Government House, Calcutta; and the Seal of the East India Company.

Published as a map in the London Atlas by Edward Stanford of 55 Charing Cross, London, this coloured lithograph map of Ceylon shows political boundaries, railways, topography, drainage and submarine telegraph cables. The Stanford map-making company had been active in London since 1854. In 1874, they acquired the London atlas of 1834 from John Arrowsmith and released a special limited edition in 1884 with 70 maps

Published by the Ceylon Observer Office in Colombo and M. & J. Ferguson/ John Haddon & Co in London, this map states it was corrected up to 1893, and shows provinces, towns, principal and minor roads, railway and telegraph lines.

Published by Rand, McNally & Co. in Chicago within their Atlas of the World.

Published by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute in association with J.G Bartholomew, the map was part of a planned 5-volume Bartholomew's Physical Atlas, though only the Meteorology and Zoogeography editions were ever published.

Published by Geo. F. Cram in Chicago as a map within Cram's Atlas Of The World, Ancient And Modern, showing provinces, cities and towns, roads.

Published by Justus Perthes in Gotha, the map depicts the Indian subcontinent.

This map was compiled for the Railway Board of India by J.H. Trott in Moradabad, exhibited by the British Government at the Franco-British Exposition in London in 1908, and later published in 1915.

Published by Justus Perthes in Gotha, the map shows the British domains in India and Sri Lanka.

This colour map of the Indian railway system includes insets for Bombay, Cawnpore, Madras, Ceylon and Agra – and covers what is today Pakistan and Bangladesh. Published under the direction of Colonel Sir S.G. Burrad, the Survey General of India from the Survey of India Office in Calcutta, it shows international and administrative boundaries, railways and roads.

A thematic map which was part of an atlas published in New York by the Institute of Social and Religious Research.

A colour pictorial postcard map designed by MacDonald Gill (1884-1947) and printed in Ceylon. It formed advertising and promotional campaign of the Ceylon Tea Propaganda Board in the early 1930's and shows principal tea growing region, wildlife, and ships on the ocean. Major coastal ports and settlements are noted by means of unfurled scrollwork banners.

One of three lithograph pictorial maps, produced in 1937 by Macdonald Gill (1884-1947) for the Tea Market Expansion Board, and depicting the local landmarks, industries and wildlife of Britain’s main tea suppliers in the early twentieth century: India, Ceylon, Java and Sumatra. Gill was one of Britain’s leading graphic designers and cartographers and was the brother of Eric Gill, one of the principal figures of the Arts and Crafts movement.

A coloured map of India, Burma and Ceylon that shows political boundaries, major cities, railroads, roads, lakes, drainage and coastlines, as well as air routes and ocean routes with distances between ports. It was created by Biba Singh Kaushal and published in Lahore by Map House & Indian Book Depot.

Published by the Garden City Publishing Company, a notable American publisher originally a branch of Doubleday, best known for its reprints of popular books by authors such as Rudyard Kipling and William Somerset Maugham.

Published by the Instituto Geographico di Agostini in an encyclopaedic atlas of small maps showing, crops, minerals, land cover, products, and energy resources.

A map from the English edition of the Polish Atlas Swiata, a massive atlas that weighed nearly 5.5 kilograms, was published by the Pergamon Press in Oxford and was initially created by the Polish Army Topography Service - Wojskowe Zaklady Kartograficzne.

A map of Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, India, Pakistan, Nepal, Ceylon, created by the Polish Army Topographical Service and published in the Pergamon World Atlas by Pergamon Press, Ltd., in Oxford. In a range of small maps and graphics, it depicts population, land use, agriculture, industry, power, relief types, mining, metallurgy, climate, crops, and foreign trade.

A map created by the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) using a spaceborne weather radar built by the Japanese space agency NASDA. The Mission notes that “during the past few days (May 15-19, 2003) Tropical Cyclone 01B developed in the Indian Ocean and achieved hurricane status. The storm produced heavy rainfall in Sri Lanka, leading to flash flooding and a large loss of life there.”

This image, created by NASA’s MISR multi-angle, multispectral space-based imager, depicts the 26 December 2004 tsunami. NASA notes that “the initial tsunami waves resulting from the undersea earthquake that occurred at 00:58:53 UTC (Coordinated Universal Time) on 26 December 2004 off the island of Sumatra, Indonesia, took a little over 2 hours to reach the teardrop-shaped island of Sri Lanka. Additional waves continued to arrive for many hours afterwards. At approximately 05:15 UTC, as NASA's Terra satellite passed overhead, the Multi-angle Imaging Spectro Radiometer (MISR) captured this image of deep ocean tsunami waves about 30-40 kilometres from Sri Lanka's southwestern coast. The waves are made visible because of changes in the sea-surface slope on the reflected sun glint pattern. Since the greatest impact of the tsunami was generally in an east-west direction, the havoc caused by the tsunami along the southwestern shores of Sri Lanka was not as severe as along the eastern coast, though there was still substantial damage in this region--as evidenced by the brownish debris in the water--because tsunami waves can diffract around land masses.

A map from within the first edition of Sebastian Munster’s Geographia Universalis, which represented the famous map of Ptolemy, with revised maps and text. Munster (1448-1552) was a mathematician, geographer and professor at Basel University and author of the influential Cosmographia Universalis. This map of the Island of Ceylon shows cities, towns, landmarks, rivers and mountains.

This engraved map of the island of Ceylon, showing settlements, towns, landmarks, rivers and mountains, was part of La Geografia Di Claudio Ptolemeo Alessandrino and was published in Venice by Baptista Pedrezano. The map marked a first by being engraved on copper rather than rendered in woodcut, the work of Giacomo Gastaldi, the famous Italian cartographer.

Published by Godefridi Kempensis in Cologne, this edition of Claudius Ptolemy’s map of Ceylon was prepared by Gerhard Mercator. The maps were first printed, without the text of the Geographia, engraved on copper plates by Mercator himself.

Dating from somewhere between 1600 and 1618, this map of South India and Sri Lanka was created by Petrus Bertius (1565 –1629), a Flemish theologian, historian, and cartographer.

This map of Ceylon was part of the Atlas minor Gerardi Mercatoris atlas, published by Ioannes Janssonius, and shows the boundaries, territories, topographical features, cities and towns, landmarks, rivers, forests, and even sea monsters. In using the maps of Gerardus Mercator, it relied on the work of one of the greatest cartographers of the sixteenth century, a man who helped establish Amsterdam as the leading centre of 16th-century cartography. Gerard Mercator was a philosopher, land surveyor, cartographer, and engraver, and is famous for developing the technique of rendering the globe on a flat surface – "Mercator’s projection."

Published by Hendricus Hondius in Amsterdam, the detail notes that this is a map of “Ceylon, which is called Tenaris by the inhabitants. The most illustrious man, Petrus Plancius, described this island, drawn by Cyprian Sanchez, the Spanish cosmographer, to be inserted into this work of ours.” Its claim to show “Ceylon with inhabitants” is rendered more exciting by the manifold presence of many wild animals.

This map of the tiny fort at Tanavare near Batticaloa is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630. No traces of it exist today.

This map of Batecalo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Galle is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Colombo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map Calpeti and Putalam is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This view of Alicao is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of the fort at Caleture is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of the castle of Colombo is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of Trincomalee is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

This map of the fort at Manieravare is based on the maps and descriptions made by Constantine de Sa en Noronha, captain-general of Ceylon from 1618 to 1620 and 1623 to 1630.

A copper-engraved map of the island of Sri Lanka that shows towns, villages, landmarks, mountains, and rivers, published by Apud Joannem Janssonium.

A map of Ceylon that made up what was considered to be the first true sea atlas. It was published in Amsterdam within the fifth volume of Johannes Jansson’s (1588-1664) Atlas Novus.

A very rare map by Nicolas Sanson (1600-1667) and published by his son, Guillaume Sanson (1633-1703) as Cloistre de S Nicolas du Louvre, in French and Latin. The title page is dated 1697 but the latest date on a map in the atlas is 1709. It was part of a 3 volume set.

An unusual coloured drawing of Galle, its origins obscure – as seen from high above.

The map by Johannes Vingboons, created sometime between 1660 and 1667, shows Colombo, with its main streets and buildings, its city defences and the siege works that VOC troops erected during their siege of the town in 1655-1656.

A stunning coloured map by Johannes Vingboons that gives an aerial view of Colombo and its environs.

Created by the Dutch cartographer Johannes Vingboons sometime between 1665 and 1668, this map of northern Ceylon also shows part of India's Coromandel Coast and marks the Dutch fort with flags. It is part of the Blaeu-Van der Hem Atlas.

This map was published in "A True and Exact Description of the Most Celebrated East-India Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, and also of the Isle of Ceylon" - a 17th-century travelogue by Dutch missionary Philippus Baldaeus, detailing his observations in South India and Sri Lanka, and covering geography, culture, Hindu idolatry, flora, fauna, and conflicts between Portuguese and Dutch forces. It depicts a hilltop perspective of the fort built by the Portuguese and captured by the Dutch after a three-month siege in 1658. The kingdom of Jaffnapatnam consisted of 13 islands and four provinces, and the Dutch maintained rule for 138 years.

Created sometime between 1680 and 1730 by the cartographer Isaac de Graaff, this map of the east coast of India and a part of the west coast on the island of Ceylon shows the fine detail of Adam’s Bridge.

Created sometime between 1690 and 1743, this map depicts the east coast of India and part of the west coast of Ceylon. It was created by Isaak de Graaff (1668- 1743), a Dutch mapmaker who received a commission to produce an Atlas of Africa and Asia for the Dutch East India Company, which could then be used by their governing council when considering policy. After this was completed in 1705, he was appointed their official cartographer.

This map by C. van Houten was created sometime between 1700 and 1800 and shows the cinnamon gardens at Paneture, an area near Kalutara important for cinnamon cultivation. The VOC exported around 10,000 bales of cinnamon annually, generating an unprecedented income of 2.5 million guilders per year. And they were ruthless in implementing strategies to maintain their monopoly and keep prices high. They deliberately burned wild cinnamon forests to create artificial scarcity and established strict quality controls reinforced by a monopoly

An early Dutch map of Ceylon.

Published by N. De Fer in Paris, the maps states that its subject is “The East Indies: under the name of which is included the empire of the Great Mughal, the two peninsulas of Ceylon and the Ganges, the Maldives, and the island of Ceylon, to which some also add the large islands of the Sunda archipelago, which are Sumata, Java, and Borneo; the Philippines; and the Moluccas.” De Fer was the official cartographer of the King of Spain and had a reputation for work that was more artistic than accurate.

An engraved print from: “Oud en Nieuw Oost-Indiën” (Old and New East Indies) by François Valentyn. This monumental work was published in parts between 1724 and 1726 – an eight-volume text filled with maps, illustrations, and vast details on the Dutch East India Company's territories.

A map by the Dutch cartographer CP Boomgaard and inscribed “map of a piece of country called Cattoegalawille by the Inlanders, lying in the Hewegam Corla, in the village of Degambedde, about half an hour's gate from the fortress of Hangwell.” Hanwella was the largest of a string of Dutch forts along the River Kelani, built to tighten control over the interior. It included a house for the fiscal and warehouses for provisions and herbs. According to sources, the fort was manned by the Company's outcasts, who were not particularly welcome in Colombo.

A map from an atlas by Homann, Seutter, Lotter, and others which range from 1702 to 1791, this map being created Johann Baptist Homann (1663-1724).

Created by Guillaume de L'Isle (1675-1726) and published by Covens & Mortier in Amsterdam, this engraved map in outline colour shows forested areas, pictorial relief and ocean depths by soundings.

A Dutch map (1 of 5) by the cartographer CP Keller, depicting a slice of land close to Hakmana, north-east of Mature, on a tributary of the Tangale River. The territory was overseen by a small VOC fort at Katuwana, which, together with the fort at Akurressa, was intended to safeguard the link between the coast and the border town of Katuwana.

A Dutch map (1 of 5) by the cartographer CP Keller, depicting a slice of land close to Hakmana, north-east of Mature, on a tributary of the Tangale River. The territory was overseen by a small VOC fort at Katuwana, which, together with the fort at Akurressa, was intended to safeguard the link between the coast and the border town of Katuwana.

A map of Jafnapatnam created by the Dutch missionary Philippus Baldaeus, whose book "A True and Exact Description of the Most Celebrated East-India Coasts of Malabar and Coromandel, and also of the Isle of Ceylon", created a wave of interest in the colony right across Europe.

This Dutch map by D Matthysz shows cinnamon gardens Alloetkorekorle, thought to be in Uva province.

A map of Malabar, Madura, Ceylon and the Maldives created sometime between 1750-1775 by an anonymous Dutch draftsman.

This map was presented to the Governor of Dutch Ceylon, Gerard Joan Vreeland, on the day he took office, 24 September 1751. It was created by Baltus Jacobsz. van Lier. It depicts the plans for 22 forts on Ceylon, making clear that the VOC believed it could sustain its colonial grip through strong defensive power.

Created by an anonymous Dutch cartographer, the map shows the area around Colombo and Negombo in the same year the Dutch precipitated a new war with Kandy over elephant trade, which by 1760 grew into a violent insurrection.

This map, created by Baltus Jacobsz. van Lier is inscribed “map of the province of Prince King Wil-Elie: on the occasion of the township there adjoining…” The Dutch captured Negombo from the Portuguese in 1644, and it became a vital part of the colony due to the lucrative cinnamon trade and its strategic position north of Colombo, with a fort and a canal used to transport goods.

A Dutch map of the southern part of Ceylon created by Iman Willem Falck and JL Guyard.

A Dutch map by W Löwe showing the elevations of Fort Oostenburg, a now long-forgotten fort held by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British on a ridge overlooking Trincomalee.

An engraved hand-coloured map of the southernmost part of India, including Sri Lanka and the Maldives, showing administrative divisions, cities, towns, rivers and mountains. The map was part of Zatta's atlas in 4 volumes, the most comprehensive 18th-century world atlas issued in Italy and was published by Presso Antonio Zatta, e Figli in Venice.

Little is known of the source or creator of this map depicting the Dutch Fort at Galle in 1787. The year was a significant one for the ruling VOC, rocked as it was by repercussions from the Prussian invasion of Holland and by the increasingly insistent attacks on its Ceylon territories by the British. The colony was further blighted by an economic crisis that led to a decrease in coinage and the cancellation of many infrastructure projects, including forts. The new Dutch Governor, Johan van Angelbeek, appointed in that year, would turn out to become the colony’s last ever Dutch Governor.

Published in Vienna by Joseph Philipp Schalbacher, and part of a massive atlas of German language maps covering the world.

Created just 2 years before the Dutch rule over Ceylon ended, the two maps depict two of the several revenue districts on the island - the Hina and Hewegam Corles.

Created sometime between 1795 and 1803 by JA Sommer, this chart of the bay of Trincomale, showing the attack of the fleet led by De Suffren. Trincomalee was taken briefly by the French in 1795.

An engraved map that covers the peninsula of India from the 19th degree north latitude to Cape Comorin and the northern portion of Ceylon. It was published by W. Faden, Geographer to the King and to the Prince of Wales, from his offices in Charing Cross, London.

Published by Laurie & Whittle in London, the map states that it was made “chiefly from the actual surveys made by Major James Rennell, Surveyor to the Hble. East India Company, of the Bengal Provinces, and of the countries lying between them and Delhy; the whole exhibiting all the military roads and passes, as well as the most accurate division of the British possessions in the East Indies.”

Published within an atlas by the engraver John Cary (1754-1835), of No. 181, Strand, London, this atlas continued in new editions until 1844.

This French marine atlas of the eastern oceans, updated to 1810, used French admiralty charts to provide a complete working atlas for officers navigating eastward, with routes to the Red Sea, the coasts of India, China, northern parts of Indonesia, and South-East Asia. This particular chart of Ceylon and the southern part of India, with profile views and depth soundings, was part of an Atlas of 69 maps, many of which derive from the 1775 edition of the Neptune Oriental and on the work of d'Apres de Mannevillette. It was published by the Depot Général de la Marine in France.

This chart of the port of Trincomalee, Sri Lanka, shows sea depth by soundings and was part of a French marine atlas of the eastern oceans, updated to 1810 using French admiralty charts to provide a complete working atlas for officers navigating eastward. It was published by the Depot Generale de la Marine in Paris.

A coloured map that was drawn & engraved for Thomson's New general atlas by John Thomson and Samuel John Neele and published by Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy in London and Dublin.

A hand coloured map drawn & engraved for Thomson's New General Atlas and published by Baldwin, Cradock, and Joy, John Cumming, John Thomson of London, Dublin, and Edinburgh.

Published by W. Faden (1749-1836) to accompany his Atlas Minimus Universalis, which he described as “a geographical abridgement ancient and modern of the several parts of the earth.” Faden was the royal geographer to King George III, a title given to various people in the 18th century, all of whom were engravers and publishers, not academics, and whose role was to publish and supply maps to the British crown and parliament.

This map was part of a failed attempt by Arrowsmith, Hydrographer to the King, to map India on a large scale (4 miles to 1 inch), but Arrowsmith’s death in 1823 meant that it was never fully completed.

A hand coloured map of Ceylon published in the Atlas created by A. & S. Arrowsmith, No.10 Soho Square, London

Published by Georg Joachim Goschen of Leipzig, this topographical map shows in red outline the British possessions in India, Ceylon and Malacca. The map formed part of a 3-volume set published in parts from 1825-1830.

Created by J. & C. Walker and published under the supervision of the Society for the Diffusion of Useful Knowledge by Chapman and Hall, this engraved map shows the southern tip of India and Sri Lanka and was part of a 2-volume atlas. The SDUK, as the Society was known, was well known for producing inexpensive educational maps.

One of 11 lithographic maps and 2 geological profiles created by J.L Grimm H. Mahlmann and G. Reimer for Carl Zimmermann's Atlas von Verder-Asien, published by Karte Inner Asien in 1841.

Published by Henry Teesdale & Co in London and drawn & engraved by J. Dower, this map features coloured margins for the states and shows cities, place names, roads, rivers, lakes, and islands. It depicts British possessions in red and lists states that are either tributary to, subsidiary to, or protected by the British. Settlements of other European powers are underlined in appropriate colour.

A map of India and Sri Lanka published by Carl Flemming in Leipzig.

A map created by the cartographer and engraver J. Rapkin showing a range of routes - from London to the Red Sea; the Mail Steam Packet Route, the Marseilles and German Overland Routes; the Euphrates Route; as well as routes from the Red Sea to Bombay or Colombo; to Calcutta; the Persian Gulf and Bombay.

Published in New York by G.W. & C.B. Colton, depicting British India with Sri Lanka.

This map from the first edition of Baur's Atlas Of Commercial Geography shows the British colonies. It covers Iran, Afghanistan, India and Sri Lanka, referencing agricultural, mineral and industrial products, political boundaries, major cities, roads, railways, and shipping routes.

A colour map of South India created by the Church Missionary Society and published by Seeley, Jackson and Halliday in London. It shows roads, buildings, landmarks, rivers, major towns, rivers and mountains - and occasionally numbered references to churches and missions.

Published by Furne Et Cie in Paris, this map is from a beautifully engraved and coloured atlas created by August Stoher, by Joseph-Rose Lemercier, one of the most important Parisian printers and lithographers of the 19th century.

Part of a 27-part atlas created by G.H. Swanston for J. Bartholomew and the publisher Fullarton & Co., this map of British Settlements was compiled using Admiralty Surveys and is surrounded by drawings of the flora, fauna, and people of the possessions.

Created by A. Graef and G. Haubold, this map was published by Geographisches Institut in Weimar, Germany as part of 2 volume atlas, with countries color-coded to indicate the colonizing European country.

Published by Letts, Son & Co. in London, this colour map, part of Letts's Popular Atlas, covers southern India and Sri Lanka and shows spot heights, cities, political divisions, European possessions, telegraph lines, roads, railroads, coffee plantations, forests, lights and lighthouses.

A map engraved for the Standard World Atlas published in Chicago by George F. Cram.

A colour map of India’s Trichinopoly district, and Sri Lanka, that shows administrative boundaries, cities, towns, roads, railroads, rivers and mountains. It formed part of the first edition of an atlas of India, one of 60 maps made for John Bartholmew & Co by the Edinburgh Geographical Institute and published by Archibald Constable & Company in London.

Published by W. & A. K. Johnston of Edinburgh & London, this map was part of an Atlas of India, .and showed political administrative divisions, cities and towns, the railway system, roads and rivers

Published by Edward Stanford of Long Acre, London, within the London atlas series

A map from the magnificent full colour lithographic atlas published by Edward Stanford. It shows the island’s provinces in full colour, along with relief, settlements, roads, and railroads. First issued in 1887, it was the successor to John Arrowsmith's London Atlas of 1858 (Stanford acquired Arrowsmith's plates upon his death). The first issue of the second edition appeared in 1893, with updated second editions of 1896, 1898, and 1901. The third edition was issued in 1904, and Phillips (mistakenly) shows the next and last edition as 1928 – although it was actually 1931.

First published in 1897 by W. & A.K. Johnston Limited of Edinburgh, this map comes from a later edition published in 1906.

Published by W.& A.K. Johnston in Edinburgh, this map, within their General Atlas, shows countries and districts outlined in colour.

Published under the direction of Colonel Sir S.G. Burrad, the Survey General of India at the Survey of India Office, Calcutta, this colour map of the Indian railway systems shows international and administrative boundaries, railways and roads.

A small map that shows the island's climate, topography, economy, infrastructure, and demographics. Arrows indicate the direction and months of the seasonal monsoons, and the map is adorned with illustrations of ships, elephants, and mountains. It dates to 1925 as the railway network's Main Line appears to reach Badulla, a connection completed in 1924. The name of the cartographer is illegible.

Created by McCormick & Co., Inc., importers, exporters, and packers in Baltimore, U.S.A., this advertising map of the world features vignette illustrations at the corners: Native Tea Pickers of Ceylon, Natives Pulling Vanilla Beans in Mexico, Workers Loading Spices in India. It also includes an image of the McCormick building, a list of countries with their flags, and a selection of Bee Brand products.

A map that depicts all of Ceylon’s transportation network. The island’s topography is precisely expressed based upon the latest official surveys, with elevations shown by altitude tints; and symbols identify major motor roads, other motor roads, paths, ferries, railways, petrol stations, rest houses, hotels and telephone boxes; petrol depots, police stations with telegraph offices, rest houses and hotels, hospitals and pharmacies, circuit bungalows, railway stations with automobile rental offices, and climate data for many locations. The map was compiled by William Samuel Maddams (1877 - 1958), then Ceylon’s Assistant Superintendent of Surveys, an experienced cartographer who first learned surveying and draftsmanship while fighting in East Africa during World War I. He subsequently spent many years engaged by the Ceylon Survey Department in Colombo, where he drafted many of the era’s most important maps of the island. The present map is part of a sequence of Motor Maps of Ceylon, issued by the Survey Department in regularly updated editions from 1918 to 1973.

This map, from the Atlas of India, published by the Map House & Indian Book Depot in Lahore, shows political boundaries, major cities, railroads, roads, lakes, drainage and coastlines, as well as air routes and bay and ocean routes with distances between ports.

Published by Justus Perthes in Gotha, this is a map from the last and now very rare edition of the Stieler atlas. It was printed during the final months of World War II, probably in April or May of 1945.

One of a series of thematic maps showing crops, minerals, land cover, products, and energy resources published by Instituto Geographico di Agostini and probably intended to accompany an encyclopedia.

Created by The Geographical Institute of Edinburgh and published by Houghton Mifflin Co. and John Bartholomew & Son in London and Boston, this map is from a 5-volume atlas.

This map from the second edition of the Atlas of the World (1st edition in 1954) was published by Topics Physical Publisher USSR in Moscow and stated that "The second edition of the World Atlas is issued at a time when all progressive people of the globe are celebrating the 50th anniversary of the Great October socialist revolution."

An undated map by Manuel and SmashGamer16 showing a preponderance of cola bottles, none of which hover directly over Sri Lanka.

This NASA image, produced by Hal Pierce, is accompanied by the observation that “heavy rains have further complicated the matter and added to the misery in parts of eastern Sri Lanka. Between December 28, 2004, and January 5, 2005, up to 10 to 15 inches of rain may have fallen along the southeast coast of the island, and as much as 20 inches (red areas) fell just offshore.”