18th Century Map and Sea Chart of the Maldives and Maluka Islands
Back to: India | Antique Nautical Charts
Title: Carte Particuliere Des Isles Moluques - Carte Des Isles Maldives
Publication: Unknown
Date: circa 1753
Description: Jacques Nicolas Bellin.
rare copy of this map with both Island groups on one page.
Maluku Islands (also known as the Moluccas, Moluccan Islands, the Spice Islands) are an archipelago in Indonesia, and part of the larger Maritime Southeast Asia region. These islands (Indonesia Maluku) producers of spices attracted Europeans in the Indonesian archipelago in the early sixteenth century. Their name comes from Jazirat al-Muluk, "the island of kings," given them by the Arab merchants .
Geographically they are located east of Sulawesi (Celebes), west of New Guinea, and north of Timor. The islands were also historically known as the "Spice Islands" by the Chinese and Europeans, but this term has also been applied to other islands.
Maldive Islands, officially Republic of Maldives, is an island country in the Indian Ocean formed by a double chain of twenty-six atolls stretching along north-south direction off India's Lakshadweep islands, between Minicoy Island and Chagos Archipelago. It stands in the Laccadive Sea, about seven hundred kilometres (435 miles) south-west of Sri Lanka.
Condition: Good imprint, some age discolouration, repaired split to top border. Contemporary ink annotations.
Image size: 216 x 315mm
8.5 x 12.5 " approx.
£120.00
Order No. 2062
Jacques Nicolas Bellin 1703 - 72
Bellin spent over fifty years at the French Hydrographic Service where he was appointed the first Ingeniuer hydrogrographe de la Marine. During his time there he was commissioned to carry out major surveys, first of the coasts of France and later all the known coasts of the world. This resulted in production of a large number of sea charts of the highest quality which appeared in many editions with varying numbers of charts to the end of the century.
He was appointed Hydrographer to the King and was a member of the Royal Society in London.
Atlases by Bellin include:
Maps for Prevost's L'Histoire Générale des Voyages - 1747-61.
Atlas Maritime - 1751.
Neptune François - 1753 and re-issues.
Partie occidentale et orientale de la Nouvelle France, ou du Canada - 1755.
Hydrographie Françoise: 2 volumes 1756-65 re-issues to 1802.
Guiana - 1757.
Essai géographique sur les Isles des Britanniques - 1757.
Petit Atlas Maritime: 5 Volumes - 1764.
Corsica - 1769.
Gulf of Venice - 1771.
Charts of the Caribbean - 1773.