Economy
Historical maps of **Ceylon** digitized using records of global explorers
What happened
Researchers have digitized historical maps of Ceylon (modern-day Sri Lanka) by cross-referencing records of famous global voyagers, including Marco Polo and Vasco da Gama, to reconstruct colonial-era geographical data. The project aims to preserve and analyze 16th-19th century cartographic records, offering new insights into historical trade routes and territorial claims.
Key facts
bullet: Researchers used records from Marco Polo's travels (1292–1295) to trace early maritime routes along Ceylon's southern coast.
bullet: Maps from Vasco da Gama's 1498 voyage were cross-referenced to identify Portuguese trading posts in Colombo and Galle.
bullet: Digitized maps include 16th-century Dutch cartographic surveys of Jaffna and Trincomalee, highlighting colonial administrative divisions.
bullet: The project incorporated British Ordnance Survey maps from the 1830s, showing railway lines and colonial-era land surveys.
bullet: Over 500 historical maps from global archives were analyzed to reconstruct Ceylon's colonial geography.
Context
bullet: Ceylon was a British colony from 1815 to 1948, prior to which it was ruled by the Portuguese (1505–1658) and Dutch (1640–1796). bullet: Colonial-era maps often reflected territorial disputes, trade monopolies, and administrative boundaries imposed by European powers. bullet: Historical cartography of Ceylon was influenced by voyages of explorers like Marco Polo (13th century) and Vasco da Gama (late 15th century), who documented coastal regions and trade hubs. bullet: Digitization projects like this help historians and geographers study how colonial powers shaped modern Sri Lanka's borders and infrastructure.