Mapping the Netherlands East Indies: A Cartographic Appraisal

The mapping of the Netherlands East Indies was, first and foremost, meant to serve as an instrument for the government to keep its inhabitants under control and tap its resources. Only after 1900, in studies to alleviate poverty, did the colonial subjects' welfare become an item. However, even granted that mapping operations in the East Indies were principally motivated by colonialism, subjugation, and exploitation, the cartographic legacy of the Netherlands to independent Indonesia remains...