Insulae Moluccae: Map of the Spice Islands, 1594

This chapter explores the role of maps in international law as deeply political forms of communication. It argues that the act of mapping is a mode of constructing orders and controlling space, capturing the inhabitants of mapped territories within the regulatory framework of the map. With this in mind and taking an historical approach, the chapter examines ‘the map’ as an instrument of empire, considering the entwining of power, commerce, imperialism, and international law. That exploration is conducted through the lens of one map of particular significance—Insulae Moluccae, a map of the Spice Islands by Petrus Plancius, cartographer for the Dutch East India Company, and employs legal and art historical frames of analysis to consider the role of art and image in international law.