Antique map of Bhutan, Assam and Southern Tibet, 1827

The map was created by Belgian cartographer Philippe Vandermaelen in 1827. The map was part of Vandermaelen's ambitious project, known as the "Atlas Universel de Géographie Physique, Politique, Statistique et Minéralogique," which aimed to produce a comprehensive world atlas.

The map covers a vast region, including Bhutan, Assam (a region in northeast India), and Southern Tibet (a part of Tibet, which is now an autonomous region in China). This map provides valuable insights into the geography, topography, and political boundaries of the region during the early 19th century.

Philippe Vandermaelen (1795–1869) was a Belgian cartographer and geographer known for his groundbreaking work in mapmaking during the 19th century. He was born in Brussels, Belgium, and developed a passion for cartography from a young age.

Vandermaelen's most notable achievement was the creation of the "Atlas Universel de Géographie Physique, Politique, Statistique et Minéralogique," which translates to the "Universal Atlas of Physical, Political, Statistical, and Mineralogical Geography." This atlas, published between 1825 and 1827, was a monumental project that aimed to map the entire world with a consistent scale and level of detail.

What set Vandermaelen's atlas apart from other contemporary cartographic works was its innovative use of a cylindrical projection. By using this projection, Vandermaelen could display large areas of the Earth's surface on a single map, providing a comprehensive view of entire regions. This was particularly groundbreaking since most maps of the time focused on individual countries or small regions.

The Vandermaelen atlas consisted of approximately 380 maps, covering different parts of the world, including continents, countries, and regions. Notably, it included the map you mentioned earlier, depicting Bhutan, Assam, and Southern Tibet in South Asia.

Vandermaelen's ambitious atlas earned him recognition and praise in cartographic circles during his time, and it remains an essential historical work in the development of world mapping.