Surinam in 35 historical maps: 1522-2018 (116 pages) The name Surinam comes from Surinen people, the earliest known native American inhabitants of the region. From 1667 till 1975 the country was a colony of The Netherlands. It had been governed by the WIC (West Indies Company), the counterpart of the VOC (Dutch East Indies Company). On some antique maps the name Dutch Guyana is used to identify the colony/country and distinguish it from the neighbouring areas British Guyana (to the West) and French Guyana (to the East). Maps of the south-American region Guyana already appeared at the end of the 16th century. Separate (printed) maps of Surinam, mostly made by Dutch cartographers in service of the WIC, appeared in the early 18th century.

Saudi Arabia in 42 historical maps: 1154-2018 (130 pages). Saudi Arabia means “Arabia of the Sauds”, referring to the ruling dynasty. The dynasty itself took its name from the patriarch Saud, whose name means ‘constellation’. Arabia itself is a Latin name, probably of Semitic origin, although as early as Ancient Egypt the region was known as Ar Rabi. The first separate map of the region was designed by Ptolemy (150AD). The map was worked out again by European cartographers at the end of the 15th century. The first separately printed maps of (Saudi) Arabia appeared in the late 16th century.

Israel in 50 historical maps: 20BC-2018 (146 pages). The (Latin) name Israel refers to the Jewish people and their nation. It originates from the Hebrew Bible as an appellation given to the biblical patriarch Jacob. The exact meaning of the name is uncertain. Most likely its original Hebrew name Yisra’el is derived from the words sara® and El, meaning “he who fought or contended with God”. The name was given to Jacob and extended to his descendants. They came to be known as the Israelites, eventually forming the tribes of Israel and ultimately the kingdom of Israel. Since the formation of the independent Jewish state, in 1948, it’s the official name of the country. Being the heart of the Holy Land numerous maps of the country have been made in the course of the history of cartography. On early (medieval) maps, based on the T-O concept, Israel and the capital city Jerusalem were regarded as the centre of the world. Even until the end of the 18th century cartographers incorporated biblical events and figures in their maps, referring to the time of the Old and New Testament.