The Navy League Map

“The archetypal British Empire map” – Tim Bryars and Tom Harper.

This massive cartographic representation of the British Empire was published in London in 1908 by W. & A.K. Johnston, with generous financial support from The Navy League. This ‘strictly non-political organization’ (text, bottom) was organized in the late 19th century to encourage investment in a large fleet to protect Britain’s best interests. It sponsored the publication of numerous Navy League maps between 1899 and the mid-1920s, offering a fascinating (if distorted) view of Britain’s overseas territories and the escalating naval arms race with Germany.

The image situates the British Isles firmly in the center, the nucleus of a gigantic empire spanning nearly a fifth of the world’s total surface. Bright red color, distinct in its representation of 20th-century land claims, highlights the numerous components of the overseas territories, with islands under British control underlined. Union Jacks denote the location of different naval bases across the globe, necessary for refueling and reprovisioning the fleet, guaranteed to be the world’s largest by the 1889 Naval Defence Act. Dry docks, telegraph cables, and battle sites are also noted according to the legend in the lower center.

Railways are shown with bold black lines, notably the proposed Cape to Cairo route popularized by the imperialist Cecil Rhodes in the late 19th century. A chronology of events in the upper corners lists major naval battles in British history, with only a handful of the conflicts noted as defeats or indecisive results. Tables of statistics at the bottom of the page emphasize the importance of maritime trade, along with distance tables and a list of principal trade routes.

Despite the map’s imposing appearance and authoritative geography, Britain’s global domination was beginning to show signs of weakness around the time of publication. As seen in the charts, naval expenditures had increased dramatically in the preceding several years. The cost of maintaining Great Britain’s fleet, twice as large as Japan’s or Germany’s, was enormous, yet additional investment was needed for modernization and expansion. Calls for greater political independence could be heard from numerous colonies and the 1907 Imperial Conference paved the way for a new category of self-governance. Canada, Australia, and New Zealand were granted largely autonomous dominion status, though they retain the same bright red tint as more directly controlled regions.

Most wall-map versions of the Navy League Maps are quite rare on the market, though a few editions were adapted into folding pocket or case maps that have survived in greater numbers. Only one entry for this sixth edition, dated April 1908, can be found in OCLC.

Sources: History of the 20th Century in 100 Maps; David Rumsey Map Collection; Cornell University;