Hoorn, city, North Holland prov., N
central Netherlands, on an inlet of the Markermeer. It is a commercial and
processing center for a vegetable-growing and dairy-farming region.
Prevalent industries include fishing, printing, textiles, and the
construction of plastic boats. Hoorn was founded in 1311. In the 17th
cent.—the golden age of Dutch exploration—the city sent forth
many explorers, such as Willem Schouten, who was the first to round
(and who also named) Cape Hoorn (later Horn); A. J. Tasman, who discovered New Zealand and
Tasmania; and J. P. Coen, founder of Batavia (now Djakarta), Indonesia.
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