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Hoorn, city (1994 pop. 60,979), North Holland prov., N central Netherlands, on an inlet of the IJsselmeer. 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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