At the beginning of the seventeenth century, the Dutch founded companies to explore new lands and seas to establish new trading facilities, These were known as the Dutch East Indian Company (V.O.C.) and the Dutch West Indian Company (W.I.C.). The V.O.C. heading for the East (Indonesia, India, Japan), The W.I.C. heading for the West (North and South America, the Caribbean islands).

Hendrick Hudson, Hudson discovery NY, Holland USA, Admiral De Ruyter, Dutch West India Company, Amsterdam houses photo