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Article: OCEAN TRADE: An engine of economic growth.
- Article from:
- Revista Latin Trade
- Article date:
- December 1, 2000
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2000 Freedom Magazines, Inc. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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Since their colonial days, the nations of the Western Hemisphere have relied on ocean trade. Harbors along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts provided entry points for early settlers and frequently grew into major cities.
Today, the hundreds of ports in North, Central and South America, as well as the Caribbean, play a major economic role in their communities. In addition to handling ocean borne cargo, the ports of the Western Hemisphere provide facilities to transfer cargo between ships, barges, trucks and railroads.
Many ports also provide terminals that serve the growing cruise passenger industry. Nearly five million North Americans take cruise ...