Hokkaido Prefecture Guide, Meaning , Facts, Information and Description

Hokkaidō (Japanese: 北海道, literal meaning: "North Sea Route", Ainu: Mosir), formerly known as Ezo, is the second largest island of Japan. The Tsugaru Strait separates it from Honshu, although it is connected to Honshu by the underwater Seikan Tunnel. The largest city on Hokkaidō is the prefectural capital, Sapporo.

Table of contents

1 History 2 Geography 3 Subprefectures 4 Climate 5 Major Cities 6 Economy 7 Transportation 8 External links

History

Hokkaidō has been the homeland of the Ainu race since time immemorial. Many place names, such as Sapporo, are derived from the Ainu language.

Hokkaidō was known as Ezo until the Meiji Restoration. Shortly after the Boshin War of 1868, a group of Tokugawa loyalists led by Enomoto Takeaki proclaimed the island's independence as the Republic of Ezo, but the rebellion was crushed in May 1869. For a few years following the Meiji Restoration, Hokkaido was separated into 4 prefectures.

Geography

The prefecture of Hokkaidō incorporates several smaller islands, including Rishiri Island, Okushiri Island, and Rebun Island. (By Japanese reckoning, the prefecture also incorporates several of the Kuril Islands.) Because the prefectural status of Hokkaidō is denoted by the dō in its name, it is rarely referred to as "Hokkaidō Prefecture," except when necessary to distinguish the prefecture from the island.

An earthquake of magnitude 8.0 struck near the island on September 25, 2003 at 19:50:07 (UTC).

It is divided into four parts:

• Eastern Route (道東):
  • Abashiri (網走)
  • Shiretoko (知床)
  • Akanko (阿寒湖)
  • Kussharoko (屈斜路湖)
  • Mashuko (摩周湖)
  • Kushiro (釧路)
  • Obihiro (帯広)
  • Tokachigawa (十勝川)

• Southern Circuit (道南):
  • Hakodate (函館)
    • Yunokawa (湯の川)
  • Noboribetsu (登別)
  • Touyako (洞爺湖)

• Central Circuit (道央):
  • Sapporo (札幌市)
  • Otaru (小樽)
  • Jozankei (定山溪)
  • Shikotsuko (支笏湖)
  • Furano (富良野)
  • Biei (美瑛)
  • Asahikawa (旭川)
  • Sounkyo (層雲峽)

• Northern Circuit (道北):
  • Wakkanai (稚内)

There are still many undisturbed forests in Hokkaidō, including:

• 6 national parks:
  • Shiretoko National Park (知床)
  • Akan National Park (阿寒)
  • Kushiro Marshlands National Park (釧路湿原)
  • Taisetsuzan National Park (大雪山)
  • Shikotsu-Toya National Park (支笏洞爺)
  • Rishiri-Rebun-Sarobetsu National Park (利尻礼文サロベツ)
• 5 quasi-national parks (準国立公園)
• 12 circuital natural reserves

Subprefectures

Hokkaidō is the only prefecture in Japan that is divided into subprefectures. This is mostly due to its great size: many parts of the prefecture are simply too far away to be effectively administered by Sapporo. Subprefectural offices in Hokkaidō carry out many of the duties that prefectural offices would fulfill elsewhere in Japan.

• Abashiri
• Hidaka
• Hiyama
• Iburi
• Ishikari
• Kamikawa
• Kushiro
• Nemuro
• Oshima
• Rumoi
• Shiribeshi
• Sorachi
• Soya
• Tokachi

See also: List of cities in Hokkaido

Climate

Hokkaidō is known for its cool summers (which attract many tourists from other parts of Japan) and icy winters. The average August temperature is around 22°C (72°F), while the average January temperature ranges from -12°C to -4°C (10°F to 25°F) depending on elevation and latitude. The island tends to see isolated snowstorms that develop long-lasting snowbanks, in contrast to the constant flurries seen in the Hokuriku region.

During the winter, the Sea of Okhotsk turns to ice, rendering the northern coast impassable to marine traffic, and halting the lucrative fisheries there until the thaw.

Major Cities

Hokkaidō's largest city is the capital, Sapporo. Other major cities include Hakodate in the south and Asahikawa in the central region.

Economy

Hokkaidō is Japan's predominant agricultural area. It leads the country in the production of rice and fish, and shares the lead in vegetable farming.

Although there is some light industry (most notably paper milling, brewing (Sapporo beer), and food production), most of the population is employed by the service sector. Tourism is an important industry, especially during the cool summertime that attracts campers and hot spring-goers from across Japan. During the winter, skiing and other winter sports continue to bring tourists to Hokkaidō (the Winter Olympics was held in Sapporo in 1972).

Transportation

Hokkaidō's only land link to the rest of Japan is the Seikan Tunnel. Most travelers to the island arrive by air: the main airport is New Chitose Airport in Chitose, just south of Sapporo. Tokyo-Chitose is the world's busiest air route, handling 45 widebody round trips on three airlines each day. One of the airlines, Air Do was named after Hokkaido. Hokkaidō can also be reached by ferry from Sendai, Niigata and some other cities.

Within Hokkaidō, there is a fairly well-developed railway network (see Hokkaido Railway Company), but many cities can only be accessed by bus or car.

External links

• Official Hokkaidō prefecture homepage

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