Hokkaido Prefecture北海道alternative words: Hokkaido, Hokkai do, Hokkaidou keywords: hokkaido , island , prefecture , region , tourist resort related topics: Sapporo city , Hakodate city , Mt. Daisetsu , Lake Mashu , Rishiri island , Mt. Usu , Lake Toya , Shiretoko peninsula , Kuril island related web sites: http://www.pref.hokkaido.jp , http://dtravel.inetg.com/hokkaido/hokkaido.html , http://www.hokkaido-np.co.jp explanation: Hokkaido is a prefecture, a region and an island at the same time. Its surface is 83,519 km2 and the population 5.6 millions. The prefectural office is at Sapporo City. There were few Japanese until the end of 19th century because of a chilly climate. Its main industry is: fishing, coal mining and western style agriculture, thanks to its large surface , like dairy farming and soybean culture. The tourism is also popular because of a beautiful landscape created by many active volcanoes. | |