http://virtualjapan.com/wiki/index.php?action=history&feed=atom&title=Hokkaido 2026-06-02T04:43:30Z Revision history for this page on the wiki MediaWiki 1.12.0 http://virtualjapan.com/wiki/index.php?title=Hokkaido&diff=3037&oldid=prev 2008-04-26T16:29:55Z

<p>New page: '''Hokkkaido''' (北海道) is second biggest of <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a>'s four main islands. It is also the furthest north, least developed, and has the coldest climate. Its weather is characterized by...</p> <p><b>New page</b></p><div>'''Hokkkaido''' (北海道) is second biggest of [[Japan]]'s four main islands. It is also the furthest north, least developed, and has the coldest climate. Its weather is characterized by cold, snowy winters and mild summers. <br /> <br /> As it is a very rural, rugged area, Hokkaido is popular with skiers, snowboarders, cyclists, hikers, and other outdoorspeople. The island is very seismically active, with many earthquake fault lines and several active volcanoes - including [[Mount Koma]], [[Mount Meakan]], [[Showashinzan]], [[Mount Tarumae]], [[Mount Tokachi]], and [[Mount Usu]].<br /> <br /> Hokkaido is divided into three prefectures - [[Hakodate]], [[Sapporo]], and [[Nemuro]]. Because of the island's size, it is also divided into [[subprefectures]] - [[Abashiri]], [[Hidaka]], [[Hiyama]], [[Iburi]], [[Ishikari]], [[Kamikawa]], [[Kushiro]], [[Nemuro]], [[Oshima]], [[Rumoi]], [[Shiribeshi]], [[Sorachi]], [[Soya]], and [[Tokachi]].<br /> <br /> ==History==<br /> Hokkaido's recorded history begins around 650 A.D., but archaeological remains point to settlements by the [[Ainu]] and other cultures as far back as 20,000 years ago. In the 1800s, Japan gained control of the island and sought to development. The development was driven in part by the need to prevent Russia from gaining a foothold in the area. Because of the island's proximity to Russia, there are still many Russian citizens and people of Russian descent living on the island.<br /> <br /> ==Major Cities==<br /> * [[Abashiri]] - location of a famous prison.<br /> * [[Furano]] - rural city known for its flower fields.<br /> * [[Hakodate]] - Hokkaido's third largest city.<br /> * [[Noboribetsu]] - Hokkaido's most famous hot spring resort.<br /> * [[Otaru]] - Harbor city.<br /> * [[Sapporo]] - Japan's fifth largest city.<br /> <br /> ==Points of Interest==<br /> * [[Akan]] - national park known for its beautiful lakes.<br /> * [[Daisetsuzan]] - Hokkaido's largest national park.<br /> * [[Lake Toya]] - home of active volcano [[Mount Usu]].<br /> * [[Niseko]] - well-known snow resort with plenty of powder snow.<br /> * [[Onuma]] - quasi national park just north of Hakodate.<br /> * [[Rishiri]] and [[Rebun]] - islands near Hokkaido's northern tip.<br /> * [[Shiretoko]] - national park on a rural peninsula.<br /> <br /> ==External Links==<br /> * [http://www.pref.hokkaido.lg.jp/foreign/English.htm Hokkaiddo Official Website] (English / Japanese / Chinese / Korean / Russian)<br /> <br /> [[Category:Islands of Japan|Hokkaido]]</div>

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