n.
formerly Yezo
Island (pop., 2000 prelim.: 5,683,000) and province, northern Japan.
Northernmost of the four main islands of Japan, it is bordered by the Sea of Japan (East Sea), the Sea of Okhotsk , and the Pacific Ocean and has an area of 30,107 sq mi (77,978 sq km). Its administrative headquarters is Sapporo . Within its borders are several high mountains, including Asahi (7,513 ft [2,290 m]), and Japan's longest river, the Ishikari . Long the domain of the aboriginal Ainu , Hokkaido attracted serious Japanese settlement beginning in 1869. It has a varied economy, supported by iron and steel, and the largest coal deposits in Japan. The Seikan Tunnel (1988) under the Tsugaru Strait links it with Honshu .