Hokkaido (Concert of Europe)

Hokkaido (Japanese: 北海道地方 Hokkaido-chihō, Ainu: アィヌ・モシリ Ainu-Mosir) is a region of, the northernmost of the Japanese mainland, consisting of one main island and a few surrounding smaller islands. To the north of Hokkaido lies, while to the south Hokkaido is separated from the region of the Honshu island by the Tsugaru Strait. Hokkaido was one of the last islands of Japan to fully be annexed by the Japanese: it was completely integrated into the empire only in the late 19th century.

Hokkaido is characterized by large coastal plains around the shores, with some mountains and plateaus in its centres. Its climate is colder than that of most of Japan, surpassed only by Karafuto. A large indigenous population, the Ainu, still lives on the island, but most of the population, especially in major urban centres, is ethnically Japanese. The region is predominantly rural, and not as industrialized as the rest of Japan: some light industry exists around major urban centres, such as Sapporo.