one of the four main islands of Japan, north of Honshu: 32,221 sq mi (83,452 sq km); chief city, Sapporo
See Hokkaido in American Heritage Dictionary 4
(hŏ-kīˈdō, hôˈkī-dōˈ)
An island of Japan north of Honshu. It is the second largest of the Japanese islands but the least populated. Hokkaido became part of Japan in the medieval period (c. 1600) and was called Yezo or Ezo until 1868.