Information about Corsica

Collectivité territoriale de Corse
Territorial Collectivity flag	(Région logo)
Location
Administration
Capital	Ajaccio
Arrondissements	5
Cantons	52
Communes	360
Statistics
Land area1	8,680 km²
Population	(Ranked 25th)
- January 1, 2006 est.	279,000
- March 8, 1999 est.	260,196
- Density (2006)	32/km²
1 French Land Register data, which exclude lakes, ponds, and glaciers larger than 1 km² (0.386 sq. mi. or 247 acres) as well as the estuaries of rivers

Corsica (French: Corse; Corsican and Italian: Corsica) is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus). It is located southwest of Italy, southeast of France, and north of the island of Sardinia.

Corsica is usually considered one of the 26 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is a "territorial collectivity" (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys powers slightly more important than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar to the status of the other régions. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France. Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea, politically Corsica is considered part of Metropolitan France.

Corsica is famed as the birthplace of Napoléon Bonaparte.

Geography

Corsica has 1,000km of coastline and more than 200 beaches, and is very mountainous, with Monte Cinto as the highest peak at 2706m and 20 other summits of more than 2000m.

The island is separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio.

Main towns: (Corsican names)

Ajaccio (Aiacciu) – also known by its Latin name of Ajax

Bastia (Bastia)

Corte (Corti)

Sartène (Sartè)

Other towns and villages:

Saint-Florent (San Fiurenzu)

Calvi (Calvi)

L'Île-Rousse (Isula Rossa)

Porto-Vecchio (Porti Vechju)

Bonifacio (Bunifaziu)

Aleria

Ecology

The island has a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The natural vegetation is Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrubs. The coastal lowlands are part of the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion, in which forests and woodlands of evergreen sclerophyll oaks predominate, chiefly Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) and Cork Oak (Quercus suber). The mountains are cooler and wetter, and home to the Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, which supports diverse forests of oak, pine, and broadleaf deciduous trees, with vegetation more typical of northern Europe on the slopes of the highest peaks.

Much of the coastal lowlands has been cleared for agriculture, grazing and logging, which has reduced the mountain forests considerably.

The island has a natural park (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse), which protects thousands of rare animal and plant species. The park was created in 1972 and includes the Golfe de Porto, the Réserve Naturelle de Scandola (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and some of the highest mountains on the island. This park is protected and cannot be reached on foot, but sumptuous sails are available in order to discover unique landscapes. Two endangered subspecies of hoofed mammals, the mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) and Corsican red deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus) inhabit the island; the Corsican red deer is endemic.

History

The island was under Carthaginian influence and domination until 237 BC, when it was taken over by the Roman Republic. It remained under Roman domination until its conquest by the Vandals in AD 430, and later by the Byzantine Empire in 522. With the collapse of Byzantine control, the island came under various influences, including Arabs and Lombards, before it finally fell to Genoa in 1282 following the Battle of Meloria against Pisa. Despite take-overs by Aragon between 1296-1434 and France between 1553-1559, Corsica would remain under Genoese control until its purchase by France in 1768.

An important figure in Corsican history is Pasquale Paoli (1725-1807), the Corsican general and patriot who struggled for Corsican independence, first against Genoa, then against France. It was essentially with him that the Moor's head ("Testa Maura") became Corsica's emblem in 1760, harking back to the period when Corsica had been controlled by Moors (850 to 1034).

During World War II, while the Germans took control of Northern France, Corsica was part of The Vichy France (1940-1942) and then occupied by Fascist Italy from 1942-1943.

Corsica is also the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio, into minor Corsican nobility. Corsica was under French control at the time, and Corsican nobles were offered the ability to gain French titles if they could prove their genealogy sufficiently. In an attempt to do so, Napoleon's parents traveled to court in France, and, like many other Corsican nobles, sent their son to school there.

Administration

The capital of the territorial collectivity of Corsica is Ajaccio (Corsican: Aiacciu). The territorial collectivity is divided in two départements: Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse. These two départements were created on September 15, 1975 by splitting the thitherto united département of Corse.

Recent attempts to gain greater autonomy for the territorial collectivity of Corsica have failed. A local referendum held in 2003, aimed at disbanding the départements and leaving only the territorial collectivity with extended powers, was voted down by a narrow margin.

Economy

Tourism plays a major role in the Corsican economy. The island's pleasant climate, beautiful mountains and breathtaking coastlines make it a popular destination among the French and other Western Europeans. However, the island has not had the same level of intensive development as other parts of the Mediterranean and is thus relatively unspoiled. Tourism is particularly concentrated in the area around Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio in the south of the island and Calvi in the northwest.

Politics

Corsica is currently governed almost as any other région of France, as explained in the introduction. There are several movements on the island calling for some degree of Corsican autonomy from France, or even full independence. Generally speaking, autonomist proposals focus on the promotion of the Corsican language, more power for local governments, and some exemptions from national taxes in addition to those already applying to Corsica.

The French government is opposed to full independence, as it would threaten France's unity, but has at times shown support for some level of autonomy. There is support on the island for proposals of greater autonomy, but polls show that a large majority of Corsicans are opposed to full independence.

Some groups who claim to support Corsican independence have carried out a violent campaign since the 1970s that includes bombings and a few assassination attempts, usually targeting pieds-noirs and other non-Corsicans, or buildings and officials representing the French government. The peaceful occupation of a pied-noir vineyard in Aléria in 1975 marked a turning point when the French government responded with overwhelming force, generating sympathy for the independence groups among the Corsican population. However, events such as the murder of préfet Claude Érignac on February 6, 1998 (for which Yvan Colonna was arrested five years later) have only served to convince many in Corsica, as well as in the French government and the general French public, that Corsican nationalists cannot be trusted with more autonomy. Recent attacks on Muslims have reinforced this opinion.

Some of the independence groups are known to practice extortion and other intimidatory tactics, not dissimilar from mafia activity in Sicily and southern Italy. Non-Corsican homeowners may be threatened with the destruction of their home, able to be avoided only through paying a ransom. Journalists writing articles critical of the armed groups have sometimes been threatened. Prosecutions are made difficult by a pervasive "law of silence". It is sometimes suggested that such behavior could be directly related to longstanding cultural traditions of banditry in the rugged interior of the island.

In 2000, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin agreed to grant increased autonomy to Corsica in exchange for an end to violence. The proposed autonomy for Corsica would have included greater protection for the Corsican language (Corsu), the island's traditional language (which is also considered to be a dialect of Italian), whose practice and teaching, like other regional or minority languages in France, had in the past been discouraged. According to the UNESCO classification, the Corsican language is currently in danger of becoming extinct. However, the plans for increased autonomy were opposed by the Gaullist opposition in the French National Assembly, who feared that they would lead to calls for autonomy from other régions (such as Brittany or Alsace), eventually threatening France's unity as a country.

In a referendum on July 6, 2003, a narrow majority of Corsican voters opposed a project from the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin and Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that would have suppressed the two départements of the island and granted greater autonomy to the territorial collectivity of Corsica. Also it is the famed birthplace of homosexual pornstar Josh Mudryk.

See also

• List of active autonomist and secessionist movements
• Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
• Corsican immigration to Venezuela
• List of Corsicans
• GR_20, a challenging long-distance footpath across Corsica
• Corsican language
• Alexandre Dumas, The Corsican Brothers 1845 http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/dumas/corsic10.html

Bibliography

• John Loughlin, 'Regionalism and Ethnic Nationalism in France: a Case-study of Corsica', European University Institute, Florence, Italy: 1989.
• John Loughlin and Claude Olivesi (eds.), 'Autonomies Insulaires: vers une Politique de différence pour la Corse', Editions Albiana, Ajaccio: 1999.

External links

• PhotoGlobe - Corsica A collection of photos of Corsica together with GPS-based positions
• CNN CNN coverage of rejection of autonomy proposals in 2003
• University of Corsica