Corsica

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Corsica (French: Corse, pronounced /kɔʁs(ə)/; in Corsican and Italian, Corsica, pronounced [ˈkɔrsika] or [ˈkorsiɡa]) is an island and one of the thirteen regions of metropolitan France which, together with the overseas territories, make up the French Republic. Its capital and most populous city is Ajaccio. It is bordered to the north by the Ligurian Sea, to the east by the Tyrrhenian Sea, to the south by the Bonifacio Strait that separates it from the Italian island of Sardinia, and to the west by the Mediterranean Sea. With 8,680 km² and 322,000 inhabitants in 2012, it is the least extensive and most populated region in the country. It is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea and has been part of French territory since 1768, with a brief interruption between 1794 and 1797, when it constituted the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom.

Political-administrative organization

Corsica enjoys a particular status among the French regions, by virtue of a law of May 13, 1991. It does not constitute a region but a territorial collectivity, the "Territorial Collective of Corsica"; This diverse denomination translates into practice in which it enjoys greater relative power than the other regions of France (although it already had a more advantageous situation than the rest under the old particular statute that characterized it as a region). This territorial collectivity is made up of two departments: Upper Corsica (capital: Bastia) and South Corsica (capital: Ajaccio).

The particular institutions that he presents are the Executive Council, the Territorial Assembly of Corsica and the Economic and Social Council of Corsica:

The Executive Council of Corsica exercises executive functions, which in other regions is exercised by the President of the Regional Council.
The Corsica Assembly, a deliberative body, has broader powers than the other regional assemblies.
The Economic, Social and Cultural Council of Corsica, a consultative body.

Geography

Corsica has an area of 8,680 km². It is an island located approximately 200 km southeast of the Côte d'Azur (Nice), west of Tuscany (Italy) and north of Sardinia. Rather wooded and mountainous, the southern coast is dominated by steep cliffs (Bonifacio Strait).

Corsica is located together with Sardinia on a continental microplate separated from Spain and Italy called the «Corso-Sardinian block». The Greeks had named this island in the Mediterranean Sea “Kallisté” (“The most beautiful”). Today, Corsica is known as the "Island of Beauty". Thanks to its 1,000 km of coastline, of which approximately 300 km are of fine sand, Corsica is a place of interest for water sportsmen, divers and other lovers of the sea. But Corsica is equally a mountain in the sea. At the beginning of the 20th century, some had nicknamed it the green island, to differentiate it from the others Mediterranean islands, much more arid, since Corsica, despite its southern position and its insolation, is an island with abundant vegetation.

Corsica is 183 km long at its longest and 83 km at its widest. It has around 1,000 km of coastline, including two hundred beaches.

It has a large number of mountains, Monte Cinto being the highest peak with 2706 m altitude. In addition, there are another twenty that measure more than 2000 m. The mountains cover two thirds of the island, forming a single mountain range.

Approximately 4020 km² are covered by forests, which represents almost half of the island. In addition, of the total area, some 3,500 km² are nature reserves.

Climate

Landscape in the north of the island

Corsica's climate is generally Mediterranean in type, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters along the coast, becoming colder and snowier in the interior mountains, depending on altitude.

The average annual temperature (12 °C) is hardly indicative, since the island has numerous microclimates determined by the island's own orography, very marked by the orientation of the slopes and therefore by the amount of insolation. The average annual temperature of the coastal areas is 16.6 °C with a winter average of 7/8 °C and a summer average of 25 °C.

Precipitation is concentrated in autumn and winter (November is the rainiest month), while the period from June to October is characterized by a severe drought with very low chances of rain.

The most common winds are the Maestrale from the northwest, which blows with great speed from the sea over Bonifacio, the Libeccio (from the southwest) and the Scirocco (from the southeast).

Average climatic parameters of Ajaccio, Corsica 1981-2010
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Average temperature (°C)	13.3	13.7	15.0	17.4	20.9	24.5	27.6	27.7	25.4	22.0	17.5	14.4	19.95
Average temperature (°C)	8.6	9.0	10.1	12.3	15.7	19.1	21.9	22.1	19.9	16.7	12.6	9.6	14.80
Temp. medium (°C)	3.9	4.3	5.3	7.3	10.6	13.8	16.2	16.5	14.4	11.4	7.7	4.8	9.68
Total precipitation (mm)	73.8	69.7	58.1	52.0	40.2	19.0	11.0	19.9	43.6	87.0	95.9	75.5	645.7
Precipitation days (≥ 1 mm)	8.9	8.7	8.3	7.2	5.7	2.8	1.3	2.4	4.3	7.3	8.6	9.1	74.6
Hours of sun	133.3	145.0	189.1	225.0	282.1	321.0	365.8	331.7	264.0	210.8	150.0	127.1	2744.9
Source: Hong Kong Observatory

Rivers

Genoese bridge of Pianella over the river of Porto in Ota

The rivers of Corsica originate to a large extent in the lakes and mountains of the interior area, forming rapids and waterfalls. The main rivers are the Golo, the Tavignano (with its tributary the Restonica river), the Fium Orbo, the Travo, the Rizzanese, the Taravo, the Gravona, the Prunelli, the Liamine, the Porto and the Fango.

Ecology

Protected natural areas

Picos de Bavella.

The island has a natural park (Parc naturel régional de Corse), which protects thousands of animal and plant species, some of them endemic. The park was declared in 1972 and includes the Gulf of Porto, the Scandola Nature Reserve (a UNESCO World Heritage Site), and some of the island's highest mountains.

The GR20 long-distance trail crosses the natural park of Corsica. The GR20 is approximately 200 km long with more than 10,000 m of cumulative unevenness. It is signposted so that it can be done on foot, and it is one of the biggest tourist attractions in Corsica.

History

Main article: History of Corsica

Map of the island of the centuryXVII

Corsica has been occupied practically continuously since the Mesolithic. Its indigenous Italian population was influenced by others of a Mediterranean nature since Prehistory. After the colonizing process by the ancient Greeks —and a brief period of Etruscan occupation— it was occupied by the Roman Empire at the time of the Republic, becoming, together with Sardinia, one more province of the empire. Corsica suffered the Vandal invasions and formed part, like the rest of Italy, of the Eastern Roman Empire in 550 and of the Lombard kingdom in the 8th century. In medieval times, the island formed part of the Crown of Aragon, from 1325 until it was recovered by the Republic of Genoa in 1447, which had been in dispute with Pisa for years to take over the island. It was independent between 1755 and 1769, being finally bought from the Republic of Genoa by France, a country of which it is currently a part. There is a nationalist current that claims the identity of the island and total independence. Also since 1976 the National Liberation Front of Corsica, a terrorist organization that has carried out various attacks claiming the independence of the island.

Demographics

Population

87.1% of the population is of Corsican origin, there are also significant minorities such as North Africans (Moroccans and Tunisians) and Europeans, mainly Italians and Portuguese. The predominant religion is the catholic.

Languages

Main articles: Private language, Ligurian language e French language.

Bilingual road signs, in French and Corsoon.

French is the only official language of the island, although Privateering is recognized as a historical regional language. Corsican is a Neo-Latin language afferent to the Italo-Romance area and connects with the Tuscan dialect group, although its status as a language as such is relatively recent (claim dating from the 1980s) and did not enter the generally accepted definition of a Romance language due to its close resemblance to Tuscan and other of its variants. Calling it "language", as in this article, is considered improper by most linguists specializing in Romance languages. Some people consider it among the Italian dialects one of the closest to the official Italian, due to its great affinity with Tuscan (dialect from which standard Italian has been developed). The privateering is divided into two main variants: cismontano and oltramontano. In Bonifacio and Calvi a dialect analogous to that of Liguria (Italy) is spoken, which is still taught, but optional, in primary schools. The Corsican of northern Sardinia (Gallurés and Sassarés) introduces notable lexical and grammar affinities with the dialect of southern Corsica. In detail, the Galurese spoken in Gallura in the northeast of the island, can be classified as a variant of Corsican. On the other hand, Corsican introduces strong influences from the dialect of the nearby island of Capraia. Cismontano is particularly close to Italian, while Oltramontano suffers from influences from the Sardinian language.

Economy

Beach in Rogliano

Tourism plays an essential role in the economy of Corsica. The island's pleasant climate, beautiful scenery and stunning coastlines make it a popular destination among the French and other Western Europeans. However, the island has not seen the same level of tourism development as other parts of the Mediterranean and is relatively untouched. Tourism is especially concentrated in the area around Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio in the south of the island, and Calvi in the northwest.

Culture

Sports

Rally Corsica

One of the sporting events that take place in Corsica is the Rally de Córcega, a test that has been organized since 1956 and has scored for the World Rally Championship from 1973 to 2008. In 2011 it joined the Intercontinental Rally Challenge, and in 2013 to the European Rally Championship.

The two most popular professional soccer teams in Corsica are AC Ajaccio and SC Bastia, who have played in the first professional division at different periods since the 1960s.

Gastronomy

Corsican gastronomy is Mediterranean and mountain. The main products are derived from chestnuts, citrus fruits, pork charcuterie, and sheep's milk and cheese. The products that have a protected name are:

The wine of Corsica, with nine denominations of origin.
Sweet honeymele di Corsica), with six different varieties.
The brocciu, goat and sheep milk cheese
The olive oil (oliu di Corsica) with two denominations: virgin and extra virgin.

Other traditional products are:

In Charcutería: figatellu (liver sausage), prizuttu (dry meat), coppi, lonzu, panceta.
The boar civet.
In cheeses: bastilicacciu, calinzanu, niolincu, venachese and sartinesi.
In bakery: the polishing (caste flour), the niccia (crêpes based on chestnut flour) and the canistrelli (memon, anise and chestnut biscuits).
Beer made with chestnut flour
Cider, chestnut and midwife limes
Sweets and jams (son, myth, chestnut). The fig sweet is usually served as an accompaniment to cheeses

Notable people

Principal level: Corsos

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