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CORSICA

Corsica map LP.gif Corsica in France 2016.svg.png

Corsica is an island and a french territorial collectivity. It is the fourth island of the Mediterranean Sea by surface (8,700 km2).

It is divided in two departments: Upper Corsica and Southern Corsica. It is a territorial community with a specific status, administered by an Assembly and an Executive Board.


The Corsican Flag

Flag of Corsica.svg.png


HISTORY

Corsica has been a part of the Republic of Genoa for almost four centuries before becoming independent in January 1735 and adopting the first democratic constitution of Modern History in 1755, which gave the right of vote to women for the first time. Surrendered by Genoa to France in May 1768, Corsica is military conquered by the Kingdom of France during the battle of Ponte-Novo in May 1769.

Napoleon Bonaparte, who became Emperor of France, was also born in 1769, in Ajaccio, capital of Southern Corsica. Nowadays, his home is used as a museum.

Pascal Paoli, born in 1725, was also an important Corsican character of History. He was a philosophe, a politician and an admiral. He inspired the American declaration of independence. Nowadays, no less than five American municipalities are named after him, notably the city of Paoli in Pennsylvania, as well as in Indiana, Wisconsin, Oklahoma and Colorado.

The Corsican Nationalist Party, historically won the last regional elections and in March 2014, the lawyer Gilles Simeoni became the first Nationalist Mayor of Bastia, the capital of Upper Corsica.


CULTURE

Italian was the official language of Corsica until May 1859 when it was substituted by French. But the island has its own language, Corsican, which is closely related to medieval Tuscan. After French, it is the most widely spoken language on the island.

The Corsican language is transmitting the Corsican culture, rich of songs, polyphonies, proverbs and expressions. Corsican people are fighting to protect their language and its teaching to avoid its disappearance. Indeed, Corsican is considered as an endangered language by the Unesco.


LANDSCAPES

Corsica offers an incredible diversity of topology and landscapes, from the Mediterranean Sea to its mountains. Several areas are also on UNESCO's World Heritage Sites list, like the Calanques of Piana and the Natural Reserve of Scandola.


Bonifacio.jpeg Cliffs in the city of Bonifacio


SantaGiulia.jpg Beach of Santa Giulia

REFERENCES

Corsica

Corsica Tourism Office

Corsica Territorial Collectivity