Corsica

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 west 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.

1 Geography
2 Ecology
3 History
4 Administration
5 Economy
6 Politics
7 See also
8 Bibliography
9 External links

Geography

Image:Corsica topo.png

Topography

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 Bay of Calvi: Corsica is the most mountainous Mediterranean island.

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. In spite the southern location, the highest elevations receive snow.^[1]

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 Scandola Nature Reserve (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 people can gain access by boat. 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

See also: Medieval Corsica

Image:Ajaccio Plage.jpg

Coastal boulevard in Ajaccio, the island's capital and Napoleon's birthplace.

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.

Pisa took control of the island during most of the Middle Ages but it finally fell to Genoa in 1282, following the Battle of Meloria against Pisa. Corsica successively was part of the Republic of Genoa for five centuries. 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. The adventurer Theodor von Neuhoff was briefly King Theodore of Corsica in the 18th century.

An important figure in Corsican history is Pasquale Paoli, a general and patriot who struggled for Corsican independence against Genoa and then France, called Il Babbu di a Patria (Father of the Nation). It was essentially with him that the Moor's head ("Testa Mora") became Corsica's emblem in 1760, harking back to the period when Corsica had been controlled by Moors (850 to 1034).

Paoli founded the first University of Corsica (with instruction in Italian), and in 1755 proclaimed the Corsican Republic. The Corsican Constitution would later be used as a model for the American Constitution (Saul 1992, 55–61). Paoli, however, was defeated by the French army, and the island came under French rule. Paoli died in exile in London in 1807. His legacy was taken initially by the irredentism of the Corsican Italians and now by the actual political movements for the independence of Corsica from France.

Corsica is also the birthplace of Napoleon Bonaparte, who was born in Ajaccio, into minor nobility. Following the French conquest of the island, 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.

During World War II, while Germany occupied northern and western France, Corsica was part of Vichy France (1940-1942) and then occupied by the Kingdom of Italy from 1942-1943. In the first half of the 20th century, many Corsicans (like Petru Giovacchini) had advocated the unification of the island with Italy.

In recent decades, Corsica has developed a thriving tourism industry, which has attracted a sizeable number of immigrants to the island in search of employment. Various movements, calling for either greater autonomy or complete independence from France, have been launched, some of whom have at times used violent means, including terrorist acts.

Administration

Map of Corsica

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 hitherto 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

Image:Propriano 1.jpg

Corsica's spectacular coastline is a major drive for tourism (here by the town of Propriano).

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.

Image:Corse-04812-église de Aregno.jpg

The influence of Pisa in Corsica can be seen in the Romanesque-Pisan style of the Church of Aregno

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.

Bibliography

Loughlin, John. 1989. "Regionalism and Ethnic Nationalism in France: A Case-study of Corsica". Thesis. San Domenico, Italy: European University Institute.
Loughlin, John, and Claude Olivesi (eds.). 1999. Autonomies insulaires: vers une politique de différence pour la Corse. Ajaccio: Editions Albiana. ISBN: 2905124474
Saul, John Ralston. 1992. Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West. New York: Free Press; Maxwell Macmillan International. ISBN 0029277256

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to:

Corsica

(English) Corsica at the Open Directory Project

University of Corsica
PhotoGlobe - Corsica A collection of photos of Corsica together with GPS-based positions
CNN CNN coverage of rejection of autonomy proposals in 2003
Wikitravel
Corsica Isula has all you want to know about Corsica
Sitemap megalithic monuments