CORSE-DU-SUD

dpartement, a portion of metropolitan France consisting of southern Corsica. The dpartement was created in 1976, and its capital is Ajaccio. High mountains run northwest to southeast, dividing Corse-du-Sud into the crystalline igneous rocks of the parallel ranges to the west and the intensely folded sedimentary peaks of the east. Annual precipitation is high, frequently exceeding 60 inches (1,500 mm) in the mountains. Half of the dpartement's population lives in Ajaccio, which has grown at the expense of the hinterland. Many householders in Ajaccio, however, also own houses in the countryside. Services are poorly developed outside the capital and the secondary centres of Sartne, Propriano, Porto-Vecchio, and Vico. Tourism and agriculture dominate the economy; olives and cork are produced. Animal husbandry is of particular importance; ewe's milk from the region is used to make Roquefort cheese. Corsu, which is the insular language, shows strong Tuscan influences and continues to be spoken by nearly three-quarters of the inhabitants of Ajaccio. The Corsu of Corse-du-Sud is distinguishable from that of northern Corsica. Napoleon I was born in Ajaccio, which commemorates his birthday each August. The dpartement has two arrondissements, Ajaccio and Sartne. Area 1,550 square miles (4,014 square km). Pop. (1990) 118,493; (1994 est.) 123,869.