CORSICA

French Corse, collectivit territoriale of France and island in the Mediterranean Sea, embracing (from 1976) two dpartements of France, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud. Corsica is the fourth largest island (after Sicily, Sardinia, and Cyprus) in the Mediterranean. It lies 105 miles (170 km) from southern France and 56 miles (90 km) from northwestern Italy, and it is separated from Sardinia by the 7-mile (11-kilometre) Strait of Bonifacio. The island has an area of 3,352 square miles (8,681 square km). Remains of human occupation dating from at least the 3rd millennium BC are evident in the many dolmens, menhirs, and other megalithic monuments that still stand on the island. The recorded history of Corsica begins about 560 BC, when Greeks from Phocaea in Asia Minor founded the town of Alalia on the east coast. Carthaginian domination followed in the early 3rd century BC, until the whole of the island was conquered by the Romans in a series of campaigns from 259 to 163 BC. Together with Sardinia, Corsica formed a province of the Roman Empire, under which the island's economy flourished. The Romans also implanted their language, which became the foundation of the present-day Corsican dialect. A series of invasions and partial occupations by the Vandals, Lombards, and Arabs followed between AD 450 and 1050, during which time the island's towns were destroyed, their inhabitants driven inland, and the coastal agricultural lands abandoned. The Byzantine Empire's nominal suzerainty over Corsica from the mid-6th century AD was followed by the titular rule of the papacy from the mid-8th century onward. In 1077 the bishop of Pisa was entrusted by the papacy with the administration of Corsica, and over the next two centuries more than 300 churches were built in Corsica under the Pisans' direction. Corsica then became a bone of contention between Pisa and Genoa (until 1284) and between Genoa and Aragon (from 1297 to 1434). Bitter struggles between the Genoese and Corsica's native feudal aristocracy further decimated the population in the period 143453, after which Genoa was able to reassert its authority. A brief French occupation (155359) and a Corsican nationalist rebellion led by Sampiero Corso ended (1567) in renewed Genoese rule that lasted until 1729. Genoese rule, though by no means the worst in the island's history, was notorious for its corrupt administration of justice, thereby encouraging Corsicans to resort to the private form of vengeance known as the vendetta. A rebellion against Genoese rule in 1729 ushered in a period of turbulence and unrest that culminated in the establishment (1755) of a Corsican republic by the nationalist leader Pasquale Paoli. With Genoese control now confined to only a few coastal towns, Paoli organized the rest of Corsica as an independent democratic state and gave it a remarkably liberal constitution. During his 14 years of rule (until 1769) Paoli led the Corsicans in a great regenerative effort, repressing the vendetta, founding a university and printing press, and building a Corsican navy. In 1768, however, the despondent Genoese sold their rights on Corsica to France, and French troops subsequently invaded the island in overwhelming numbers. Some weeks after Paoli had fled to England, Napoleon Bonaparte was born at Ajaccio on Aug. 15, 1769. Corsica became a province of France that same year. Except for brief periods of occupation by the British (179496) and the Italians and Germans (194243), Corsica remained a French province thereafter. The terrain of Corsica is largely mountainous. About two-thirds of it consists of an ancient crystalline massif that divides the island on a northwest-to-southeast axis and has a cluster of 20 peaks exceeding 6,500 feet (2,000 m). Mount Cinto attains an elevation of 8,890 feet (2,710 m). The mountain silhouettes are everywhere dramatic, and their granite rocks display many vivid colours. The mountains descend steeply in parallel ranges to the west, where the coast is cut into steep gulfs and is marked by high cliffs and headlands. To the east the mountain massif falls in broken escarpments to extensive alluvial plains bordering a lagoon-indented coast. In the northeast, a separate and less spectacular mountain formation reaches heights not exceeding 5,790 feet (1,765 m). Both the eastern and western watersheds are drained by seasonally torrential rivers that rise in the mountainous centre and cleave their way through impressive gorges in their upper reaches. The island's principal rivers are the Golo, Tavignano, Liamone, Granove, Tarova, and Profiano. A Mediterranean climate prevails on the coasts, where the average temperature is 60 F (15.5 C) throughout the year and 51 F (10.5 C) in winter, though it is cooler at higher elevations. The average summer temperature at the southern coastal city of Ajaccio is 70 F (21 C). Precipitation is abundant, averaging 35 inches (880 mm) a year, though higher elevations receive somewhat more. Corsica's vegetation is luxuriant. Much of the island is covered with a scrubby underbrush, or maquis, that is composed of aromatic shrubs, together with holm oak and cork oak in the south. The flowers of the maquis produce a fragrance that carries far out to sea and has earned for Corsica the name the scented isle. Chestnut forests occur at slightly higher elevations, while the laricio pine (Pinus corsicanus) dominates the higher elevations. In all, forests cover one-fifth of the island. Though Corsica's coastal plains were freed of malaria in 1943, their development remains uneven. While some stretches of the seaboard are being built up to accommodate tourists, others are almost deserted. Only the east coast is continuously cultivated and inhabited. The island's traditional rural villages are mostly situated in areas lying between 650 and 2,600 feet (200 and 800 m) in elevation, and emigration to the coast and to continental France has depleted their population. By contrast, the coastal towns of Bastia and Ajaccio have drawn to themselves about one-third of the island's population. They lack significant industries, though, and serve mainly as commercial and distribution centres. French, the official language, is spoken by virtually all Corsicans, most of whom also use the Corsican dialect, which is akin to Tuscan. Roman Catholicism is the dominant religion. Corsicans emigrate at an annual rate of about 2,000, although many retire to the island. As a result, the population older than 64 years of age is about one-quarter larger than on the mainland. About two-thirds of Corsica's population was urban in the late 20th century, and rural depopulation continues owing partly to a stagnant agriculture. In spite of recent progress, Corsica's standard of living, particularly in the interior, is still somewhat below that of continental France. The island's economic life is based on tourism, the raising of sheep for ewe's milk from which to make fine-quality cheeses, and the cultivation of fruits, cork, and tobacco. Cheese, wine, citrus fruit, and olive oil are the main exports. The need to import fuel and machinery has prevented significant industrial development. Corsica has outstanding assets in its climate, scenery, and its magnificent coastline, but the island's tourist industry has yet to be fully developed. The French government provides advice and subsidies, and it has taken the lead in large-scale investment in the Corsican economy since 1957. The island's network of tarred roads is adequate, and a railway links Ajaccio, Bastia, and Calvi. Corsica is connected by air and sea with continental France. Modern cultural life has suffered from the emigration of the most gifted Corsicans. Traditional folk music is performed by groups in the towns, and traditional handicrafts are being revived. Corsica also has many minor museums. Pop. (1990) 249,737.