View source for Place:Corsica

{{Short description|Island and administrative region of France}}
{{Infobox settlement
| name               = Collectivity of Corsica
| native_name        = {{native name|fr|Collectivité de Corse}}<br />{{native name|co|Cullettività di Corsica}}
| settlement_type    = Region and single territorial collectivity
| image_skyline      = The Mountainous Spine of Corsica.jpeg
| imagesize          = 220
| image_alt          = 
| image_caption      = 
| image_flag         = Flag of Corsica.svg
| flag_alt           = 
| image_shield       = Arms of Corsica.svg
| shield_alt         = 
| image_map          = Corsica in France 2016.svg
| map_alt            = Location of Corsica within France
| map_caption        = Location of Corsica within France
| subdivision_type   = Country
| subdivision_name   = {{flag|France}}
| seat_type          = Prefecture
| seat               = Ajaccio
| parts_type         = Departments
| parts_style        = list
| parts              = 2
| p1                 = Corse-du-Sud (2A)
| p2                 = Haute-Corse (2B)
| leader_party     = Femu a Corsica
| leader_title       = President of Executive Council
| leader_name        = Gilles Simeoni
| leader_title1      = President of the Corsican Assembly
| leader_name1       = Marie-Antoinette Maupertuis
| leader_title2      = Prefect
| leader_name2       = Amaury de Saint-Quentin
| unit_pref          = Metric
<!-- ALL fields with measurements have automatic unit conversion -->
<!-- for references: use <ref> tags -->| area_footnotes     = 
| area_urban_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> -->
| area_rural_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> -->
| area_metro_footnotes = <!-- <ref> </ref> -->
| area_magnitude     = <!-- <ref> </ref> -->
| area_note          = 
| area_water_percent = 
| area_rank          = 
| area_blank1_title  = 
| area_blank2_title  = <!-- square kilometers -->
| area_total_km2     = 8,722
| area_land_km2      = 
| area_water_km2     = 
| area_urban_km2     = 
| area_rural_km2     = 
| area_metro_km2     = 
| area_blank1_km2    = 
| area_blank2_km2    = <!-- hectares -->
| area_total_ha      = 
| area_land_ha       = 
| area_water_ha      = 
| area_urban_ha      = 
| area_rural_ha      = 
| area_metro_ha      = 
| area_blank1_ha     = 
| area_blank2_ha     = 
| length_km          = 
| width_km           = 
| dimensions_footnotes = 
| elevation_footnotes = 
| elevation_m        = 
| population_as_of   = 2024
| population_total   = 355,528
| population_density_km2 = auto
| population_footnotes = <ref name=pop>{{Cite web |title=Estimation de population par région, sexe et grande classe d'âge – Années 1975 à 2024 |url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/fichier/7752095/estim-pop-nreg-sexe-gca-1975-2024.xls |author=INSEE|access-date=2024-01-17 |language=fr }}</ref>
| population_demonym = Corsican
| population_blank1_title = Languages
| population_blank1  = [[Social:French language|French]] ''(official)''<br />Corsican<br />Ligurian
| demographics_type1       = GDP
| demographics1_footnotes  = <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat|access-date=18 September 2023}}</ref>
|demographics1_title1     = Total
|demographics1_info1      = €10.125 billion
| demographics1_title2     = Per capita
|demographics1_info2      = €30,000
| timezone1          = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset1        = +1
| timezone1_DST      = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset1_DST    = +2
| postal_code_type   = 
| postal_code        = 
| area_code_type     = 
| area_code          = 
| iso_code           = FR-20R
| website            = {{URL|https://www.isula.corsica/}}
| footnotes          = 
| official_name      = 
| anthem             = Dio vi salvi Regina (unofficial)<br />{{center|[[File:Lhymne Corse - Dio Vi Salvi Regina.ogg]]}}
}}
'''Corsica''' ({{IPAc-en|ˈ|k|ɔr|s|ɪ|k|ə}} {{respell|KOR|sik|ə}}, <small>Upper</small> {{IPA-co|ˈkorsiɡa|lang}}, <small>Southern</small> {{IPA-co|ˈkɔrsika|lang}}, {{IPA-it|ˈkɔrsika|lang}}; {{lang-fr|Corse}} {{IPA-fr|kɔʁs||Fr-corse.ogg}}; {{lang-lij|Còrsega}}) is an island in the [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]] and one of the 18 regions of {{wipe|France}}. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of the French [[Earth:Mainland|mainland]], west of the [[Place:Italian Peninsula|Italian Peninsula]] and immediately north of the Italian island of Sardinia, the nearest land mass. A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island. {{As of|January 2024}}, it had a population of 355,528.<ref name=pop />

The island is a territorial collectivity of France. The regional capital is Ajaccio. Although the region is divided into two administrative departments, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud, their respective regional and departmental territorial collectivities were merged on 1 January 2018 to form the single territorial collectivity of Corsica. Corsican autonomy is more far reaching than other regional collectives of France and the Corsican Assembly is permitted to exercise limited executive powers. Corsica's second-largest town is Bastia, the prefecture of Haute-Corse.

Corsica was ruled by the [[Place:Republic of Genoa|Republic of Genoa]] from 1284 to 1755, when it seceded to become a self-proclaimed, [[Social:Italian language|Italian]]-speaking [[Place:Corsican Republic|Republic]]. In 1768, Genoa officially ceded it to Louis XV of France as part of a pledge for the debts incurred after enlisting French military help in suppressing the Corsican revolt; as a result France annexed the island in 1769. The future Emperor of the French, Napoleon Bonaparte, was a native Corsican, born that same year in Ajaccio: his ancestral home, ''Maison Bonaparte'', is now a visitor attraction and museum. Because of Corsica's historical ties to Tuscany, the island has retained many Italian cultural elements and many Corsican surnames are rooted in the Italian peninsula. 

[[Social:French language|French]] (''Français'') is the official and most widely spoken language on the island. Corsican, the native tongue and an Italo-Dalmatian language, is recognized as one of France's regional languages. [[Social:Italian language|Italian]] is also widely spoken. 

Corsica is the third-least populated region of France after Mayotte and French Guiana.

==History==

===Prehistory and antiquity===
[[File:Carthage Holdings.png|thumb|[[History:Ancient Carthage|Carthage]] and its dependencies in 264&nbsp;BC; Corsica was a part of Carthage]]
[[File:Corse-04812-église de Aregno.jpg|thumb|The medieval influence of Pisa in Corsica can be seen in the Romanesque-Pisan style of the Church of Aregno.]]
The origin of the name Corsica is subject to much debate and remains a mystery. To the Ancient Greeks, it was known as ''Kalliste'', ''Corsis'', ''Cyrnos'', ''Cernealis'', or ''Cirné''.

Corsica has been occupied since the Mesolithic era. The permanent human presence in Corsica is documented in the [[History:Neolithic|Neolithic]] period from the 6th millennium BC.<ref>{{Cite journal|last1=Tamm|first1=Erika|last2=Di Cristofaro|first2=Julie|last3=Mazières|first3=Stéphane|last4=Pennarun|first4=Erwan|last5=Kushniarevich|first5=Alena|last6=Raveane|first6=Alessandro|last7=Semino|first7=Ornella|last8=Chiaroni|first8=Jacques|last9=Pereira|first9=Luisa|last10=Metspalu|first10=Mait|last11=Montinaro|first11=Francesco|date=2019-09-19|title=Genome-wide analysis of Corsican population reveals a close affinity with Northern and Central Italy|journal=Scientific Reports|language=en|volume=9|issue=1|pages=13581|doi=10.1038/s41598-019-49901-8|pmid=31537848|pmc=6753063|bibcode=2019NatSR...913581T|issn=2045-2322|doi-access=free}}</ref> In the 2nd millennium BC Corsica, the southern part in particular, saw the rise of the Torrean civilization, strongly linked to the Nuragic civilization in Sardinia.

After a brief occupation by the [[History:Ancient Carthage|Carthaginians]], colonization by the ancient Greeks, and an only slightly longer occupation by the [[Place:Etruscan civilization|Etruscans]], it was incorporated by the Roman Republic at the end of the First Punic War and, with Sardinia, in 238&nbsp;BC became a province of the Roman Republic.<ref name="be41">Bertarelli (1929), p.41</ref> The Romans, who built a colony in Aléria, considered Corsica as one of the most backward regions of the Roman world. The island produced sheep, honey, resin and wax, and exported many slaves, not well considered because of their fierce and rebellious character.<ref name="be41" /> Moreover, it was known for its cheap wines, exported to Rome, and was used as a place of relegation, one of the most famous exiles being the Roman philosopher [[Biography:Seneca the Younger|Seneca]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Pais|first1=Ettore|title=Storia della Sardegna e della Corsica durante il periodo romano|date=1999|publisher=Ilisso|location=Nuoro|isbn=88-85098-92-4|pages=76–77|language=it}}</ref> 

Corsica was integrated into Roman Italy by [[Social:Roman emperor|Emperor]] Diocletian.  Administratively, the island was divided into ''pagi'', which in the Middle Ages became the ''pievi'', the basic administrative units of the island until 1768.<ref name="be41" /> During the diffusion of Christianity, which arrived quite early from Rome and the Tuscan harbors, Corsica was home to many martyrs and saints: among them, the most important are Saint Devota and Saint Julia, both patrons of the island. ({{reign|284|305}})

===Middle Ages and early-modern era===
In the fifth century, the western half of the Roman Empire collapsed, and the island was invaded by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths.<ref name="be41" /> Briefly recovered by the [[Place:Byzantine Empire|Byzantines]], it soon became part of the Kingdom of the Lombards. This made it a dependency of the March of Tuscany, which used it as an outpost against the Saracens.<ref name="be42">Bertarelli (1929), p.42</ref> Pepin the Short, king of the [[History:Franks|Franks]] and Charlemagne's father, expelled the Lombards and nominally granted Corsica to Pope Stephen II.<ref name="be42" /> In the first quarter of the 11th century, Pisa and Genoa together freed the island from the threat of Arab invasion.<ref name="be42" /> After that, the island came under the influence of the republic of Pisa.<ref name="be42" /> Many polychrome churches which adorn the island date from this period. Corsica also experienced a massive immigration from Tuscany, which gave to the island its present toponymy and rendered the language spoken in the northern two-thirds of the island very close to the Tuscan dialect.<ref name="be42" /> This led to the traditional division of Corsica into two parts, along the main chain of mountains roughly going from Calvi to Porto-Vecchio: the eastern ''Banda di dentro'', or ''Cismonte'', more populated, developed, and open to the commerce with Italy, and the western ''Banda di fuori'', or ''Pomonte'', almost deserted, wild and remote.<ref name="be42" />
[[File:Genoise tower in corsica.jpg|thumb|The North African pirates frequently attacked Corsica, resulting in many Genoese towers being erected.]]
The crushing defeat experienced by Pisa in 1284 in the Battle of Meloria against [[Place:Republic of Genoa|Genoa]] had among its consequences the end of the Pisan rule and the beginning of the Genoese influence in Corsica:<ref name="be42" /> this was contested initially by the [[History:Kingdom of Aragon|King of Aragon]], who in 1296 had received from the Pope the investiture over Sardinia and Corsica.<ref name="be43">Bertarelli (1929), p.43</ref> A popular revolution against this and the feudal lords, led by Sambucuccio d'Alando, got the aid of Genoa. After that, the ''Cismonte'' was ruled as a league of comuni and churches, after the Italian experience.<ref name="be43" /> The following 150 years were a period of conflict, when the Genoese rule was contested by Aragon, the local lords, the comuni and the Pope: finally, in 1450 Genoa ceded the administration of the island to its main bank, the Bank of Saint George, which brought peace.<ref name="be45">Bertarelli (1929), p.45</ref>

In the 16th century, the island entered into the fight between Spain and France for supremacy in Italy.<ref name="be45" /> In 1553, a Franco-Ottoman fleet occupied Corsica, but the reaction of [[Place:Spanish Empire|Spain]] and Genoa, led by Andrea Doria, reestablished the Genoese supremacy on the island, confirmed by the Peace of Cateau-Cambresis.<ref name="be46">Bertarelli (1929), p.46</ref> The unlucky protagonist of this episode was Sampiero di Bastelica, who would later come to be considered a hero of the island. Their power was reinstated, the Genoese did not allow the Corsican nobility to share in the government of the island and oppressed the inhabitants with a heavy tax burden. On the other hand, they introduced the chestnut tree on a large scale, improving the diet of the population, and built a chain of towers along the coast to defend Corsica from the attacks of the Barbary pirates from North Africa.<ref>"[http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-03-01/features/1992061173_1_maquis-corsica-french-resistance/2 Ancient Corsica beckons with deserted beaches and historic structures] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131212162816/http://articles.baltimoresun.com/1992-03-01/features/1992061173_1_maquis-corsica-french-resistance/2 |date=12 December 2013 }}". ''The Baltimore Sun''. 1 March 1992</ref> The period of peace lasted until 1729, when the refusal to pay taxes by a peasant sparked the general insurrection of the island against Genoa.<ref name="be48">Bertarelli (1929), p.48</ref>

The island became known for the large number of mercenary soldiers and officers it produced. In 1743, over 4,600 Corsicans, or 4% of the entire population of the island, were serving as soldiers in various armies (predominantly those of Genoa, Venice, and Spain), making it one of the most militarized societies in Europe.<ref>Gregory Hanlon. "The Twilight of a Military Tradition: Italian Aristocrats And European Conflicts, 1560-1800." Routledge: 1997. Page 318.</ref>

===Rise and annexation of the Corsican Republic===
[[File:Pasquale Paoli by W Beckey.jpg|thumb|upright|left|Pasquale Paoli]]

In 1729 the Corsican Revolution for independence from Genoa began, first led by Luiggi Giafferi and Giacinto Paoli, and later by Paoli's son, Pasquale Paoli. After 26 years of struggle against the [[Place:Republic of Genoa|Republic of Genoa]], including an ephemeral attempt in 1736 to proclaim an independent Kingdom of Corsica under the German adventurer Theodor von Neuhoff, an independent [[Place:Corsican Republic|Corsican Republic]] was proclaimed in 1755 under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli and remained sovereign until 1769 when the island was conquered by France. The first Corsican Constitution was written in Italian, the prevalent language in Corsica until the mid-19th century, by Paoli.

The Corsican Republic was unable to eject the Genoese from the major coastal fortresses of Calvi and Bonifacio. After the Corsican conquest of Capraia in 1767, the [[Place:Republic of Genoa|Republic of Genoa]] sold the island to France, as France was trying to reinforce its Mediterranean position after its defeat in the Seven Years' War. In 1768, as part of the Treaty of Versailles, Genoa conceded the region to France to repay its heavy debts. French troops became stationed at forts to try to subdue the republicans. After an initial successful resistance culminating with the victory at Borgo, the Corsican republic was crushed by a large French army led by the Count of Vaux at the Battle of Ponte Novu. This marked the end of Corsican sovereignty. Despite triggering the Corsican Crisis in [[Place:Kingdom of Great Britain|Britain]], whose government gave secret aid, no foreign military support came for the Corsicans. However, nationalist feelings still ran high.

Following the outbreak of the {{wipe|French Revolution}} in 1789, Pasquale Paoli was able to return to Corsica from exile in Britain. In 1794, he invited British forces under Lord Hood to intervene to free Corsica from French rule. Anglo-Corsican forces drove the French from the island and established an [[History:Anglo-Corsican Kingdom|Anglo-Corsican Kingdom]]. Following Spain's entry into the war, the British decided to withdraw from Corsica in 1796. Corsica returned to French rule.

===19th century===
[[File:Ajaccio, Corsica, France - Napoleon's Birthday Celebration 2006 - panoramio.jpg|thumb|Corsicans commemorating the anniversary of the birth of Napoleon]] 
Despite being the birthplace of the Emperor, the island was slightly neglected by Napoleon's government.<ref>Howard, John E., ''Letters and Documents of Napoleon: Vol. 1 Rise to Power''. New York: Oxford University Press, 1961.</ref> In 1814, near the end of the Napoleonic Wars, Corsica was briefly occupied again by British troops. The Treaty of Bastia gave the British crown sovereignty over the island, but it was later repudiated by Lord Castlereagh who insisted that the island should be returned to a restored French monarchy.

After the restoration, the island was further neglected by the French state. Despite the presence of a middle class in Bastia and Ajaccio, Corsica remained an otherwise primitive place, whose economy consisted mainly of subsistence agriculture, and whose population constituted a pastoral society, dominated by clans and the rules of [[Social:Feud|vendetta]]. The code of vendetta required Corsicans to seek deadly revenge for offences against their family's honor. Between 1821 and 1852, no fewer than 4,300 murders were perpetrated in Corsica.<ref>{{cite book| url= https://archive.org/details/wanderingsincors01greg |title= Wanderings in Corsica: its history and its heroes| publisher= Thomas Constable and Company | first= Ferdinand |last= Gregorovius |year= 1855| page= [https://archive.org/details/wanderingsincors01greg/page/196 196]}}</ref> During the first half of the century, the people of Corsica were still immersed in the Italian cultural world: the bourgeoisie sent children to [[Organization:University of Pisa|Pisa]] to study, official acts were enacted in Italian and most books were printed in Italian.<ref name="ra1124" /> Moreover, many islanders sympathised with the national struggle which was taking place in nearby Italy in those years: several political refugees from the peninsula, like Niccolò Tommaseo, spent years in the island, while some Corsicans, like Count {{interlanguage link|Leonetto Cipriani|fr}}, [<nowiki/>it], took active part in the fights for Italian independence.

Despite all that, during those years the Corsicans began to feel a stronger and stronger attachment to France. The reasons for that are manifold: the knowledge of the French language, which thanks to the mandatory primary school started to penetrate among the local youth, the high prestige of French culture, the awareness of being part of a big, powerful state, the possibility of well-paid jobs as civil servants, both in the island, in the mainland and in the colonies, the prospect of serving the French army during the wars for the conquest of the colonial empire, the introduction of [[Engineering:Steamboat|steamboat]]s, which reduced the travel time between mainland France from the island drastically, and – last but not least – Napoleon himself, whose existence alone constituted an indissoluble link between France and Corsica. Thanks to all these factors by around 1870 Corsica had landed in the French cultural world.<ref name="ra1124">Ravis-Giordani (1991), p. 112–14</ref>

From the 19th century into the mid-20th century, Corsicans also grew closer to the French nation through participation in the French Empire. Compared to much of Metropolitan France, Corsica was poor and many Corsicans emigrated. While Corsicans emigrated globally, especially to many South American countries, many chose to move within the French Empire which acted as a conduit for emigration and eventual return, as many young Corsican men could find better job opportunities in the far corners of the Empire where many other French hesitated to go. In many parts of the Empire, Corsicans were strongly represented, such as in Saigon where in 1926 12% of Europeans were from Corsica.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Echo de la Corse |date= May–June 1929 |title=Inepuissable pepiniere de soldats et de coloniaux |journal=Saigon-Cyrnos: Bulletin de l'Amicale Corse de la Cochinchine et du Cambodge |volume=43 |pages= 13–14}}</ref> Across the French Empire, many Corsicans retained a sense of community by establishing organizations where they would meet regularly, keep one another informed of developments in Corsica, and come to one another's aid in times of need.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Guelfi |first= A.D. |date= April 1931 |title=Les Corses hors de Corse partout presents toujours unis |journal= Saigon-Cyrnos: Bulletin de l'Amicale Corse de la Cochinchine et du Cambodge |volume=58 |pages=13–14}}</ref>

===Modern era===
[[File:Monument-Solaro.jpg|thumb|left|Monument to the 50th anniversary of the liberation of Corsica during World War II in Solaro (plaine orientale)]]
[[File:Liberty for Yvan Colonna.jpg|thumb|Banner at the Pasquale Paoli University erected by supporters of Corsican independence, calling for the release of Yvan Colonna]]
[[File:Yvan protest 2022.webp|thumb|Scene of 2022 Corsica unrest, large protests and riots after Corsican independentist Yvan Colonna was killed in prison]]

Corsica paid a high price for the French victory in the First World War: agriculture was disrupted by the years-long absence of almost all of the young workers, and the percentage of dead or wounded Corsicans in the conflict was double that of those from mainland France. Moreover, the protectionist policies of the French government, started in the 1880s and never stopped, had ruined the Corsican export of wine and olive oil, and forced many young Corsicans to emigrate to mainland France or to the Americas. In reaction to these conditions, a nationalist movement was born in the 1920s around the newspaper ''A Muvra'', having as its objective the autonomy of the island from France. In the 1930s, many exponents of this movement became irredentist, seeing annexation of the island to fascist Italy as the only solution to its problems. Under Benito Mussolini annexation of Corsica had become one of the main goals of Italy's unification policy.

After the collapse of France to the German Wehrmacht in 1940, Corsica came under the rule of the Vichy French regime, which was collaborating with [[Place:Nazi Germany|Nazi Germany]].<ref>{{cite book|last1=Azéma|first1=Jean-Pierre|last2=Wieviorka|first2=Olivier|title=Vichy, 1940-44| date= 1997| publisher= Perrin| location=Paris|pages=231–33|language=fr}}</ref> In November 1942 the island was occupied by Italian and German forces following the Anglo-American landings in North Africa. After the Italian armistice in September 1943, Italian and Free French Forces pushed the Germans out of the island, making Corsica the first French Department to be freed.<ref>{{cite book| last1= Paletti| first1=C.|title=Un'operazione riuscita: Corsica settembre 1943|date=1999|publisher=Ufficio Storico Stato maggiore Esercito| location= Rome| language=it}}</ref> Subsequently, the US military established 17 airfields, nicknamed "USS Corsica", which served as bases for attacks on targets in German-occupied Italy.

The Corsicans who promoted the ideal of Corsican irredentism published mainly in Italy, because of the persecutions from the French regime in the island in the first half of the 20th century. Many Corsicans, notably Petru Giovacchini, Simon Petru Cristofini and Marco Angeli di Sartèna, supported Italian irredentism on the island. Cristofini was executed by the French authorities; Angeli and Giovacchini were also condemned to death, but they escaped in Italy.

During the May 1958 crisis, the French military command in Algeria mutinied against the French Fourth Republic and on 24 May occupied the island in an action called Opération Corse that led to the collapse of the government; the second phase of the coup attempt, occupying Paris, was cancelled following the establishment of a transitional government under Charles de Gaulle.<ref name="JMO">{{cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/obituaries/article818845.ece |title=Jacques Massu obituary |publisher=Timesonline.co.uk |access-date=2012-10-27}}</ref>

Between the late 1950s and the 1970s, proposals to conduct underground nuclear tests in the Argentella mines, the immigration of 18,000 former settlers from Algeria ("Pieds-Noirs") in the eastern plains, and continuing chemical pollution (''Fanghi Rossi'') from mainland Italy increased tensions between the indigenous inhabitants and the French government. Tensions escalated until an armed police assault on a pieds-noirs-owned wine cellar in Aleria, occupied by Corsican nationalists on 23 August 1975. This marked the beginning of the Corsican conflict, an armed nationalist struggle against the French government. Ever since, Corsican nationalism has been a feature of the island's politics, with calls for greater autonomy and protection for Corsican culture and the Corsican language, or even full independence. Some groups supporting independence, such as the National Liberation Front of Corsica, have carried out a violent campaign that includes bombings and assassinations targeting buildings and officials representing the French government; periodic flare-ups of raids and killings culminated in the assassination of Prefect Claude Érignac in 1998. Lately, the drive towards independence has taken a more electoral approach, where Corsicans elected pro-autonomist, or pro-independence parties overwhelmingly in the past few elections.<ref>{{cite web |date=2023-02-08 |title=Corsica's 253 year struggle for self-rule |url=https://www.karlsnotes.com/corsicas-253-year-struggle-for-self-rule/ |access-date=2022-03-13}}</ref>

In 2013, Corsica hosted the first three stages of the 100th Tour de France, which passed through the island for the first time in the event's 110-year history.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 2018, Corsica had the highest murder rate in France<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.interieur.gouv.fr/content/download/115339/923875/file/Fiche_01Homicides.pdf|title=Homicides|year=2018}}</ref> due to blood feuds and vendettas between clans on the island. The most common victims of gun murders are prominent business people and local mayors.

In March 2022, Corsica saw large protests and riots after Yvan Colonna, the murderer of Claude Érignac, was murdered in prison.<ref>{{cite web |date=2022-03-11 |title=Gilles Simeoni: "Nous ne sommes pas à l'abri d'un embrasement généralisé en Corse" |url=https://www.lefigaro.fr/actualite-france/gilles-simeoni-nous-ne-sommes-pas-a-l-abri-d-un-embrasement-generalise-en-corse-20220311 |access-date=2022-03-13 |website=Le Figaro |language=fr}}</ref>

In August 2022, a rare and powerful derecho swept across the island and killed six people, injured dozens of others, and caused significant damage.<ref name="ESWD">{{cite web |title=European Severe Weather Database |url=https://eswd.eu/cgi-bin/eswd.cgi |publisher=European Severe Storms Laboratory |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Violents orages en Corse: les images impressionnantes de l'aéroport d'Ajaccio balayé par des rafales de vent |date=18 August 2022 |url=https://www.nicematin.com/meteo/violents-orages-en-corse-les-images-impressionnantes-de-laeroport-dajaccio-balaye-par-des-rafales-de-vent-787962 |access-date=18 August 2022}}</ref><ref>{{cite news |title=Three killed as violent storm hits Corsica |date=18 August 2022 |url=https://www.reuters.com/world/europe/one-dead-many-households-off-electricity-thunderstorms-hit-southern-france-2022-08-18/ |work=Reuters |access-date=18 August 2022|last1=Angrand |first1=Marc |last2=Overstraeten |first2=Benoit Van }}</ref>

==Geography==
[[File:Corsica2022OSM.png|thumb|100px|Detailed map of Corsica and environs]]
[[File:Speloncato general view.jpg|thumb|A view of Speloncato]]
[[File:Brando-Lavasina hameau-1.jpg|thumb|Brando in the Haute-Corse department]]

Corsica was formed about 250 million years ago with the uplift of a [[Chemistry:Granite|granite]] backbone on the western side. About 50 million years ago sedimentary rock was pressed against this granite, forming the [[Chemistry:Schist|schist]]s of the eastern side. It is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean, a "mountain in the sea".<ref>{{cite book|last=Mouillot|first=F.|title=Mediterranean Island Landscapes: Natural and Cultural Approaches| year=2008| publisher= Springer| pages=223–225|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Ij4qWj3dXRoC&pg=PA224|chapter=Corsica|isbn=9781402050640}}</ref>

It is also the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean, after [[Place:Sicily|Sicily]], Sardinia and [[Place:Cyprus|Cyprus]].

The island is {{cvt|183|km}} long at longest, {{cvt|83|km}} wide at widest, has {{cvt|1000|km}} of coastline, with more than 200 beaches such as Paraguano. Corsica is very mountainous, with Monte Cinto as the highest peak at {{cvt|2706|m}}, and around 120 other summits of more than {{cvt|2000|m}}. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Forests make up 20% of the island.

About {{cvt|3500|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} of the total surface area of {{cvt|8680|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} is dedicated to nature reserves (Parc naturel régional de Corse), mainly in the interior.<ref name=walk9>{{cite book|first=Gillian|last=Price|title=Walking on Corsica: Long-Distance and Short Walks|publisher=Cicerone Press Limited|isbn=978-1-85284-387-8|page=9|date=9 September 2010}}</ref> Corsica contains the GR20, one of Europe's most notable hiking trails.

The island is {{cvt|90|km}} from Tuscany in Italy and {{cvt|170|km}} from the Côte d'Azur in France. It is separated from Sardinia to the south by the Strait of Bonifacio, which is a minimum of {{cvt|11|km}} wide.<ref name=walk9/>

{{wide image| Corsica-calvi-panorama.jpg|1000px|align-cap=center|The Bay of Calvi: Corsica is the most mountainous Mediterranean island.}}

===Major communities===
In 2005 the population of Corsica was settled in approximately 360 communities.<ref>{{cite web|first=William|last=Keyser|title=Corsican Villages and Towns|publisher=Corsica Isula|year=2005|access-date=29 April 2008|url=http://www.corsica-isula.com/downloads/Corsican_Villages_and_Towns.pdf|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080528222605/http://www.corsica-isula.com/downloads/Corsican_Villages_and_Towns.pdf|archive-date=28 May 2008|url-status=dead}}</ref>

===Climate===
[[File:Corsica koppen.svg|thumb|Köppen climate classification types of Corsica]]

Under the [[Earth:Köppen climate classification|Köppen climate classification]] scheme, coastal regions are characterized by a hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Csa). Further inland, a warm-summer Mediterranean climate (Csb) is more common. At the highest elevation locations, small areas with a [[Earth:Subarctic climate|subarctic climate]] (Dsc, Dfc) and the rare [[Earth:Mediterranean climate#Cold-summer mediterranean climate|cold-summer Mediterranean climate]] (Csc) can be found.

The station of Sari-Solenzara records the highest year-round temperatures of Metropolitan France with an annual average of 16.41&nbsp;°C over the 1981–2010 period. Sunshine hours are not available for same period but this was 2715 h for 2008–2016.

{{Weather box
|location = Sari-Solenzara, south-eastern part of island
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|Jan high C = 13.6
|Feb high C = 14.0
|Mar high C = 15.9
|Apr high C = 18.1
|May high C = 22.2
|Jun high C = 26.1
|Jul high C = 29.4
|Aug high C = 29.7
|Sep high C = 26.3
|Oct high C = 22.1
|Nov high C = 17.4
|Dec high C = 14.3
|year high C = 20.76
|Jan mean C = 9.7
|Feb mean C = 9.8
|Mar mean C = 11.6
|Apr mean C = 13.7
|May mean C = 17.8
|Jun mean C = 21.3
|Jul mean C = 24.5
|Aug mean C = 24.8
|Sep mean C = 21.7
|Oct mean C = 18.0
|Nov mean C = 13.6
|Dec mean C = 10.7
|year mean C = 16.41
|Jan low C = 5.8
|Feb low C = 5.6
|Mar low C = 7.3
|Apr low C = 9.3
|May low C = 12.9
|Jun low C = 16.5
|Jul low C = 19.5
|Aug low C = 19.9
|Sep low C = 17.1
|Oct low C = 13.9
|Nov low C = 9.8
|Dec low C = 7.1
|year low C = 12.06
|precipitation colour = 
|Jan precipitation mm = 71.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 58.3
|Mar precipitation mm = 61.2
|Apr precipitation mm = 79.9
|May precipitation mm = 45.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 25.1
|Jul precipitation mm = 12.1
|Aug precipitation mm = 28.4
|Sep precipitation mm = 88.3
|Oct precipitation mm = 125.6
|Nov precipitation mm = 94.2
|Dec precipitation mm = 103.7
|year precipitation mm = 793.7
|Jan precipitation days = 6.2
|Feb precipitation days = 6.1
|Mar precipitation days = 6.5
|Apr precipitation days = 7.5
|May precipitation days = 4.9
|Jun precipitation days = 3.0
|Jul precipitation days = 1.5
|Aug precipitation days = 2.2
|Sep precipitation days = 4.8
|Oct precipitation days = 7.1
|Nov precipitation days = 8.1
|Dec precipitation days = 8.7
|year precipitation days = 66.6
|unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
|source 1 = Météo France<ref>[http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/solenzara/20342001/releves "Climatological Information for Sari-Solenzara, France"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200728222941/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/solenzara/20342001/releves |date=28 July 2020 }} – Météo France</ref>
|date = August 2010}}

{{Weather box
|location = Ajaccio, central-western part of island (1991-2020)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|Jan high C = 14.0
|Feb high C = 14.2
|Mar high C = 16.0
|Apr high C = 18.5
|May high C = 22.1
|Jun high C = 25.9
|Jul high C = 28.6
|Aug high C = 29.2
|Sep high C = 26.1
|Oct high C = 22.8
|Nov high C = 18.3
|Dec high C = 15.1
|year high C = 20.9
|Jan low C = 4.7
|Feb low C = 4.3
|Mar low C = 5.9
|Apr low C = 8.4
|May low C = 11.8
|Jun low C = 15.4
|Jul low C = 17.7
|Aug low C = 18.1
|Sep low C = 15.4
|Oct low C = 12.6
|Nov low C = 9.0
|Dec low C = 5.8
|year low C = 10.8
|precipitation colour = 
|Jan precipitation mm = 54.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 48.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 50.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 53.1
|May precipitation mm = 49.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 25.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 8.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 15.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 57.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 85.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 111.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 73.9
|year precipitation mm = 635.0
|Jan precipitation days = 7.0
|Feb precipitation days = 6.7
|Mar precipitation days = 6.3
|Apr precipitation days = 7.2
|May precipitation days = 5.0
|Jun precipitation days = 2.8
|Jul precipitation days = 1.2
|Aug precipitation days = 1.4
|Sep precipitation days = 5.1
|Oct precipitation days = 7.4
|Nov precipitation days = 9.3
|Dec precipitation days = 8.6
|year precipitation days = 68.0
|unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 135.8
|Feb sun = 155.6
|Mar sun = 210.8
|Apr sun = 230.4
|May sun = 288.3
|Jun sun = 332.3
|Jul sun = 373.6
|Aug sun = 343.3
|Sep sun = 260.6
|Oct sun = 206.8
|Nov sun = 140.2
|Dec sun = 124.0
|year sun = 2801.7
|source 1 = Météo-France<ref>[https://meteofrance.com/climat/normales/france/corse/ajaccio "Climatological Information for Ajaccio, France"]  – Météo-France </ref>}}

{{Weather box
|location = Ajaccio, central-western part of island (1961-1990)
|collapsed = yes
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|Jan high C = 13.3
|Feb high C = 13.7
|Mar high C = 15.0
|Apr high C = 17.4
|May high C = 20.9
|Jun high C = 24.5
|Jul high C = 27.6
|Aug high C = 27.7
|Sep high C = 25.4
|Oct high C = 22.0
|Nov high C = 17.5
|Dec high C = 14.4
|year high C = 19.95
|Jan mean C = 8.6
|Feb mean C = 9.0
|Mar mean C = 10.1
|Apr mean C = 12.3
|May mean C = 15.7
|Jun mean C = 19.1
|Jul mean C = 21.9
|Aug mean C = 22.1
|Sep mean C = 19.9
|Oct mean C = 16.7
|Nov mean C = 12.6
|Dec mean C = 9.6
|year mean C = 14.80
|Jan low C = 3.9
|Feb low C = 4.3
|Mar low C = 5.3
|Apr low C = 7.3
|May low C = 10.6
|Jun low C = 13.8
|Jul low C = 16.2
|Aug low C = 16.5
|Sep low C = 14.4
|Oct low C = 11.4
|Nov low C = 7.7
|Dec low C = 4.8
|year low C = 9.68
|precipitation colour = 
|Jan precipitation mm = 73.8
|Feb precipitation mm = 69.7
|Mar precipitation mm = 58.1
|Apr precipitation mm = 52.0
|May precipitation mm = 40.2
|Jun precipitation mm = 19.0
|Jul precipitation mm = 11.0
|Aug precipitation mm = 19.9
|Sep precipitation mm = 43.6
|Oct precipitation mm = 87.0
|Nov precipitation mm = 95.9
|Dec precipitation mm = 75.5
|year precipitation mm = 645.7
|Jan precipitation days = 8.9
|Feb precipitation days = 8.7
|Mar precipitation days = 8.3
|Apr precipitation days = 7.2
|May precipitation days = 5.7
|Jun precipitation days = 2.8
|Jul precipitation days = 1.3
|Aug precipitation days = 2.4
|Sep precipitation days = 4.3
|Oct precipitation days = 7.3
|Nov precipitation days = 8.6
|Dec precipitation days = 9.1
|year precipitation days = 74.6
|unit precipitation days = 1&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 133.3
|Feb sun = 145.0
|Mar sun = 189.1
|Apr sun = 225.0
|May sun = 282.1
|Jun sun = 321.0
|Jul sun = 365.8
|Aug sun = 331.7
|Sep sun = 264.0
|Oct sun = 210.8
|Nov sun = 150.0
|Dec sun = 127.1
|year sun = 2744.9
|source 1 = [[Organization:Hong Kong Observatory|Hong Kong Observatory]]<ref>[http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/europe/fr_sw/ajaccio_e.htm "Climatological Information for Ajaccio, France"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191025200538/http://www.weather.gov.hk/wxinfo/climat/world/eng/europe/fr_sw/ajaccio_e.htm |date=25 October 2019 }} – Hong Kong Observatory </ref>
|date = August 2010}}

{{Weather box
|single line = y
|metric first = y
|width = auto
|location= Bastia, north-eastern part of island
|source=[[Quid (encyclopedia)|Quid]] 2004, page 618 and Météo-France, data for 1981–2010
|Jan high C=13.6
|Feb high C=13.8
|Mar high C=15.6
|Apr high C=17.8
|May high C=22.0
|Jun high C=25.8
|Jul high C=29.1
|Aug high C=29.3
|Sep high C=25.8
|Oct high C=21.9
|Nov high C=17.4
|Dec high C=14.5
|Jan mean C=9.1
|Feb mean C=9.4
|Mar mean C=10.8
|Apr mean C=12.9
|May mean C=16.3
|Jun mean C=20.0
|Jul mean C=23.2
|Aug mean C=23.3
|Sep mean C=20.6
|Oct mean C=17.1
|Nov mean C=12.9
|Dec mean C=10.1
|Jan low C=5.1
|Feb low C=4.9
|Mar low C=6.7
|Apr low C=8.8
|May low C=12.4
|Jun low C=16.0
|Jul low C=19.0
|Aug low C=19.4
|Sep low C=16.5
|Oct low C=13.3
|Nov low C=9.2
|Dec low C=6.3
|Jan sun = 134
|Feb sun = 158
|Mar sun = 192
|Apr sun =214
|May sun =268
|Jun sun =296
|Jul sun =345
|Aug sun =304
|Sep sun =232
|Oct sun =176
|Nov sun =133
|Dec sun =128
|precipitation colour = 
|Jan precipitation mm=67
|Feb precipitation mm=57
|Mar precipitation mm=60
|Apr precipitation mm=76
|May precipitation mm=50
|Jun precipitation mm=41
|Jul precipitation mm=13
|Aug precipitation mm=21
|Sep precipitation mm=81
|Oct precipitation mm=127
|Nov precipitation mm=114
|Dec precipitation mm=93}}

==Ecology==
{{Infobox islands
| name                            = Corsica
| image_name                      = Corse region relief location map.jpg
| image_caption                   = Topography of Corsica
| native_name                     = ''Corsica''
| native_name_link                = Corsican language
| nickname                        = ''L’Île de Beauté''<br/>''The Isle of Beauty''
| location                        = [[Place:Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean Sea]]
| coordinates                     = {{coord|42|N|9|E|display=inline,title}}
| area_km2                        = 8680
| length_km                       = 184
| width_km                        = 83
| coastline_km                    = 1000
| highest_mount                   = Monte Cinto
| elevation_m                     = 2706
| country                         = France
| country_admin_divisions_title   = Région
| country_admin_divisions         = Corsica
| country_largest_city            = Ajaccio
| country_largest_city_population = 63,723
| population                      = 349,465
| population_as_of                = January 2022
| density_km2                     = 37
}}

===Zones by altitude===
The island is divided into four major ecological zones, by altitude.<ref>{{cite book|title=The ungovernable rock: a history of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom and its role in Britain's Mediterranean strategy during the Revolutionary War, 1793–1797 |first= Desmond| last= Gregory |year= 1985| publisher= Fairleigh Dickinson University Press|location=London|isbn=0-8386-3225-4|page=16}}</ref> Below {{convert|600|m}} is the coastal zone's mild [[Earth:Mediterranean climate|Mediterranean climate]], with hot, dry summers and cool, rainy winters. The area's natural vegetation is sparse Mediterranean forest, scrubland, and shrubs. The coastal lowlands are part of the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion, in which forests and woodlands of [[Biology:Evergreen|evergreen]] [[Earth:Sclerophyll|sclerophyll]] [[Biology:Oak|oak]]s predominate, chiefly [[Biology:Quercus rotundifolia|holm oak]] (''Quercus ilex'') and [[Biology:Cork oak|cork oak]] (''Quercus suber''). Much of the coastal lowlands have been cleared for agriculture, grazing and logging; these activities have reduced the forest area considerably.

Between {{cvt|600|and|1800|m}} is a temperate montane zone. The mountains are cooler and wetter, and home to the Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion. This region supports diverse forests of [[Biology:Oak|oak]], [[Biology:Pine|pine]], and broadleaf deciduous trees, with vegetation more typical of northern Europe. The population lives predominantly below {{cvt|900|m}}, with only shepherds and hikers from {{cvt|600|to|900|m}}.

The elevation above {{cvt|1800|to|2700|m}} is the high alpine zone. Vegetation is sparse, with high winds and frequent cloud cover. This zone is uninhabited.

There is considerable birdlife in Corsica. One famous example is the bearded vulture, or ''Lammergeier'', which (along with the iconic [[Biology:Griffon vulture|griffon vulture]]) serve as environmental "janitors" by scavenging the remains of deceased animals, thus limiting the proliferation of infectious microbes and diseases. Other avian species to be seen include the [[Biology:Barn owl|barn owl]], [[Biology:Blue rock thrush|blue rock thrush]], common crane, Corsican nuthatch, golden eagle, [[Biology:Greater flamingo|greater flamingo]], [[Biology:Osprey|osprey]], peregrine falcon, [[Biology:Red kite|red kite]], and starry bittern. In some cases, Corsica is an isolated portion of a species' distribution; in other cases, it is the furthest point in a species' range. For example, a subspecies of [[Biology:Hooded crow|hooded crow]] (''Corvus cornix cornix'') occurs in Corsica, but not anywhere further south.<ref>{{cite book| first= C. Michael| last= Hogan| year= 2009| url= http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307| title= Hooded Crow: Corvus cornix| via= GlobalTwitcher.com| editor= N. Stromberg| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20101126090957/http://www.globaltwitcher.com/artspec_information.asp?thingid=26307| archive-date= 26 November 2010| url-status= dead}}</ref>

Corsica has abundant reptile and amphibians, one protected species being the sensitive Hermann's tortoise, which are found at A Cupulatta at Vero and Moltifao Regional Natural Park. [[Biology:Corsican brook salamander|Corsican brook]] and [[Biology:Corsican fire salamander|fire salamander]]s, leaf-toed gecko, and yellow and green grass snakes are also common. The [[Biology:European pond turtle|European pond turtle]] can be seen, especially in the waters of Fango Estuary, southern Calvi, Biguglia Lagoon and Pietracorbara.

===Parc Naturel Régional de Corse===
The island has a natural park (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, Parcu di Corsica), which protects 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. Scandola cannot be reached on foot, but people can gain access by boat from the village of Galéria and Porto (Ota). Two endangered subspecies of hoofed mammals, the [[Biology:European mouflon|European mouflon]] (''Ovis aries musimon'') and Corsican red deer (''Cervus elaphus corsicanus'') inhabit the park. The Corsican red deer was re-introduced after it was extinct due to over hunting. This Corsican subspecies was the same that survived on Sardinia, so it is [[Biology:Endemism|endemic]]. There are other species endemic to Corsica especially in the upper mountain ranges, i.e. Corsican nuthatch, [[Biology:Corsican fire salamander|Corsican fire salamander]] and [[Biology:Corsican brook salamander|Corsican brook salamander]] and many plant subspecies.

===Extinct animals===
Corsica, like all the other Mediterranean islands, was home to [[Biology:Endemism|endemic]] mammals during the [[Earth:Late Pleistocene|Late Pleistocene]], most or all of these are shared with Sardinia (as Sardinia was joined to Corsica for much of the Pleistocene). After the arrival humans during Mesolithic around 8000 BC, these began to disappear. Some of the smaller mammals managed to survive until at least to the early Iron Age, but all are now extinct.

Extinct mammals formerly native to Corsica include the [[Biology:Sardinian dhole|Sardinian dhole]], the mustelid [[Biology:Enhydrictis|''Enhydrictis'' ''galictoides'']], the deer ''Praemegaceros cazioti'', the [[Biology:Corsican giant shrew|Corsican giant shrew]], [[Biology:Tyrrhenian mole|Tyrrhenian mole]], Sardinian pika, Tyrrhenian vole, and the Tyrrhenian field rat.

== Demographics ==
[[File:Feliceto St-Nicolas Fb.jpg|thumb|Saint-Nicolas church in Feliceto]]
Corsica has a population of 355,528 inhabitants (January 2024 estimate).<ref name=pop />

{{Historical populations
| title= Historical population of Corsica
| percentages = pagr
| align = none
| cols = 2
| graph-pos = bottom
| footnote = Note: Censuses from 1886 to 1975 were falsified by the municipalities of Corsica to hide the population decline and maintain the level of financial benefits received from the French state. Figures from 1936 to 1975 in this table are the redressed figures calculated by INSEE to correct the overestimated population of the censuses at the time.
|1740 | 120379   
|1770 | 130236   
|1786 | 148172 
|1806 | 177582   
|1821 | 180348   
|1831 | 197967   
|1836.29 | 207889   
|1841.29 | 221463   
|1846.37 | 230271   
|1851.37 | 236251   
|1856.13 | 240183   
|1861.2 | 252889   
|1866.2 | 259861   
|1872.2 | 258507   
|1876.71 | 262701   
|1881.87 | 272639   
|1936.180822 | 221990
|1954.356164 | 175818
|1962.180822 | 180862
|1968.180822 | 205268
|1975.139726 | 225562
|1982.180822 | 240178
|1990.180822 | 250371
|1999.180822 | 260196
|2010 | 309693
|2015 | 327283
|2021 | 347597
|2024 | 355528
}}

===Immigration===
At the 2019 census, 55.7% of the inhabitants of Corsica were people born on the island, 29.9% were from [[Place:Metropolitan France#Mainland France|Continental France]], 0.3% were natives of Overseas France, and 14.1% were born in foreign countries.<ref name=immig_1>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6456040?sommaire=6456104 |title=Individus localisés à la région en 2019 – Recensement de la population – Fichiers détail |author=INSEE |access-date=2023-02-09|language=fr}}</ref>

The majority of the foreign immigrants in Corsica come from the [[Place:Maghreb|Maghreb]] (particularly Moroccans, who made up 29.0% of all immigrants in Corsica at the 2019 census) and from Southern Europe (particularly Portuguese and Italians, 23.9% and 12.5% of immigrants on the island respectively).<ref name=immig_2>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6455264?sommaire=6455286&geo=REG-94 |title=IMG1B – Population immigrée par sexe, âge et pays de naissance en 2019 – Région de Corse (94) |publisher= INSEE |access-date= 2023-02-10|language=fr}}</ref>

{| width="720px" rules="all" cellspacing="0" cellpadding="4" style="border: 2px solid #999"
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Place of birth of residents of Corsica<br /><small>(at the 1982, 1990, 1999, 2008, 2013, and 2019 censuses)</small>
! Census || {{nowrap|Born in Corsica}} || {{nowrap|Born in}}<br />{{nowrap|[[Place:Metropolitan France#Mainland France|Continental&nbsp;France]]}} || {{nowrap|Born in}}<br />{{nowrap|Overseas France}} || {{nowrap|Born in foreign}}<br />{{nowrap|countries with French}}<br />{{nowrap|citizenship at birth}}<sup>1</sup> || colspan="3"|  Immigrants<sup>2</sup>
|- 
|- style="text-align:center;" 
| rowspan="3"| 2019 || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 55.7% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 29.9% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 0.3% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 4.2% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 9.9%
|-
| align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Maghreb<sup>3</sup></small>''' || align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;Southern&nbsp;Europe<sup>4</sup></small>''' ||align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;world</small>'''
|-
| align=center | <small>3.9%</small> || align=center | <small>3.8%</small> || align=center | <small>2.2%</small>
|- style="text-align:center;" 
| rowspan="3"| 2013 || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 55.8% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 28.9% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 0.3% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 4.8% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 10.2%
|-
| align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Maghreb<sup>3</sup></small>''' || align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;Southern&nbsp;Europe<sup>4</sup></small>''' ||align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;world</small>'''
|-
| align=center | <small>4.4%</small> || align=center | <small>3.9%</small> || align=center | <small>1.9%</small>
|- style="text-align:center;" 
| rowspan="3"| 2008 || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 57.9% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 27.3% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 0.3% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 5.2% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 9.3%
|-
| align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Maghreb<sup>3</sup></small>''' || align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;Southern&nbsp;Europe<sup>4</sup></small>''' ||align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;world</small>'''
|-
| align=center | <small>4.4%</small> || align=center | <small>3.4%</small> || align=center | <small>1.5%</small>
|- style="text-align:center;" 
| rowspan="3"| 1999 || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 59.5% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 24.8% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 0.3% || style="text-align:center;" rowspan="3"| 5.5% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 10.0%
|-
| align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;Maghreb<sup>3</sup></small>''' || align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;Southern&nbsp;Europe<sup>4</sup></small>''' ||align=center | '''<small>from&nbsp;the&nbsp;rest&nbsp;of&nbsp;the&nbsp;world</small>'''
|-
| align=center | <small>5.3%</small> || align=center | <small>3.3%</small> || align=center | <small>1.4%</small>
|-
| align=center| 1990 || align=center | 62.0% || align=center | 21.3% || align=center | 0.2% || align=center | 6.0% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 10.5%
|-
| align=center| 1982 || align=center | 61.6% || align=center | 20.4% || align=center | 0.2% || align=center | 6.0% || style="text-align:center;" colspan="3"| 11.8%
|-
| style="text-align:left;" colspan="9"| <sup>1</sup><small>Essentially Pieds-Noirs who resettled in Corsica after the independence of Tunisia, Morocco and Algeria, many of whom had Corsican ancestry.</small><br /><sup>2</sup><small>An immigrant is by French definition a person born in a foreign country and who did not have French citizenship at birth. Note that an immigrant may have acquired French citizenship since moving to France, but is still listed as an immigrant in French statistics. On the other hand, persons born in France with foreign citizenship (the children of immigrants) are not listed as immigrants.</small><br /><small><sup>3</sup>Morocco, Tunisia, Algeria</small><br /><small><sup>4</sup>Portugal, Italy, Spain</small>
|-
| style="text-align:center;" colspan="9"| Source: INSEE<ref name=immig_3>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/6023301?sommaire=2414232 |title=Données harmonisées des recensements de la population 1968–2018 |author=INSEE |access-date=2022-02-11|language=fr}}</ref><ref name=immig_2/><ref name=immig_1/><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2020942?sommaire=2106113&geo=REG-94 |title=IMG1B – Population immigrée par sexe, âge et pays de naissance en 2013|publisher= INSEE|access-date=2022-02-11|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.insee.fr/fr/statistiques/2020046?sommaire=2133781&geo=REG-94 |title=IMG1B – Population immigrée par sexe, âge et pays de naissance en 2008 – Région de Corse (94)|publisher= INSEE|access-date=2022-02-11|language=fr}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.recensement-1999.insee.fr/default.asp?asp_action=produit&c_typeprod=BDD&c_prod=D_FD_IMG2&c_theme=IMG&c_codgeo=2&c_nivgeo=F|title=D_FD_IMG2 – Base France par départements – Lieux de naissance à l'étranger selon la nationalité|publisher=INSEE|access-date=2013-06-25|language=fr|archive-date=12 October 2013|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131012011111/http://www.recensement-1999.insee.fr/default.asp?asp_action=produit&c_typeprod=BDD&c_prod=D_FD_IMG2&c_theme=IMG&c_codgeo=2&c_nivgeo=F|url-status=dead}}</ref>
|}

==Culture==

===Languages===
[[File:Maps of Corsican Dialects.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Chart of the dialects of the Corsican language, which also extends into northern Sardinia.]]
[[Social:French language|French]] (''Français'') is the official and most widely spoken language on the island. [[Social:Italian language|Italian]] was the official language of Corsica until 9 May 1859,<ref>Abalain, Hervé, (2007) ''Le français et les langues historiques de la France'', Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot, p.113</ref> when it was replaced by French. Corsican (''Corsu''), a minority language that is closely related to medieval Tuscan (''Toscano''), has a better prospect of survival than most other French regional languages: Corsican is the second most widely spoken language after French. However, since the annexation of the island by France in the 18th century, Corsican has been under heavy pressure from French, and today it is estimated that only 10% of Corsica's population speak the language natively, with only 50% having some sort of proficiency in it.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uoc.edu/euromosaic/web/homean/index1.html |title=Euromosaic-Index1 |publisher= Open University of Catalonia | website= uoc.edu |access-date=2012-10-27}}</ref>

The Corsican language is divided into two main varieties: ''Cismuntanu'' and ''Ultramuntanu'', spoken respectively northeast and southwest of the Girolata–Porto Vecchio line. This division was due to the massive immigration from Tuscany which took place in Corsica during the lower Middle Ages: as a result, the ''Cismuntanu'' became very similar to the Tuscan dialects, being part of the Italo-Dalmatian language group, while the ''Ultramuntanu'' could keep its original characteristics which make it much more similar to a Southern Romance language, such as Sardinian (''Sardu'').<ref>{{Cite book|title=Italia dialettale | first= Giulio| last= Bertoni| year= 1916| publisher= Hoepli|location=Milano|language=it}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book|title=Il linguaggio d'Italia|first=Giacomo|last= Devoto |year= 1974|publisher=Rizzoli|location=Milano|language=it}}</ref> Therefore, due to the differences between the main dialectal varieties, many linguists classify Corsican as an Italo-Dalmatian language,<ref>{{Cite book|title=Romance Languages|first1=Martin |last1= Harris|first2= Nigel| last2= Vincent|year= 1997|isbn=0-415-16417-6|publisher=Routlegde|location=London}}</ref> while others consider it a Southern Romance one.<ref>{{cite web |editor=Nordhoff, Sebastian |editor2=Hammarström, Harald |editor3=Forkel, Robert |editor4=Haspelmath, Martin |year=2013 |title=Subfamily: Italo-Dalmatian |website=Glottolog 2.2 |url=http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/ital1286}}</ref>

Fewer and fewer people speak a Ligurian dialect, known as ''bunifazzinu'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/dialetti-liguri_(Enciclopedia-dell%27Italiano)|title=liguri, dialetti in "Enciclopedia dell'Italiano"|website=treccani.it}}</ref> in what has long been a [[Social:Language island|language island]], Bonifacio, and in Ajaccio, the ''aghjaccinu'' dialect. In Cargèse, a village established by Greek immigrants in the 17th century, [[Social:Greek language|Greek]] (''Ελληνικά'') was the traditional language:<ref>{{cite web | archive-url= https://wayback.archive-it.org/all/20120129052004/http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/Work/cargese.talk.mell.pdf | url-status= dead | url= http://www.tlg.uci.edu/~opoudjis/Work/cargese.talk.mell.pdf | title= How Greek were the Greeks of Corsica? | first= Nick | last= Nicholas | website= tlg.uci.edu | publisher= Thesaurus Linguae Graeceae | archive-date= 29 January 2012 | access-date= 30 August 2014 }}</ref> whereas it has long disappeared from spoken conversation, [[Social:Koine Greek|Biblical Greek]] is still the liturgical language and the village has many [[Religion:Eastern Orthodox Church|Greek Orthodox]] parishes.

Among foreign languages, the most spoken ones were [[Social:English language|English]] (39%) and [[Social:Italian language|Italian]] (34%) as reported by an official survey by the regional government.<ref>{{Cite journal |title=Raportu d'infurmazione nant'à l'inchiesta suciolinguistica nant'à a lingua corsa - Rapport d'information sur l'enquête sociolinguistique sur la langue corse |url=https://www.isula.corsica/assemblea/docs/rapports/2022O2303-annexe.pdf |journal=Cullettività di Corsica - Collectivité de Corse}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
From the mountains to the plains and sea, many ingredients play a role. Game such as wild boar (''Cingale'', ''Singhjari'') is popular. There also is seafood and river fish such as trout. Delicacies such as ''figatellu'' (also named as ''ficateddu''), made with liver, ''coppa'', ham (''prizuttu''), ''lonzu'' are made from Corsican pork (''porcu nustrale''). Characteristic among the cheeses is ''brocciu'' (similar to ricotta), which is used as a fresh ingredient in many dishes, from first courses (''sturzapreti'') to cakes (''fiadone''). Other cheeses, like ''casgiu merzu'' ("rotten cheese", the Corsican counterpart of the Sardinian ''casu martzu''), ''casgiu veghju'' are made from goat or sheep milk. Chestnuts are the main ingredient in the making of ''pulenta castagnina'' and cakes (''falculelle''). A variety of alcohol also exists ranging from ''aquavita'' (brandy), red and white Corsican wines (''Vinu Corsu''), muscat wine (plain or sparkling), and the famous "Cap Corse" apéritif produced by Mattei. The herbs which are part of [[Biology:Maquis shrubland|Maquis]] ({{lang-co|machja}}) and the chestnuts and acorns of the Corsican forests are eaten by local animals, resulting in a noticeable flavour in the food there.

===Art===
Corsica has produced a number of known artists: 
* Alizée (singer/dancer)
* Martha Angelici (opera singer)
* A Filetta (polyphonic chant group)
* Canta U Populu Corsu (band)
* Laetitia Casta (model/actress)
* Baptiste Giabiconi (model/singer)
* Julien de Casabianca (cineast)
* Jérôme Ferrari (writer)
* Patrick Fiori (singer)
* Petru Guelfucci (singer)
* José Luccioni (opera singer)
* Gaston Micheletti (opera singer)
* I Muvrini (band)
* Jenifer (singer)
* François Lanzi (painter)
* Ange Leccia (visual art)
* Henri Padovani (musician; original guitarist for The Police)
* Thierry de Peretti (cineast)
* Marie-Claude Pietragalla (dancer)
* Jean-Paul Poletti (singer)
* Robin Renucci (comedian)
* Tino Rossi (singer)
* César Vezzani (opera singer)

===Sport===
Most Corsican football clubs are currently littered through the first, second, third, fourth and fifth tiers of French football. AC Ajaccio are the highest ranking team, competing in Ligue 1 after promotion in the 2021–22 season, SC Bastia currently play in Ligue 2, FC Bastia-Borgo currently competes in the Championnat National and Gazélec Ajaccio currently competes in the Championnat National 3. ÉF Bastia previously competed in Regional 1, but in 2021 merged with fellow Corsican team Association de la Jeunesse de Biguglia, to form Football Jeunesse Étoile Biguglia. Tour de Corse is a rally held since 1956, which was a round of the World Rally Championship from 1973 to 2008 and later the Intercontinental Rally Challenge and European Rally Championship. The Tour de Corse returned as a World Rally Championship round in 2015.

===Music===

==Administration==
[[File:Map of Corsica.svg|thumb|right|upright=0.75|Map of Corsica]]
Before 1975, Corsica was a ''département'' of the French region of Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur. In 1975 two new départements, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud, were created by splitting the hitherto united departement of Corsica.

On 2 March 1982, a law was passed that gave Corsica the status of ''territorial collectivity'' (''collectivité territoriale''), abolishing the Corsican Regional Council. Unlike the regional councils, the Corsican Assembly has executive powers over the island.

In 1992, three institutions were formed in the territorial collectivity of Corsica:
* The Executive Council of Corsica, which the type of executive functions held in other French regions by the presidents of the Regional Councils. It ensures the stability and consistency needed to manage the affairs of the territory
* The Corsican Assembly, a deliberative, unicameral [[Social:Legislature|legislative body]] with greater powers than the regional councils on the mainland
* The Economic, Social and Cultural Council of Corsica, an advisory body

A local referendum held in 2003, aimed at abolishing the two ''départements'' to leave a territorial collectivity with extended powers, was voted down by a narrow margin. However, the issue of Corsican autonomy and greater powers for the Corsican Assembly continues to hold sway over Corsican politics.

==Economy==
[[File:Propriano 1.jpg|thumb|Corsica's coastline is a major driver for tourism – coastline by the town of Propriano]]

The [[Finance:Gross domestic product|Gross domestic product]] (GDP) of the region was 10 billion euros in 2021.<ref>{{cite web | url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/databrowser/view/tgs00003/default/table?lang=en | title=EU regions by GDP, Eurostat}}</ref>

Tourism plays a big part in the Corsican economy. The island's climate, mountains, and coastlines make it popular among tourists. The island has not had the same level of intensive development as other parts of the Mediterranean and is thus mainly unspoiled.{{Why|date=May 2021}} Tourism is particularly concentrated in the area around Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio in the south of the island and Calvi in the northwest.{{Citation needed|date=May 2021}}

In 1584, the [[Place:Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] governor ordered all farmers and landowners to plant four trees yearly; a [[Biology:Chestnut|chestnut]], [[Biology:Olive|olive]], [[Biology:Ficus|fig]], and mulberry tree. Many communities owe their origin and former richness to the ensuing chestnut woods.<ref name = terracorsa>{{cite web| url= http://www.terracorsa.info/chestnut/chestnut.html |title= The Chestnut Tree| website= terracorsa.info}}</ref> Chestnut bread keeps fresh for as long as two weeks.<ref name = grocer>{{cite book| chapter= Bread| url-status= dead| page= 76| chapter-url= http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/grocersencyclopedia/ency.html |title= The Grocer's Encyclopedia – Encyclopedia of Foods and Beverages| first= Artemas| last= Ward| location= New York| year= 1911| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20160211234117/http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/cookbooks/books/grocersencyclopedia/ency.html| archive-date= 11 February 2016| access-date= 10 October 2018}}</ref> Corsica produces gourmet cheese, wine, sausages, and honey for sale in mainland France and for export. Corsican honey, of which there are six official varieties, is certified as to its origin (Appellation d'origine contrôlée) by the French National Institute of Origin and Quality (Institut National des Appellations d'Origine – INAO).

Corsica's main exports are granite and marble, tannic acid, cork, cheese, wine, citrus fruit, olive oil and cigarettes.<ref>{{cite web| url= http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/French_Regions/Corsica/corsica_8.htm |title= The Region of Corsica |access-date=2014-03-23 |url-status=dead |website= french-at-a-touch.com| archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20140323151218/http://www.french-at-a-touch.com/French_Regions/Corsica/corsica_8.htm |archive-date=23 March 2014 }}</ref>

==Transport==

===Airports===
Corsica has four international airports: 
* Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport 
* Bastia – Poretta Airport 
* Calvi – Sainte-Catherine Airport
* Figari–Sud Corse Airport (near Bonifacio and Porto Vecchio in the south)

All airports are served by regional French airline Air Corsica, as well as Air France which mainly offers connections to Paris-Orly. Budget carriers such as EasyJet and Ryanair offer seasonal connections to different cities in Europe.

===Railway===
The island has {{convert|232|km|0|abbr=off}} of metre gauge railway. The main line runs between Bastia and Ajaccio and there is a branch line from Ponte Leccia to Calvi. Chemins de fer de la Corse (CFC) is the name of the regional rail network serving the French island of Corsica. For a list of stations, see Railway stations in Corsica.

There was also the {{interlanguage link|Eastern Coast Railway|fr|Ligne de la côte orientale corse}} along the Tyrrhenian seacoast; that line was heavily damaged during [[Social:World War II|World War II]], and subsequently closed for good.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Williams |first1=Glyn |title=Tourist and Minor Railways Corse (Corsica) |url=https://www.sinfin.net/railways/world/touristfr/tfrcorse.html |website=sinfin.net |access-date=17 January 2023}}</ref>

===Seaports===
[[File:Celebrity Silhouette Ajaccio 2015.jpg|thumb|Port of Ajaccio]]
[[File:Strait of Bonifacio.jpg|thumb|Looking north across the Strait of Bonifacio from the northern tip of Sardinia; the southern coast of Corsica is barely visible through the haze of distance.]]

Corsica is well connected to the European mainland (Italy and France) by various car ferry lines. The island's busiest seaport is Bastia, which saw more than 2.5 million passengers in 2012.<ref>{{citation | url = http://ec.europa.eu/transport/facts-fundings/statistics/doc/2012/pocketbook2012.pdf | title = EU transport in figures – Statistical Pocketbook 2012 | newspaper = European Commission| date = 30 June 2023 }}</ref> The second busiest seaport is Ajaccio, followed by L'Île-Rousse and Calvi. Propriano and Porto Vecchio in the south also have smaller ferry docks and are seasonally served from France (Marseille), while Bonifacio's harbour is only frequented by smaller car ferries from the neighbouring island of Sardinia.

The ferry companies serving Corsica are Corsica Ferries – Sardinia Ferries (from Savona, Livorno and Piombino in Italy; Toulon and Nice in France), SNCM (from Marseille, Toulon and Nice in France), CMN – La Méridionale (from Marseille in France) and Moby Lines (from Livorno and Genoa in Italy).<ref>{{citation | url = https://www.corsica-ferries.co.uk | title = Corsica Ferries – Official Website}}</ref><ref>{{citation | url = http://www.sncm.fr | title = SNCM – Official Website | access-date = 29 July 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100926063241/http://www.sncm.fr/ | archive-date = 26 September 2010 | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref>{{citation | url = http://www.lameridionale.fr/ | title = Compagnie méridionale de navigation (CMN) – Official Website}}</ref><ref>{{citation | url = http://www.mobylines.com | title = Moby Lines – Official Website}}</ref>

==Politics==
There are several groups and two nationalist parties (the Corsican autonomist ''Femu a Corsica'' and the [[Social:Separatism|separatist]] ''Corsica Libera'') active on the island calling for some degree of Corsican [[Social:Self-governance|autonomy]] from France or even full independence. Generally speaking, regionalist 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 but has at times shown support for some level of autonomy. There is support on the island for proposals for greater autonomy, but polls show that a large majority of Corsicans are opposed to full independence.<ref>{{citation | url = http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/politique/20081001.OBS3635/89-des-corses-opposes-a-l-independance-de-l-ile.html | title = 89% des corses opposés à l'indépendance de l'île |trans-title=89% Corsicans are opposed to Corsican independence | newspaper = Nouvel Observateur | date = October 2008 | language = fr}}</ref><ref>[http://www.rue89.com/rue89-politique/2012/08/06/quoi-pensent-les-corses-quand-ils-pensent-la-corse-234434 Enquête: la Corse vue par les Corses – Rue89, Le nouvel observateur]</ref>

In 1972, the Italian company Montedison dumped toxic waste off the Corsican coast, creating what looked like red mud in waters around the island with the poisoning of the sea, the most visible effects being cetaceans found dead on the shores. At that time the Corsican people felt that the French government did not support them. To stop the poisoning, one ship carrying toxic waste from Italy was bombed.<ref name=Blackwood>{{cite book |last= Blackwood|first=Robert J.|title=The State, the Activists and the Islanders: Language Policy on Corsica |year= 2008| publisher= Springer| isbn= 978-1402083846|page=164|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zu1F5l4KwGcC}}</ref>

[[File:Corsican nationalism.jpg|thumb|right|upright=0.9|Corsican nationalists have used means such as the removal of French names (often also Italian) on road signs.]]
Nationalist organisations started to seek money, using tactics similar to those of the Mafia, to fund violence. Some groups that claim to support Corsican independence, such as the National Liberation Front of Corsica, have carried out a violent campaign since the 1970s that includes bombings and assassinations, usually targeting buildings and officials representing the French government or Corsicans themselves for political reasons.<ref>{{cite news|title=France Moves to Crush Corsican Separatists|work=The New York Times|date=15 January 1997 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1997/01/15/world/france-moves-to-crush-corsican-separatists.html|access-date=17 December 2012}}</ref> A war between two rival independence groups led to several deaths in the 1990s. 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.

In 2000, Prime Minister Lionel Jospin agreed to grant increased autonomy to Corsica. The proposed autonomy for Corsica would have included greater protection for the Corsican language (''Corsu''), the island's traditional language, whose practice and teaching, like other regional or minority languages in France, had been discouraged in the past. According to the [[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]] classification, the Corsican language is currently in danger of becoming extinct.<ref>{{cite web|title=Corsican|url=http://www.unesco.org/culture/languages-atlas/en/atlasmap/language-id-340.html|work=UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger|publisher=[[Organization:UNESCO|UNESCO]]|access-date=24 November 2012|date=27 April 2011}}</ref> However, plans for increased autonomy were opposed by the [[Social:Gaullism|Gaullist]] opposition in the French National Assembly, who feared that they would lead to calls for autonomy from other ''régions'' (such as Brittany, Alsace, or Provence), eventually threatening France's unity as a country.<ref>{{cite news|title=French Cabinet Split Over Corsican Autonomy|work=The New York Times|date=30 August 2000|url=http://ccat.sas.upenn.edu/~haroldfs/540/handouts/french/corsica/corsica2.htm|access-date=24 November 2012}}</ref>

In a referendum on 6 July 2003, a narrow majority of Corsican voters opposed a proposal by the government of Jean-Pierre Raffarin and then-Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy that would have suppressed the two ''départements'' of the island and granted greater autonomy to the territorial collectivity of Corsica.<ref>{{cite news|title=A worrying result| url=http://www.economist.com/node/1914648|newspaper=The Economist|publisher=The Economist Newspaper Limited|access-date=24 November 2012|date=10 July 2003}}</ref>

On 13 December 2015, the regionalist coalition ''Pè a Corsica'' ({{lang-en|For Corsica}}), supported by both Femu a Corsica and Corsica Libera and led by Gilles Siméoni, won the territorial elections with a percentage of 36.9%.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://abp.bzh/article.php?id=39128 |website=abp.bzh |title=Victoire historique des nationalistes en Corse}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url= https://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/dec/14/corsican-nationalists-win-historic-victory-in-french-elections |via= theguardian.com |title=Corsican nationalists win historic victory in French elections |work= The Guardian| date= 14 December 2015}}</ref>

On 17 December 2015, Jean Guy Talamoni was elected President of the Assembly of Corsica and Gilles Simeoni was elected Executive President of the Council of the Region. In addition, legislation granting Corsica a greater degree of autonomy was passed{{vague|date=December 2021}}.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/corse/discours-de-gilles-simeoni-president-du-conseil-executif-de-corse-887597.html |website=france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr |title=Discours de Gilles Simeoni, président du conseil exécutif de Corse – France 3 Corse ViaStella|date=17 December 2015 }}</ref>

On 16 March 2022, the interior minister, Gérald Darmanin, told regional newspaper ''Corse Matin'' before a two-day visit: "We are ready to go as far as autonomy – there you go, the word has been said."<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2022/mar/16/france-may-offer-corsica-autonomy-struggles-quell-protests |title=France may offer Corsica 'autonomy' as it struggles to quell protests &#124; France |first=Angelique |last=Chrisafis |newspaper={{wipe|The Guardian}} |place=London |date=16 March 2022 |access-date=19 March 2022}}</ref> The comment came after two weeks of rioting in which 100 people were injured and public buildings and police were attacked with homemade explosive devices.

==See also==
{{Div col}}
* Corsican nationalism
* Corsican language
* Italian irredentism in Corsica
* Corsican immigration to Puerto Rico
* Corsican immigration to Venezuela
* [[Social:Corsican Workers' Trade Union|Corsican Workers' Trade Union]]
* Corsican mafia
* "Dio vi salvi Regina", the unofficial Corsican anthem
* GR 20
* List of bodies of water of Corsica
* List of castles in Corsica
* University of Corsica Pascal Paoli
{{Div col end}}

==Notes==
{{reflist}}

==Bibliography==
* {{Cite book |last=Bertarelli |first=Luigi Vittorio |year=1929 |title=Corsica|series=Guida d'Italia|publisher=CTI |location=Rome |language=it}}
* 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|2-905124-47-4}}
* Ravis-Giordani, Georges. 1991. ''Le Guide de la Corse''. Besançon: La Manufacture. {{ISBN|2-7377-0262-3}}
* Saul, John Ralston. 1992. ''Voltaire's Bastards: The Dictatorship of Reason in the West''. New York: Free Press; Maxwell Macmillan International. {{ISBN|0-02-927725-6}}

==External links==
{{commons|Corse|Corsica}}
{{wikivoyage|Corsica}}
* [https://www.isula.corsica/ Official website]
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20130316055928/http://www.france.fr/en/regions-and-cities/corsica-mountain-sea Corsica: a mountain in the sea] – Official French website (in English)
* {{Curlie|Regional/Europe/France/Regions/Corsica}}
* {{cite web|first=L. J.|last=Costa|author2=Cécile Costa|title=Préhistoire de la Corse|url=http://www.prehistoire-corse.org/|publisher=Kyrnos Publications pour l'archéologie|year=2005|access-date=26 April 2008|language=fr|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181007141339/http://www.prehistoire-corse.org/|archive-date=7 October 2018|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.terracorsa.info|title=TerraCorsa, I Muvrini and much more Corsican music|publisher=TerraCorsa|access-date=22 August 2011}}
* {{cite book |first=Alexandre|last=Dumas|title=The Corsican Brothers|year=2003|orig-year=1845|publisher=Arthur's Classical Novels|url=http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/dumas/corsic10.html|access-date=27 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080419073755/http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/dumas/corsic10.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 19 April 2008}}
<!-- please keep this link: Dmoz page holds a Wikipedia back link -->
* {{cite web|title=National Geographic Magazine: Corsica Map|publisher=National Geographic Society|year=2003|url=http://yellowbordermagazine.com/ngm/0304/feature3/map.html|archive-url=https://archive.today/20121210073250/http://yellowbordermagazine.com/ngm/0304/feature3/map.html|url-status=dead|archive-date=10 December 2012|access-date=5 May 2008}}
* {{cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/07/06/corsica.poll/index.html|title=Corsica rejects autonomy offer by Paris|publisher=CNN |date=6 July 2003|access-date=26 April 2008 |archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080408111248/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/07/06/corsica.poll/index.html <!-- Bot retrieved archive --> |archive-date = 8 April 2008}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.corsica-isula.com|first=Will|last=Keyser|title=Corsica from the inside!|publisher=Corsica Isula|access-date=26 April 2008}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.jabro.net/photos-fotky/by-bicycle/category/2-korsika-corsica-corse|last=jabro|title=Getting around in Corsica by bicycle|publisher=jabro.net|access-date=28 August 2009|archive-date=8 May 2010|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100508143554/http://jabro.net/photos-fotky/by-bicycle/category/2-korsika-corsica-corse|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.corsicaexperience.com|first=jf|last=Guiderdoni|title=A different visit of Corsica|publisher=corsica_experience|access-date=5 June 2011}}
* [http://www.traghettiper-corsica.it/Navi_per_la_Corsica.pdf Ferries to Corsica] Detailed technical specifications of the various ferry vessels, history, deckplans. {{in lang|it}}
* [https://archive.org/details/DaleGilbertJarvisGoldenhair Audio recording of the traditional Corsican folktale 'Goldenhair' (in English)]
* [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SKGF-ErsJiI/ 3-minute video "The Workout the World Forgot", filmed in Corsica, 2008]


[[Category:Southern Europe]]

{{Sourceattribution|Corsica}}