Corsica

Corsica
(Corse)
   Located in the Mediterranean Sea, Corsica is considered a territorial collectivity, or region, of France. Separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio, the island's principal towns are Ajaccio, Bastia, Sartene, Corte, Calvi, L'Île-Rousse, Porto-Vecchio, and Bonifacio. Corsica is divided into two departments (Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud) and covers an area of 8,780 square kilometers. The interior is mountainous, with the highest peak at Mont Cinto (2,710 m). The west coast is indented and rocky, and the east is filled with swamps and lagoons. The largest rivers are the Golo and the Tavignano. Farming and manufacturing are the main economic activities, with grapes, olives, vegetables, citrus fruit, and wheat being cultivated. Goats and sheep are raised, and the forests, which have been depleted, produce chestnuts and cork. The island is known for its heavy undergrowth, the maquis, which provides natural hiding places. other industries of the island are quarrying of marble and granite, winemaking, mining, and tourism. Corsica has an ancient history, with settlements going back to the Neolithic period. In antiquity, the Phoenicians, Greeks, and Etruscans successively occupied the island, and in 259 b.c. Corsica was conquered by the Romans. After the fifth century a.d., Corsica was ruled by the Vandals, Byzantines, Lombards, and the Moors. In the late 11th century, it became subject to the papacy, which divided it between Pisa and Genoa. Corsica remained under Genoese rule until the 18th century, when it was ceded to France (1768). The following year, napoléon i was born at the island's capital, Ajaccio. During the Napoleonic Wars, Corsica was held by the British. During World War II, it was occupied by the Germans and Italians, but the Allies liberated it in 1943. In 1958, Corsica was controlled by elements of the rebellious OAS (see Algeria). In the 1970s, a movement developed to achieve greater autonomy for the island, with radical groups resorting to terrorism in an effort to gain independence. In 1982, as part of a decentralizing program, the French government created the Corsican Regional Assembly. Comprising 50 members, it controls local financial, educational, and cultural affairs. These powers were increased in 1992. Corsica has a dry and sunny climate, similar to provence. The population is around 250,000.

France. A reference guide from Renaissance to the Present . 1884.

Игры ⚽ Нужно сделать НИР?

Look at other dictionaries:

  • Corsica — • The third island of the Mediterranean in point of size, only Sicily and Sardinia being of greater extent Catholic Encyclopedia. Kevin Knight. 2006. Corsica     Corsica      …   Catholic encyclopedia

  • CORSICA — Insul in mari Ligustico, inter Sardiniam et Italiam sita. A Cyrno, patre Batti, Herculis filio dicta fuit Κύρνος, ut placet Fabio Pictori, cum antea Therapne vocaretur. A Corsica vero muliere, forsan ἀπὸ κόρσης, δούλης βουκόλου dicta, cuius… …   Hofmann J. Lexicon universale

  • Corsica — Corsica, PA U.S. borough in Pennsylvania Population (2000): 354 Housing Units (2000): 157 Land area (2000): 0.466479 sq. miles (1.208174 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.466479 sq. miles… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Corsica, PA — U.S. borough in Pennsylvania Population (2000): 354 Housing Units (2000): 157 Land area (2000): 0.466479 sq. miles (1.208174 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.000000 sq. miles (0.000000 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.466479 sq. miles (1.208174 sq. km)… …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • Corsica, SD — U.S. city in South Dakota Population (2000): 644 Housing Units (2000): 271 Land area (2000): 0.665726 sq. miles (1.724223 sq. km) Water area (2000): 0.004939 sq. miles (0.012793 sq. km) Total area (2000): 0.670665 sq. miles (1.737016 sq. km) FIPS …   StarDict's U.S. Gazetteer Places

  • CORSICA — CORSICA, Mediterranean island. Corsica is the only major Mediterranean island without a Jewish settlement either in ancient or in medieval times. King Theodore, the German adventurer who temporarily established his rule in Corsica in 1736,… …   Encyclopedia of Judaism

  • Corsica — n. 1. an island in the Mediterranean; with adjacent islets it constitutes a region of France. Syn: Corse. [WordNet 1.5] 2. a region of France. Syn: Corse. [WordNet 1.5] …   The Collaborative International Dictionary of English

  • Corsica — (Gesch.). C. hieß bei den Griechen Kyrnos; die alten Bewohner C s, Corsi (Kyrnä, Kyrnäi), ein rohes, wenig von Ackerbau, meist von Viehzucht lebendes Volk, scheinen ursprünglich Iberer gewesen zu sein, doch waren auch Ligurer, Tyrrhener u.… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Corsĭca — Corsĭca, 1) (a. Geogr.), Insel im Ligurischen Meere, nördlich von Sardinien u. von dieser durch die 90 Stadien breite Straße Taphros (Fretum gallicum) getrennt, galt für eine der sieben größten Inseln des Mittelmeeres u. ihre Ausdehnung in der… …   Pierer's Universal-Lexikon

  • Corsica — Corsica, Insel im mittelländischen Meere, 18 Meilen von Frankreich und 11 Meilen von Italien, wird nur durch die 1 Meile breite Straße Bonifacius von Sardinien getrennt, hat 178 Quadrat Meilen und 95,000 Einwohner und ist seit 1768 französische… …   Damen Conversations Lexikon

  • Corsica — Corsica, s. Korsika …   Meyers Großes Konversations-Lexikon

Share the article and excerpts

Direct link
Do a right-click on the link above
and select “Copy Link”