Corsica – General info

Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and a region of France. The island is located west of Italy, at the height of Abruzzo, north of the Italian island of Sardinia and southeast of France.

Her Corsican name is Corsica, her French Corse.

The island is very mountainous. About 86% of the island is mountainous and only 14% coastal lowlands. In Corsica, 50 two-thousand-metre peaks rise into the sky. The highest mountain is Monte Cinto at 2706 m, which is only 25 km from the sea.
Size and management
The Mediterranean island of Corsica is the third largest island in the western Mediterranean with a size of 8680 m2. The island is divided into two administrative districts (départements), Haute-Corse (capital Bastia, 40,000 inhabitants) and Corse du Sud (capital Ajaccio, 53,000 inhabitants). Ajaccio is also the capital of Corsica.
Location and extent
The island is located in the Mediterranean Sea between the 41st and 43rd degrees north latitude and the 8th and 10th degrees east longitude. It measures 183 km from north to south and 83 km from east to west. The varied coastline is 1047 km long. The distance to Nice (France) is 180 km, to Livorno (Italy) 85 km and to the neighboring island of Sardinia 12 km.
Population
There are about 260,000 inhabitants living on the island, which corresponds to a population density of about 30 inhabitants/km2. The working-age population is about 48%, of which about 12% are unemployed. 70% of jobs are in the service sector, about half of which are in tourism.
Language
Corsican; Official and lingua franca French.
Currency
Since Corsica is part of France, the currency in force is the Euro.
Information
Maison de la France Germany
(French Tourist Office)
Westendstraße 47
D – 60325 Frankfurt a.M.
Internet: http://www.franceguide.com

In the western Mediterranean, summers are warm and rainless; the winters mild and very rainy.

In midsummer, temperatures of over 30°C are the norm on the coast at noon, the water temperature then rises to 25°C; the average temperature in August is 24°C.

In winter, the water temperatures of the salt-rich Mediterranean Sea hardly drop below 10°C; the average temperature in January is 9°C.

Corsica is divided into 3 climate zones.

The Mediterranean climate zone ends at 500m altitude.

Above it is a Mediterranean transition zone up to 1000m altitude, which in summer reaches over 1500m altitude. Above this zone, the alpine climate zone begins.

Corsica is mainly home to wild boars, which live in the maquis and woodlands together with the semi-wild domestic pigs.

Then fox, brown hare and wild rabbit are at home here.

The Corsican symbolic animal, the mouflon has become rare in Corsica. The population of the climbing artist is 500 to 800 animals, which are only found in the high mountains.

The bird species consist of blackbirds, thrushes, finches, woodpeckers, nightingales, kingfishers and crows, among others.

There are also birds of prey such as buzzards, sparrowhawks, kites, Eleonora’s flyers, golden eagles and ospreys.

Insects (grasshoppers, cicadas, bees), mountain newts, lizards, fire salamanders, geckos and tortoises are common.

In waters you can find eels, trout, mullet, sea bass and oysters. In the sea you can even meet dolphins and fin whales.

The forest areas of Corsica are given as 150,000 – 250,000 ha, which is about a third of the total area.

Since it is not possible to give the exact difference between forest and maquis, this number fluctuates. The main tree species are black and maritime pine, beech, holm oak and cork oak.

In the south, there are mainly extensive cork oak forests, which captivate with their reddish-brown colors when they have been freshly peeled. In the east, eucalyptus is often encountered.

In the plains and terraced crops, it is very common to find the olive tree, which is usually equipped with nets for harvesting.

The coastal vegetation impresses with plane trees, pines, agaves, opuntias and palm trees. Of course, the sweet chestnut is not to be missed, and it is mainly located in the transitional stage of about 1000 m, especially in the Castagniccia region with about 15,000 ha.

The maquis is a form of vegetation that captivates with thorny, prickly and hard-leafed plants, trees, bushes and grasses. Typical plants are cistus, lime tree, strawberry tree, myrtle, broom, waythorn, thyme, lavender and others. These can grow up to 10 m high and also run through forests. Many of the plants protect themselves from dehydration by secreting oils, rubbery or resinous substances that also have a very strong scent.

The few epochs in Corsica’s eventful history brought peaceful times to its inhabitants. Since prehistoric times, they had learned to protect themselves from attacks by retreating into the mountains – be it by foreign troops, be it by pirates or by the Corsican nobility, who exploited the people the worst.

As early as 3500 years ago, the indigenous people of Corsica felt compelled to fortify their settlements. When the Romans arrived on the island, the retreat from the coastal regions was of little help to them, the Romans advanced into the mountains, crushed all resistance and exterminated half of the Corsicans.

The migration of peoples brought Corsica the most turbulent time in its eventful history. In these confused centuries, in which Vandal, Ostrogothic, Byzantine and Lombard rulers alternated, the Corsicans had to retreat again to the interior of the island and develop their communities in the seclusion of the mountains.

Even the transition to papal rule did not bring peace to Corsica – on the contrary, the Moors continued their raids and settled at individual points of the island.

The division of Corsica between Genoa and Pisa, which had existed since 1133, contained the seeds of strife. It transferred the conflicts between the two Italian cities to the island and divided the Corsicans into Pisa and Genoa supporters.

Conflicts between the camps of the Pisans, Genoese, Corsicans and Papists followed. Once again, the Corsicans themselves were the ones who suffered. In addition, there was the increase in the positions of power of their own nobles, who tried to gather ever larger crowds of followers around them. Woe betide him who was not submissive to these clans!

In addition to the horror of the feuds between the nobility, there was a plague epidemic that killed large parts of the population.

Comparatively little is known about the culture and way of life of the island’s indigenous people. The oldest buildings in Corsica date back to the fourth millennium BC.

The dolms and menhirs are witnesses to a cult of the dead, the megalithic culture.

Around 1600 BC, people created menhir statues, huge and primitive images of people made of stone with a height of up to 4 meters.

The simple figures have human facial features and implied garments. Some statues carry weapons.

Around 560 BC, the Greeks founded the city of Alalia on the east coast, which later became Aleria. It was not until the Romans broke Greek trade supremacy in 259 BC.

In 1133, the Pope divided the jurisdiction over the six Corsican dioceses equally between the two city republics of Pisa and Genoa.

Genoa, however, envies Pisa’s influence over Corsica and conquers Bonifacio in 1187 and Calvi in 1278.

In 1284, the Pisans were defeated in the decisive battle at Meleria.

Until 1729, the Genoese remained sole rulers of Corsica.
In 1729, the revolt against Genoa broke out.

In 1736, the Corsicans adopted a constitution and proclaimed the German adventurer Theodor von Neuhoff King of Corsica. However, he has to leave the island in the same year.

In 1755, Pascal Paoli was proclaimed General of the Corsican Nation. >He made Corsica an independent state with Corte as its capital.

In 1769, Genoa sold its rights to Corsica to France.

In 1769, the Corsican army was defeated – Corsica became a French province.

On August 15, 1769, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio.

A commission report commissioned by the Paris National Assembly counted a total of 8,760 attacks in Corsica between 1973 and 1998. This means that, on average, one act of violence is committed every day. The targets of the violence are mostly institutions and representatives of the French central government. Holiday resorts by foreign investors were also destroyed.

The recent history of political discord begins at the end of the 1950s. At that time, the French state tried to eliminate the economic backwardness of the island through central economic planning and promoted the agricultural and tourist expansion of the island.

Many Corsicans felt disadvantaged by the nature of the investments. Some of the money disappeared in dubious channels. With the repatriation of the French returning from Algeria, resistance against the Paris government began. Because the Algerian returnees who went to Corsica also received generous financial support to build up farms, while the Corsican farmers ran out of money.

At the same time, a regional consciousness developed, not only in Corsica, which considered central political control by Paris to be inappropriate. The two rival separatist organizations FLNC-Union of the Combatant and the FLNC of the Dissident, which split off from it, have identified themselves as the authors of most of the attacks. When the French prefect Claude Erignac was murdered in February 1998, resistance to the ruling violence arose among the population.

Tens of thousands took to the streets to demonstrate against the terror of the Corsican separatists. So far, no tourist has been injured by the terrorist attacks. However, investors from the mainland in particular are still holding back on the island, as the shells of hotels and holiday resorts have often been blown up. Against this background, Corsica is comparatively little built-up.

In Corsica, there are good sausage (saucisse and saucisson) and ham, which are usually served as appetizers (hors d’oevres), but also make a great sandwich topping.

Special specialties are Coppa and Lonzu, both hams. Lonzu is made in natural casing from spicy pork tenderloin, and coppa is a roll-roast-like stuff made from streaky pork neck.

Then there is the Prizuttu, a raw ham, buttery soft and tender, excellent for the “casse-croûte”, sandwiches.

Figatelli is the name of the dark pork liver sausages that are fried or eaten just like that with bread.

Salsiccia is also a type of sausage – usually well-seasoned.

If you are a bit sadistic, you may want to try Pâté de Merle. It is a blackbird pâté seasoned with myrtle. The production is now banned, but the remaining stocks can still be sold, and certainly the stuff will still be produced.

Fish and crustaceans are quite expensive in Corsica. Due to declining catches, fish is increasingly being imported. Spiny lobsters (Corsican arigosta) are always eaten by tourists; you are most likely to get real Corsican lobsters at Cap Corse or in Bonifacio. Oursins (sea urchins) are eaten raw (!) or baked in an omelette. Oysters and mussels come from the Etangs.

At markets or in poisonnerien (fish shops) you can find daurade (sea bream), a delicious edible fish with thick, easy-to-remove bones, and rouget (red mullet), which is usually served grilled. A delicacy is the rather expensive Loup (sea bass). The St. Pierre fish is cooked, and brine (sole) is also available.

Two types of fish soups are also known: the soupe de poisson (very tasty) with grated and toasted bread, and the aziminu (bouillabaisse), which is not to be confused with it.

If you like it, you can also get Friture du golfe, finger-long fish baked in oil. In the interior, brown trout are eaten.

Meat is Gigot d’Agneau: leg of lamb or lamb chop or roast lamb. Kid, tastes very good. Sanglier or wild boar is on the menus in autumn, after the start of the hunting season, as a roast or ragout, even as a “terrine de sanglier” (wild boar soup). Marcassin is a freshman. Rabbits are often found in the interior. Tripe is rarer, not to everyone’s taste, but it is considered a delicacy.

There is a plentiful selection of cheeses in Corsica. You can find various sheep’s (brebis) and goat’s cheeses (chèvre) here. They are usually quite spicy and hearty.

The speciality is the brocciu, a curd-like cream cheese, spicy and creamy. Not to be confused with the similarly packaged Brousse, which is made from dried milk. The real brocciu is only available from October to June.
Miscellaneous
Fruit is abundant in Corsica and at low prices. Bread is almost exclusively available as white bread in the usual forms of the French, i.e. as a double loaf, as a baguette, as a flûtes (thicker than baguette, also called a restaurant) and as a panier (a kind of flûtes with pointed ends). You can get wholemeal bread in the supermarkets.

Honey (miel) is a popular souvenir; there are many types of them in Corsica, which differ significantly in taste. The dark chestnut honey tastes very strong, almost bitter, honey from Cargèse is spicy, that from Balagne mild.

Gâteaux Corse is a cookie-like pastry that each baker makes according to his own recipe.

In Corsica, as in France, wine is part of every meal. The range of Corsican wines is rich, French and Italian wines are also available.

A very popular wine is Muscat, a white wine with an almost liqueur-like taste and 15% alcohol.

Otherwise, you can buy everything else that is available in Europe. The cheapest drink in restaurants in remote areas is often (along with water) one of the national drinks of the French: pastis, an anise schnapps of about 45 percent, which is diluted with water and drunk on ice. You can get Kronenbourg beer almost everywhere, but it doesn’t taste very good.

Corsica has not yet been overrun by the great avalanches of package tourism. The range of hotels and holiday resorts is comparatively small. The prices are relatively high.

In the noble hotel Cala Rossa near Porto Vecchio, for example, a double room costs between 5,000 and 7,000 euros in the high season, including obligatory half-board.

For holiday apartments by the sea, you have to reckon with at least 1,000 euros per week. Even a campsite generally costs a family of four between 40 and 60 euros a day in the high season.

If you want to spend your holiday on the island in the high season, you should look for accommodation early. No matter whether hotel, holiday apartment or campsite.

Prices in Corsica’s tourist areas are comparable to those on the Côte d’Azur. You can’t go on cheap holidays on the island. This already applies to the journey. Low-cost airlines have not yet discovered Corsica.
Ferry and flight
The ferry and flight connections to the island are too dependent on travel dates and individual data (home airport, ferry connection, car type) to provide meaningful information here.

A few tour operators offer flights and accommodation in a package. Most flight connections involve changing planes in Paris (change of airport), Lyon or Nice. Information on the subject of ferries and flights can be obtained from any qualified travel agency or you can find the right one on the Internet.