History

The island's history has involved most of the countries around the the Mediterranean area, but it remains quite unlike any of them. Much of Corsica's heritage is preserved because nothing much has changed over the centuries, due to the fact that it is cut off from any major piece of land, and traditions are highly important too the Corsican population, even in modern day.

From the moment the great empires of the world started exploring the world, there has been a constant fight for Corsica and its beauty. Both the Italians and the French have laid claim to the country at one time or another. The country is now listed as an region under French rule.

The debate over Corsica continues to develop as Corsica looks to become a country in its own right. The dispute can be described like the Northern Ireland situation on a much smaller scale.Recently, especially during the 1970's, there have been bomb scares in Corsica, as bombs have been planted there by the Front Libéral National Corse (FLNC) or other separatist organisations. Some Corsicans want Corsica to become independent, and not have anything to do with France's federal government. Others want more local control over Corsica's government. A Corsican regional assembly was created in 1982 by the federal French Parliament. The assembly, elected by Corsican voters, controls schools, local spending, and the island's culture and development.

Corsica is split into two sections or provinces, these are called Haute Corse and Corse-du-Sud, Haute-Corse being the northernmost department. In 1811 Ajaccio was made the capital of Corsica. This started rivalry between Corsica's two main towns which is still going on now. Some Corsicans wanted a town called Bastia to be made capital. It was not until 1975 that agreement was reached, when the island was divided into two departments. Ajaccio is in Corse-de-Sud, and is the capital city there, and Bastia is in Haute-Corse, and in turn is the capital city in Haute-Corse. Although Bastia is actually physically nearer to France, Ajaccio has an airport, and Bastia doesn't, although ferries leave from Bastia.

Geography and climate

Due to the fact that Corsica is an island it is affected a lot by winds blowing from every direction that. The 'Maestrale' wind can be very strong, and blows south-east into the island. 'Tramontane' is cold wind which blows from the north, 'Libeccio' and 'Grecale' bring rain in winter, and 'Sirocco'is dusty wind coming from Africa. Naturally the island has a Mediterranean climate. Summers are long, usually lasting from mid May to early October. The country is affected both by the mountainous nature of the landscape, and due to the thick forest areas. As a result of this, the anual rainfall actually exceeds that of Ireland.¹

Corsica has a mountain range down the middle, containing two very high mountains, Mte. D'Oro and Mte. Cinto. Les Agriates lakes were dammed recently for agricultural purposes and power generation. Corsica's mild climate is very good for raising crops. Farmers produce fruits and vegetables, especially olives, grapes, grains, and tobacco. The mountain range down the middle of Corsica can be used for agricultural purposes. Sheep, which provide wool for clothes, graze on the sides. Cork, pine, oak, and chestnut trees grow on the steep sides of the mountains. Miners mine granite and marble in the mountains. Some iron, lead, and copper are also mined. The coast provides people with sardines and coral.

Travel

Travelling around Corsica can often be a challange to even the most gifted of drivers. Travel within Corsica is by road or rail, though there are air taxis, and biking is always an option, but can be extremely tiring.The rail network is pretty basic, with connections between the three main towns, Bastia, Ajaccio and Calvi. The roads, with the exception of the main North-South road on the east coast, can be scary to those not used to mountain driving, and the travel times are marked in measures of time rather than distance.

Food and Drink

Corsican cooking is typically Mediterranean. There is fish and seafood (eg. mussels (moules), sea urchins (oursins), crabs (crabes) and oysters (huîtres)). However, the Corsican diet is rich and varied, which is to be expected. Many of the food products are available when in season. Food production has stayed small scale, oand thus the products have their own special tastes and textures resulting from the lush forests and humid conditions in which they have been produced. The most important food source is the chestnut, which is ground into flour, and also roasted in many dishes.

Corsica can also offer plenty of wine, which is very good nowadays, although in the 60's and 70's taste suffered as the result of wine scandals, where cheap wines were introduced. Now wines are often made by small farmers growing traditional types of grapes. Not surprisingly, there a number of fortified wines as well as spirits. Cap Corse is an aperitif with a secret receipe of herbs. Many wine makers produce wines from various fruits, such as vin de clementine, vin d'orange and vin de cerise.

Corsica is also well known for its cured meats. . The main products are lonzu, a kind of pork loin; coppa, with a stronger taste that is a result of keeping a large amount of fat on the meat and prizuttu, which is likened to parma ham, which is eaten very thinly sliced on bread. Corsican cheese, mostly goats cheese, is also popular.

Language

Although the official language of Corsica is French, a large number of Corsicans speak Corsican - Corsu. It has no current legal status as a language and even differs greatly from village to village. It is a purely oral language that has only recantly been transferred to written word. Although it is growing and there is a petition to have it recognised as an actual language, it is currently only used by the natives.

Festivals and Customs

Corsica is a country where cultural festivals and country fairs are commonplaced. The festivals are mostly organised by the elder villagers. Many have attained international notoriety, but they remain on a manageable scale. There are many varients. The biggest of these is of course Napoleons birthday. Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte was was born in Ajaccio in 1765. His birthday is celebrated every year on the 15th August with fireworks and parades. Lots of people visit Napoleon's birthplace to pay homage.

Music

The most popular form of traditional music on Corsica is the vocal band, with dozens of polyphony bands around the island. Another popular form is A capella.
Corsica also has a broad selection of traditional instruments. Some of these are close relatives of other instruments, whereas others are totally unique.