- published: 01 Oct 2010
- views: 76016
- author: Fred Bouchal
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- Ajaccio
- Alexandre Dumas
- Alizée
- Alpine zone
- Alsace
- Aléria
- Angoumois
- Anjou
- Aquitaine
- Artois
- Athene (owl)
- Aunis
- Auvergne (province)
- Auvergne (region)
- Bastia
- Battle of Ponte Novu
- Berry (province)
- Bombing
- Bourbon Restoration
- Bourbonnais
- Brittany
- Burgundy (region)
- Béarn
- Calvi, Haute-Corse
- Carthaginians
- Casa Buonaparte
- Catch-22
- Cetaceans
- Champagne, France
- Champagne-Ardenne
- Charlemagne
- Chestnut
- Comtat Venaissin
- Cork Oak
- Corse-du-Sud
- Corsica
- Corsica et Sardinia
- Corsica Nazione
- Corsica wine
- Corsican Assembly
- Corsican Crisis
- Corsican Italians
- Corsican language
- Corsican nationalism
- Corsican Nuthatch
- Corsican people
- Corsican red deer
- Corsican Republic
- Corvus cornix
- County of Foix
- County of La Marche
- County of Nice
- Côte d'Azur
- Dauphiné
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- France
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- History of Corsica
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Ajaccio
Coordinates: 41°55′36″N 8°44′13″E / 41.9267°N 8.7369°E / 41.9267; 8.7369
Ajaccio (Latin: Adiacium; French: Ajaccio, [aʒaksjo]; Corsican: Aiacciu [aˈjattʃu]; Italian: Ajaccio, [aˈjattʃo]), is a commune on the island of Corsica in France. It is the capital and largest city of the region of Corsica and the prefecture of the department of Corse-du-Sud.
The geopolitical arrangements of the commune are slightly different from those typical of Corsica and France. Usually an arrondissement includes cantons and a canton includes one to several communes including the chef-lieu, "chief place", from which the canton takes its name. The city of Ajaccio is one commune, but it contains six cantons, Cantons 1–6, and a fraction of Canton 7. The latter contains five other communes: Bastelicaccia, Alata, Afa, Appietto and Villanova, making a total of six communes for the seven cantons of Ajaccio.
Each canton contains a certain number of quartiers, "quarters". Cantons 1, 2, 3, 6, 7 are located along the Gulf of Ajaccio from west to east, while 4 and 5 are a little further up the valleys of the Gravona and the Prunelli Rivers. These political divisions subdivide the population of Ajaccio into units that can be more democratically served but they do not give a true picture of the size of Ajaccio. In general language, "greater Ajaccio" includes about 100,000 people with all the medical, educational, utility and transportational facilities of a big city. Up until World War II it was still possible to regard the city as being a settlement of narrow streets localized to some part of the harbor or the Gulf of Ajaccio; such bucolic descriptions do not fit the city of today, and travellogues intended for mountain or coastal recreational areas do not generally apply to Corsica's few big cities.
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Alsace
Alsace (French: Alsace [alzas]; Alsatian: Elsàss [ˈɛlsɑs]; German: Elsass, pre-1996: Elsaß, IPA: [ˈɛlzas]; Latin: Alsatia) is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area (8,280 km²), and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km² (total population in 2006: 1,815,488; 1 January 2008 estimate: 1,836,000). Alsace is located on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. The political, economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg. Because that city is the seat of dozens of international organizations and bodies, Alsace is politically one of the most important regions in the European Union.
The name "Alsace" can be traced back to the Old High German Ali-saz or Elisaz, meaning "foreign domain". An alternative explanation derives it from a Germanic Ell-sass, meaning "seated on the Ill", a river in Alsace. The region was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century under kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV and made one of the provinces of France. Alsace is frequently mentioned in conjunction with Lorraine, because German possession of parts of these two régions (as the imperial province Alsace-Lorraine, 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries, during which Alsace changed hands four times between France and Germany in 75 years.
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Aléria
Coordinates: 42°06′13″N 9°30′46″E / 42.1036°N 9.5128°E / 42.1036; 9.5128
Aléria (Ancient Greek: Ἀλαλίη, Alaliē; Latin and Corsican: Aleria) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica. It includes the easternmost point in Metropolitan France.
Aléria shares the canton of Moïta-Verde with 13 other communes: Moïta, Ampriani, Campi, Canale-di-Verde, Chiatra, Linguizzetta, Matra, Pianello, Pietra-di-Verde, Tallone, Tox, Zalana and Zuani.
Aléria is 70 kilometres (43 mi) to the south of Bastia on Route N198, in the centre of the Plaine Orientale, also called the Plaine d'Aléria, the east-central coastal plain of the island facing Italy. It includes a number of villages and monuments. Most of the rest of the island is precipitously mountainous.
The eastern coastline is punctuated by a number of lakes connecting (but not always) to the Tyrrhenian Sea, the remnant of an ancient system of lagoons behind barrier beaches. The Corsicans refer to them under the name of Étang, "pool", although most are larger by far than an English pool. Marshland is also extensive on the coast requiring that cities be built inland from it. Malaria has historically been a problem near the marshlands and swamps of eastern Corsica. The fine barrier beaches are a recreational attraction.
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Angoumois
Angoumois (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ɡumwa]) was a county and province of France, nearly corresponding today to the Charente département. Its capital was Angoulême.
Coordinates: 45°39′N 0°10′E / 45.65°N 0.167°E / 45.65; 0.167
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Anjou
Anjou (French pronunciation: [ɑ̃ʒu]) is a former county (in the sense of being ruled by a count, from c. 880), duchy (1360) and province centred on the city of Angers in the lower Loire Valley of what, since the early 13th century, we know as western France. Its traditional Latin name was Andegavia.
Anjou was united with the English Crown from 1151-1199, when Henry II, and, in turn, his (third) son Richard the Lionheart, inherited the county, and thus themselves became Counts of Anjou. At its peak, the Angevin Empire then spread from Ulster to the Pyrenees. But Richard had no legitimate issue, so in 1199 Anjou passed to his nephew, Arthur of Brittany (the posthumous son of Henry II’s fourth son, Geoffrey), while the Crown of England passed to Henry II’s fifth son and Richard’s youngest brother, John. Count Arthur was taken prisoner by John in 1203, and disappeared in murky circumstances. In 1204, the county as a whole was in turn seized by France. Its status was elevated to that of a duchy for Prince Louis, the second son of John II of France, and remained as such until the Revolution. Today, Anjou corresponds largely to the present-day département of Maine-et-Loire.
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Aquitaine
Aquitaine (French pronunciation: [a.ki.tɛn], English /ˌækwɪˈteɪn/; Occitan: Aquitània; Basque: Akitania), archaic Guyenne/Guienne (Occitan: Guiana), is one of the 27 regions of France, in the south-western part of metropolitan France, along the Atlantic Ocean and the Pyrenees mountain range on the border with Spain. It is composed of the 5 departments of Dordogne, Lot et Garonne, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Landes and Gironde. In the Middle Ages Aquitaine was a kingdom and a duchy, whose boundaries fluctuated considerably.
There are traces of human settlement by prehistoric peoples, especially in the Périgord, but the earliest attested inhabitants in the south-west were the Aquitani, who were not proper Celtic people, but more akin to the Iberians (see Gallia Aquitania). Although a number of different languages and dialects were in use in the area during ancient times, it is most likely that the prevailing language of Aquitaine during the late pre-historic to Roman period was an early form of the Basque language. This has been demonstrated by various Aquitanian names and words that were recorded by the Romans, and which are currently easily readable as Basque. Whether this Aquitanian language (Proto-Basque) was a remnant of a Vasconic language group that once extended much farther, or whether it was generally limited to the Aquitaine/Basque region is not currently known. One reason the language of Aquitaine is important is because Basque is the last surviving non-Indo-European language in western Europe and it has had some effect on the languages around it, including Spanish and, to a lesser extent, French.
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Artois
Artois (French pronunciation: [aʁtwa]; adjective Artesian; Dutch: Artesië) is a former province of northern France. Its territory has an area of around 4000 km² and a population of about one million. Its principal cities are Arras (Dutch: Atrecht), Saint-Omer, Lens and Béthune.
Artois occupies the interior of the Pas-de-Calais département, the western part of which constitutes the former Boulonnais. Artois roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Arras, Béthune, Saint Omer, and Lens, and the eastern part of the Arrondissement of Montreuil. It occupies the western end of the coalfield which stretches eastward through the neighbouring Nord département and across central Belgium.
Originally a feudal county itself, Artois was annexed by the county of Flanders. It came to France in 1180 as a dowry of a Flemish princess, Isabelle of Hainaut, and was again made a separate county in 1237 for Robert, a grandson of Isabelle. Through inheritance, Artois came under the rule of the dukes of Burgundy in 1384. At the death of the fourth duke, Charles the Bold, Artois was inherited by the Habsburgs and passed to the dynasty's Spanish line. After the religious revolts of 1566 in the Netherlands, Artois briefly entered the Dutch Revolt in 1576, participating in the Pacification of Ghent until it formed the Union of Atrecht in 1579. After the Union of Atrecht, Artois and Hainaut (Dutch: Henegouwen) reached a separate agreement with Philip II. Artois remained with the Spanish Netherlands until it was conquered by the French during the Thirty Years War. The annexation was acknowledged during the Treaty of the Pyrenees in 1659, and it became a French province. Though Artois had already been largely French-speaking, it was considered part of the Netherlands until the French annexation.
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Aunis
Aunis is a historical province of France, situated in the north-west of the department of Charente-Maritime. Its historic capital is La Rochelle, which took over from Castrum Allionis (Châtelaillon) the historic capital which gives its name to the province.
It was a fief of the Duchy of Aquitaine. It extended to Marais Poitevin in the north, Basse Saintonge (and Niortais) in the east, and Rochefortais in the south. Aunis had an influence approximately 20–25 km into the Isle of Ré (l'Île de Ré).
The province was officially recognised during the reign of Charles V of France in 1374:"In 1374, Charles V separated La Rochelle from Saintonge to set up a provincial government, comprising the jurisdictions of Rochefort, Marennes and, for a time, Benon. It was thus that Aunis legally became a separate province."
Aunis was the smallest province in France, in terms of area. Nowadays it is a part of the Charente-Maritime département together with Saintonge.
People from Aunis were called Aunisien (masculine) or Anisienne (feminine).
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Bastia
Coordinates: 42°42′03″N 9°27′01″E / 42.7008°N 9.4503°E / 42.7008; 9.4503
Bastia (French pronunciation: [bas.tja], French and Corsican: Bastia) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France located in the northeast of the island of Corsica at the base of Cap Corse. It is also the second-largest city in Corsica after Ajaccio and the capital of the department.
Bastia is the principal port of the island and its principal commercial town, especially famous for its wines. According to the 2006 census, Bastia has 43,577 inhabitants. Approximately 10% of the population are immigrants. The unemployment rate in the commune has persistently been one of the highest in France, standing at over 20% in 2004.
Before the occupation of Corsica by the Genoese, Cardo was a large city. Around the city were little villages where the fishermen of Cardo lived. This little port was called Porto Cardo, meaning "the port of Cardo."
The Genoese felt the need for shelter from the sea storms and in 1380 began to construct, under Governor Leonello Lomellini, a bastiglia, Italian for stronghold or citadel. With time, the bastiglia (Bastia) became more prosperous and important than Cardo. Bastia was the capital of Corsica until 1791.
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Battle of Ponte Novu
The Battle of Ponte Novu took place on May 8 and 9 1769 between royal French forces under the Comte de Vaux, a seasoned professional soldier with an expert on mountain warfare on his staff, and the native Corsicans under Carlo Salicetti. It was the battle that effectively ended the fourteen year-old Corsican Republic and opened the way to annexation by France the following year.
The Corsican commander-in-chief, Pascal Paoli, was trying to raise troops in the vicinity but was not present in person. He trusted the defence to his second-in-command, Salicetti. His forces included a company of Corsican women under a female captain named Serpentini.
Ponte Novu is a Genovese bridge over the Golo River in north central Corsica in Castello-di-Rostino commune. The battle opened the route through the rugged mountains to the Corsican capital of Corte. The battle is important as it marked the end of the Corsican War and paved the way for the incorporation of Corsica into France.
Voltaire, in his Précis du Siècle de Louis XV, admiringly wrote about the battle: "The principal weapon of the Corsicans was their courage. This courage was so great that in one of these battles, near a river named Golo, they made a rampart of their dead in order to have the time to reload behind them before making a necessary retreat; their wounded were mixed among the dead to strengthen the rampart. Bravery is found everywhere, but such actions aren't seen except among free people."
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Bourbon Restoration
The Bourbon Restoration is the name given to the period following the successive events of the French Revolution (1789–1799), the end of the First Republic (1792–1804), and then the forcible end of the First French Empire under Napoleon (1804–1814/1815) – when a coalition of European powers restored by arms the monarchy to the heirs of the House of Bourbon, who once again became possessors of the Kingdom of France. The Bourbon Restoration existed from (about) 6 April 1814 until the popular uprisings of the July Revolution of 1830, excepting the interval of the "Hundred Days", less than a full year into the Restoration, when the Bourbon monarchy had again made themselves so unpopular with the general population of France that the family was again forced to flee Paris and France for Ghent, ahead of exploding civil disorders and collapsing civil authority.
At the beginning of the Hundred Days, deposed Emperor Napoleon I returned triumphantly to Paris from Elba. He was greeted with dizzy acclaim and joy by French crowds lining the roads. Coming from far away with advance news spreading of his approach all along the way, crowds swelled his army overnight at his back, growing at every step, even by aggregating the very troops sent to arrest him by the monarchy on several occasions. With the flight of the king, after reaching Paris, he re-announced and reclaimed his dignities as Emperor. The European Great Powers were nowhere near as welcoming, and they quickly mobilized armies once more. This resulted in Napoleon's decisive defeat in 1815 at the Battle of Waterloo.
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Bourbonnais
Bourbonnais (French pronunciation: [buʁbɔnɛ]; Occitan: Borbonés / Barbonés) was a historic province in the centre of France that corresponded to the modern département of Allier, along with part of the département of Cher. Its capital was Moulins.
Its first known lord was Adhémar (or Aymar) in the 10th century AD. He acquired the castle of Bourbon (today Bourbon-l'Archambault) which gave its name to the family, the House of Bourbon.
The first House of Bourbon ended in 1200 with the death of Archambault VII. It left only one heiress, Mahaut de Bourbon, whose husband, Guy II of Dampierre, added Montlucon to the possessions of the lords of Bourbon, extending to the River Cher during the 11th and 12th centuries.
The second house of Bourbon started in 1218 with Archambault VIII, son of Guy II and Mahaut, and brother of William II of Dampierre. He was followed by his son Archambaut IX, who died in Cyprus in 1249 during a crusade. Bourbonnais was then acquired by the House of Burgundy.
In 1272, Beatrice of Burgundy (1258-1310), Lady of Bourbon, married Robert de France (1256-1318), Count of Clermont, son of king Louis IX (Saint-Louis). It was the beginning of the long-lasting House of Bourbon, providing kings of France from Henry IV through Louis-Phillipe in 1848, when monarchy was abolished in France.
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Brittany
Brittany (French: Bretagne [bʁətaɲ] (
listen); Breton: Breizh, pronounced [brɛjs]; Gallo: Bertaèyn) is a cultural region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain (as opposed to Great Britain). Brittany is considered as one of the six Celtic nations.
Brittany occupies the northwest peninsula of continental Europe in northwest France. It is bordered by the English Channel to the north, the Celtic Sea and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and the Bay of Biscay to the south. Its land area is 34,023 km² (13,136 sq mi). The historical province of Brittany is divided into five departments: Finistère in the west, Côtes-d'Armor in the north, Ille-et-Vilaine in the north east, Loire-Atlantique in the south east and Morbihan in the south on the Bay of Biscay.
In 1956, French regions were created by gathering departments between them. The Region of Brittany comprises, since then, four of the five Breton departments (80% of historical Brittany), while the remaining area of the old Brittany, the Loire-Atlantique department, around Nantes, forms part of the Pays de la Loire region. This territorial organisation is regularly contested. The Kingdom and the Duchy of Brittany, the province of Brittany, and the modern Region of Brittany cover the Western part of Armorica, as it was known during the period of Roman occupation.
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Béarn
Béarn (French pronunciation: [be.aʁn]; Gascon: Bearn or Biarn; Basque: Bearno) is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Basque provinces of Soule, Lower Navarre, and Labourd, the principality of Bidache, as well as small parts of Gascony and Bigorre, it forms in the southwest the current département of Pyrénées-Atlantiques (64). The capitals of Béarn were Beneharnum (until 841), Morlaàs (starting ca. 1100), Orthez (starting second half of 13th century), then Pau (beginning in the mid 15th century).
Béarn is bordered by Basque provinces Soule and Lower Navarre to the west, by Gascony (Landes and Armagnac) to the north, by Bigorre to the east, and by Spain (Aragon) to the south.
The name Béarn comes from Beneharnum, the capital city of the Venarni people, destroyed by Vikings by 840.
Today, the mainstays of the Béarn area are the petroleum business, the aerospace industry through the helicopter manufacturer Turbomeca, tourism and agriculture (much of which is corn grown for seed). Pau was the birthplace of Elf Aquitaine, which has now become a part of Total petroleum company.
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Casa Buonaparte
Casa Buonaparte (La maison Bonaparte in French) is the ancestral home of the Bonaparte family. It is located on the Rue Saint-Charles in Ajaccio on the island of Corsica. The house was almost continuously owned by members of the family from 1682 to 1923.
Napoleon Bonaparte's great-great grandfather Giuseppe Buonaparte first moved into the Casa Buonaparte in 1682. Originally, the house was partitioned between different families: however, after Giuseppe married Maria Colonna di Bozzi who owned a portion of the house, he purchased the remaining sections. The house was later expanded and re-decorated by Carlo Buonaparte after his marriage to Maria Letizia Ramolino. With the exception of Joseph Bonaparte, all of their children were born in the Casa Buonaparte.
Eight years after Carlo Bonaparte's death in 1785, the family came into conflict with the increasingly reactionary nationalist leader, Pasquale Paoli and was forced to flee to the French mainland. Paoli's followers looted and burned much of the Casa Buonaparte. After the arrival of Admiral Samuel Hood, British officers were also billeted there. According to legend, Hudson Lowe lived there briefly: however, it is unknown if this is true.
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Comtat Venaissin
The Comtat Venaissin, often called the Comtat for short (Occitan: lo Comtat Venaicin, la Comtat in classical norm and lou Coumtat Venessin, la Coumtat in mistralian norm), is the former name of the region around the city of Avignon in what is now the Provence-Alpes-Côte d'Azur region of France. It comprised roughly the area between the Rhône, the Durance and Mont Ventoux, with a small exclave located to the north around the town of Valréas. The entire region was an enclave within the Kingdom of France. The Comtat also bordered (and mostly surrounded) the Principality of Orange. Avignon itself was, however, never part of the Comtat but constituted a separate comtat (county) in its own right, in effect forming an enclave within an enclave. The region is still known informally as the Comtat Venaissin, although this no longer has any political meaning.
In 1096, the Comtat was part of the Margraviate of Provence that was inherited by Raymond IV, Count of Toulouse from William Bertrand of Provence. These lands in the Holy Roman Empire belonged to Joan, the hereditary Countess of Toulouse and wife of Alphonse, Count of Poitiers. Alphonse had bequeathed it to the Holy See on his death in 1271. Since this happened during the interregnum, there was no Holy Roman Emperor to protect Joan's rights. The Comtat became a Papal territory in 1274. The region was named after its former capital, Venasque, which was replaced as capital by Carpentras in 1320.
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Corsica
Corsica (
/ˈkɔːrsɪkə/; French: Corse, IPA: [kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica; Italian: Corsica, IPA: [ˈkɔrsika]) is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain.
Corsica is one of the 27 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is designated as a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys greater powers than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France.
Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea and is closer to Italy than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is part of Metropolitan France. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1769. Its culture has French and Italian elements blended into it.
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County of Foix
The County of Foix (French pronunciation: [fwa]) was an independent medieval fief in southern France, and later a province of France, whose territory corresponded roughly the eastern part of the modern département of Ariège (the western part of Ariège being Couserans).
During the Middle Ages, the county of Foix was ruled by the counts of Foix, whose castle overlooks the town of Foix. In 1290 the counts of Foix acquired the viscountcy Béarn, which became the center of their domain, and from that time on the counts of Foix rarely resided in the county of Foix, preferring the richer and more verdant Béarn.
The county of Foix was an independent fief of the kingdom of France and consisted of an agglomeration of small holdings ruled by lords, who, though subordinate to the counts of Foix, had some voice in the government of the county.
The provincial-states of the county, which can be traced back to the 14th century, consisted of three orders and possessed considerable power and energy. In the 17th and 18th centuries Foix formed one of the thirty-three gouvernements, or military areas, of France and kept its provincial-states until the French Revolution. In 1790 it was joined with Couserans to form the département of Ariège.
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County of La Marche
The County of Marche (Occitan: la Marcha) was a medieval French county, approximately corresponding to the modern département of Creuse.
Marche first appeared as a separate fief about the middle of the 10th century, when William III, Duke of Aquitaine, gave it to one of his vassals named Boso, who took the title of count. In the 12th century, the countship passed to the family of Lusignan. They also were sometimes counts of Angoulême and counts of Limousin.
With the death of the childless Count Guy in 1308, his possessions in La Marche were seized by Philip IV of France. In 1316 the king made La Marche an appanage for his youngest son the Prince, afterwards Charles IV. Several years later in 1327, La Marche passed into the hands of the House of Bourbon. The family of Armagnac held it from 1435 to 1477, when it reverted to the Bourbons.
In 1527 La Marche was seized by Francis I and became part of the domains of the French crown. It was divided into Haute Marche and Basse Marche, the estates of the former continuing until the 17th century. From 1470 until the Revolution, the province was under the jurisdiction of the parlement of Paris.
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Dauphiné
The Dauphiné (pronounced: [dofine]) or Dauphiné Viennois is a former province in southeastern France, whose area roughly corresponded to that of the present departments of Isère, Drôme, and Hautes-Alpes. The Dauphiné (also called Dauphiny in ancient English) was an independent state from 1040 to 1349, under the rule of the Counts of Albon, before joining the Kingdom of France. As a French province, it maintained its autonomy until 1457.
The historical capital is Grenoble and the other main towns are Vienne, Valence, Montélimar, Gap and Romans-sur-Isère.
Its inhabitants are called Dauphinois.
Le Dauphiné Libéré is a famous regional French newspaper, and organized the Critérium du Dauphiné Libéré (now known as the Critérium du Dauphiné) cycle stage race prior to 2010.
Under the Ancien Régime, the province was bordered in the North by the River Rhône which separated the Dauphiné from the Bresse ("Brêsse") and Bugey ("Bugê"). To the east it bordered the Savoy and Piedmont, and to the south the Comtat Venaissin and Provence. The western border was marked by the Rhône to the south of Lyon. The Dauphiné extended up to what is now the centre of Lyon.
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Flanders
Flanders (Dutch: Vlaanderen (help·info)) is the (political) community of the Flemings, one of the communities of Belgium, and also a geographical region located in parts of present-day Belgium, France and the Netherlands.
"Flanders" can also refer to the northern part of Belgium that contains Brussels, Bruges, Ghent and Antwerp. Over the course of history, the geographical territory that was called "Flanders" has varied. In the second half of the twentieth century, there has been a gradual shift of political and economic power from French-speaking Wallonia (which was industrialized earlier) to the Flemish.
To the English-speaking peoples, Flanders meant historically (from circa 1000 AD) the land situated along the North Sea from the Strait of Dover to the Scheldt estuary. The southern borders were generally ill-defined. Over the last millennium, it was mostly the southern and western borders that receded to give the present day borders within northern Belgium.
Flanders has figured prominently in European history. Between the early 17th century and 1945, the political outcomes of modern Spain, France, Great Britain, the Netherlands, Germany and Austria were often decided by battles on the plains of Flanders. Even earlier in British and Irish history, the Flemings (or Flemish) were important allies of the Normans in their conquest of England (1066) and invasion of Ireland (1169–71).
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Forez
Forez is a former province of France, corresponding approximately to the central part of the modern Loire département and a part of the Haute-Loire and Puy-de-Dôme départements.
The final "z" in Forez (French pronunciation: [fɔʁe]) is not pronounced in the Loire département, however, it is pronounced in the western part of the former province, essentially when referring to the correspondent Forez Mountains (on the border between Puy-de-Dôme and Loire. The name is derived from the city of Feurs. Franco-Provençal is the language that was historically spoken in the region.
Residents of the Forez are called Foréziens.
The rue du Forez in the third arrondissement of Paris was built in the late 16th century and appears on Turgot's map of Paris.
Coordinates: 45°44′30″N 4°13′36″E / 45.741667°N 4.226667°E / 45.741667; 4.226667
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France
France (English
i/ˈfræns/ FRANSS or /ˈfrɑːns/ FRAHNSS; French: [fʁɑ̃s] ( listen)), officially the French Republic (French: République française [ʁepyblik fʁɑ̃sɛz]), is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France extends from the Mediterranean Sea to the English Channel and the North Sea, and from the Rhine to the Atlantic Ocean. It is often referred to as l’Hexagone ("The Hexagon") because of the geometric shape of its territory. It is the largest western European country and it possesses the second-largest exclusive economic zone in the world, covering 11,035,000 km2 (4,260,000 sq mi), just behind that of the United States (11,351,000 km2 / 4,383,000 sq mi).
Over the past 500 years, France has been a major power with strong cultural, economic, military and political influence in Europe and around the world. During the 17th and 18th centuries, France colonised great parts of North America and Southeast Asia; during the 19th and early 20th centuries, France built the second largest colonial empire of the time, including large portions of North, West and Central Africa, Southeast Asia, and many Caribbean and Pacific Islands.
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French Guiana
French Guiana (French: Guyane française; French pronunciation: [ɡɥijan fʁɑ̃sɛz]; officially just Guyane) is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department located on the northern Atlantic coast of South America. It has borders with two nations: Brazil to the east and south, and Suriname to the west. Its 83,534 km2 (32,253 sq mi) have a very low population density of less than 3 /km2 (7.8 /sq mi), with almost half of its 229,000 people in 2009 living in the urban area of Cayenne, its capital.
The addition of the adjective "French" in English comes from colonial times when five such colonies existed (The Guianas), namely from west to east: Spanish Guiana (now Guayana Region in Venezuela), British Guiana (now Guyana), Dutch Guiana (now Suriname), French Guiana, and Portuguese Guiana (now Amapá, a state in far northern Brazil). French Guiana and the two larger countries to the north and west, Guyana and Suriname, are still often collectively referred to as the Guianas and comprise one large shield landmass.
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Gascony
Gascony ( /ˈɡæskəni/; French: Gascogne [ɡaskɔɲ]; Gascon: Gasconha [ɡasˈkuɲɔ]) is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a part of Guyenne. Most definitions put Gascony east and south of Bordeaux.
It is currently divided between the Aquitaine région (départements of Landes, Pyrénées-Atlantiques, south and west of Gironde, and south of Lot-et-Garonne) and the Midi-Pyrénées région (départements of Gers, Hautes-Pyrénées, southwest of Tarn-et-Garonne, and west of Haute-Garonne).
Gascony was historically inhabited by Basque-related people who appear to have spoken a language similar to Basque. The name Gascony comes from the same root as the word Basque (see Wasconia below). From medieval times until the nineteenth century, the Gascon language was spoken, which is a regional variant of the Occitan Language. It is also the land of d'Artagnan, who inspired Alexandre Dumas's character in The Three Musketeers. It is also home to the hero of the play Cyrano de Bergerac (though this character has little in common with the real Cyrano de Bergerac, who was a Parisian) and to Henry III of Navarre who later became king of France as Henry IV.
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Genoa
Genoa
/ˈdʒɛnoʊ.ə/ (Italian: Genova [ˈdʒɛːnova] (
listen); Genoese and Ligurian Zena [ˈzeːna]; Latin and, archaically, English Genua) is the capital of Liguria and the sixth largest city in Italy, with a population of 608,676 within its administrative limits on a land area of 243.6 km2 (94 sq mi). The urban zone of Genoa extends beyond the administrative city limits with a population of 718,896. The urban area of Genoa has a population of 800,709. In the metropolitan area live between 859,000 and 1.4 million or 1.5 million people. Genoa is one of Europe's largest cities on the Mediterranean Sea and the largest seaport in Italy.
Genoa has been nicknamed la Superba ("the Superb one") due to its glorious past and impressive landmarks. Part of the old town of Genoa was inscribed on the World Heritage List (UNESCO) in 2006 (see below). The city's rich art, music, gastronomy, architecture and history, allowed it to become the 2004's European Capital of Culture. It is the birthplace of Christopher Columbus.
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Guadeloupe
Coordinates: 16°15′N 61°35′W / 16.25°N 61.583°W / 16.25; -61.583
Guadeloupe ( /ɡwɑːdəˈluːp/; French pronunciation: [ɡwadəlup]; Antillean Creole: Gwadloup) is a Caribbean island located in the Leeward Islands, in the Lesser Antilles, with a land area of 1,628 square kilometres (629 sq. mi) and a population of 400,000. It is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. Its departmental code is "971". As the other overseas departments, Guadeloupe is also an integral part of the Republic. Besides Guadeloupe island, the smaller islands of Marie-Galante, La Désirade, and the Îles des Saintes are included in Guadeloupe.
As part of France, Guadeloupe is part of the European Union and the Eurozone; hence, as for all Eurozone countries, its currency is the euro. However, Guadeloupe is not part of the Schengen Area. The prefecture and the capital of Guadeloupe is Basse-Terre. Christopher Columbus named the island Santa María de Guadalupe in 1493 after the Virgin Mary, venerated in the Spanish town of Guadalupe, in Extremadura.
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Guyenne
Guyenne ( /ɡwiːˈjɛn/; French: [ɡɥijɛn]; Occitan: Guiana [ˈɡjanɔ]) or Guienne is a vaguely defined historic region of south-western France. The Province of Guyenne, sometimes called the Province of Guyenne and Gascony, was a large province of pre-revolutionary France.
The name Guyenne comes from the Occitan Guiana, which is itself a corruption of the word Aquitaine. However the words Aquitaine and Guyenne came to indicate different entities. The region of Guyenne also became confused with the region of Gascony until this took on a distinct identity in the 17th Century. From this time "Guyenne and Gascony" was a common term corresponding roughly to modern northern Aquitaine.
The Duchy of Guyenne appears for the first time in the Treaty of Paris of 1229 which brought an end to the Albigensian Crusade, and may have been actually created by that treaty. The capital was Bordeaux. The Duchy was under the Kings of England, as Guyenne had been since 1154, and remained an English vassal until 1453. In 1453 it became land directly under the French Crown, except from 1469 to 1472 when it was granted to Charles de Valois (until his death).
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Italy
Italyi/ˈɪtəli/ (Italian: Italia [iˈtaːlja]), officially the Italian Republic or the Republic of Italy (Italian: Repubblica italiana), is a unitary parliamentary republic in south-central Europe. To the north, it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and Slovenia along the Alps. To the south, it consists of the entirety of the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Sardinia–the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea–and many other smaller islands. The independent states of San Marino and the Vatican City are enclaves within Italy, while Campione d'Italia is an Italian exclave in Switzerland. The territory of Italy covers some 301,338 km2 (116,347 sq mi) and is influenced by a temperate seasonal climate. With 60.6 million inhabitants, it is the fifth most populous country in Europe, and the 23rd most populous in the world.
Rome, the capital of Italy, was for centuries a political and religious centre of Western civilisation as the capital of the Roman Empire and site of the Holy See. After the decline of the Roman Empire, Italy endured numerous invasions by foreign peoples, from Germanic tribes such as the Lombards and Ostrogoths, to the Byzantines and later, the Normans, among others. Centuries later, Italy became the birthplace of Maritime republics and the Renaissance, an immensely fruitful intellectual movement that would prove to be integral in shaping the subsequent course of European thought.
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Languedoc
Languedoc (/ˌlɒŋɡəˈdɒk/; French: [lɑ̃ɡdɔk]; Occitan: Lengadòc [ˌleŋɡɔˈðɔ]) is a former province of France, now continued in the modern-day régions of Languedoc-Roussillon and Midi-Pyrénées in the south of France, and whose capital city was Toulouse, now in Midi-Pyrénées. It had an area of approximately 42,700 km² (16,490 sq. miles).
The traditional provinces of the kingdom of France were not formally defined. A province was simply a territory of common traditions and customs, but it had no political organization. Today, when people refer to the old provinces of France, they actually refer to the gouvernements as they existed in 1789. Gouvernements were military regions established in the middle of the 16th century and whose territories closely matched those of the traditional provinces. However, in some cases, small provinces had been merged with a large one into a single gouvernement, so gouvernements are not exactly the same as the traditional provinces.
Historically, the region was called the county of Toulouse, a county independent from the kings of France. The county of Toulouse was made up of what would later be called Languedoc, but it also included the province of Quercy (now département of Lot and northern half of the département of Tarn-et-Garonne) and the province of Rouergue (now département of Aveyron), both to the northwest of Languedoc. At some times it even included the province of Agenais (now eastern half of the département of Lot-et-Garonne) to the west of Languedoc, the province of Gévaudan (now département of Lozère), the province of Velay (now the central and eastern part of the département of Haute-Loire), the southern part of the province of Vivarais (now the southern part of the département of Ardèche), and even all the northern half of Provence. After the French conquest the entire county was dismantled, the central part of it being now called Languedoc.
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Ligurian Sea
The Ligurian Sea (Italian: Mar Ligure; French: Mer Ligurienne) is an arm of the Mediterranean Sea, between the Italian Riviera (Liguria and Tuscany) and the island of Corsica. The sea is probably named after the ancient Ligures people.
The sea borders the countries Italy, France, and Monaco. In the east the sea borders the Tyrrhenian Sea, while in the west it borders the Mediterranean Sea proper. Genoa is the most prominent city in the area. The northwest coast is noted for its scenic beauty and favourable climate.
The Gulf of Genoa is its northernmost part. The sea receives the Arno River from the east and many other rivers that originate in the Apennines. The ports of Genoa, La Spezia, and Livorno are on its rocky coast. It reaches a maximum depth of more than 9,300 feet (2,850 m) northwest of Corsica.
The International Hydrographic Organization defines the limits of the Ligurian Sea as follows:
On the Southwest. A line joining Cape Corse (Cape Grosso, 9°23'E) the Northern point of Corsica to the frontier between France and Italy (7°31'E).
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Lower Navarre
Lower Navarre (Basque: Nafarroa Beherea or Baxenabarre, French: Basse-Navarre, Spanish: Baja Navarra) is a part of the present day Pyrénées Atlantiques département of France. Along with Navarre of Spain, it was once ruled by the Kings of Navarre. Lower Navarre was historically one of the kingdoms of Navarre. Its capital were Saint-Jean-Pied-de-Port and Saint-Palais. In the extreme north there was the little sovereign principality of Bidache.
Its extent is of 1,284 km2, and has a decreasing population of 44,450 (in 1901), 25,356 (in 1990).
Although this denomination is not completely correct from the historical point of view, it is also known as Merindad de Ultrapuertos ("the regions beyond the mountain passes") by the southerners, and Deça-ports ("this side of the mountain passes") by the gascon-speakers.
Lower Navarre is a collection of valleys in the foothills of the Pyrenees. The Aldudes valley, around the town of Saint-Étienne-de-Baïgorry in the south of Lower Navarre, preserves many old traditions, with houses of pink sandstone and contests of Force Basque, the games of strength. The Irouléguy wines are produced in the area around the town of Irouléguy.
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Lower Normandy
Lower Normandy (French: Basse-Normandie, IPA: [bas nɔr.mɑ̃.di]; Norman: Basse-Normaundie) is an administrative region of France. It was created in 1956, when the Normandy region was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. The region includes three departments, Calvados, Manche and Orne, that cover the part of Normandy traditionally termed "Lower Normandy" lying west of the Dives River, the Pays d'Auge (except a small part remaining in Upper Normandy), a small part of the Pays d'Ouche (the main part remaining in Upper Normandy), the Norman Perche and part of the "French" Perche. It covers 10,857 km2, 3.2 percent of the surface area of France.
The traditional districts of Lower Normandy include the Cotentin Peninsula and La Hague, the Campagne de Caen, the Norman Bocage, the Bessin and the Avranchin.
The traditional province of Normandy, with an integral history reaching back to the 10th century, was divided in 1957 into two regions: Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy.
During the Roman era, the region was divided into several different city-states. That of Vieux was excavated in the 17th century, revealing numerous structures and vestiges bearing testimony to the prosperity of the Caen region.
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Lyonnais
The Lyonnais is a historical province of France which owes its name to the city of Lyon.
The geographical area known as the Lyonnais became part of the Kingdom of Burgundy after the division of the Carolingian Empire. The disintegration of Imperial control, especially after the fall of the Hohenstaufens in 1254, led to French encroachment and eventual acquisition by King Philip IV of France in 1313. Lyonnais now often simply refers to the area around the city of Lyon.
The local speech-form known as Lyonnais is a dialect of the Arpitan language that is spoken in the region.
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Martinique
Martinique (French pronunciation: [maʁtinik]) is an island in the Lesser Antilles in the eastern Caribbean Sea, with a land area of 1,128 km2 (436 sq mi). Like Guadeloupe, it is an overseas region of France, consisting of a single overseas department. To the northwest lies Dominica, to the south St Lucia, and to the southeast Barbados. As with the other overseas departments, Martinique is one of the twenty-seven regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic. The first European to encounter the island was Christopher Columbus in 1502.
As part of France, Martinique is part of the European Union, and its currency is the Euro. Its official language is French, although many of its inhabitants also speak Antillean Creole (Créole Martiniquais).
The island was occupied first by Arawaks, then by Caribs. It was charted by Columbus in 1493, but Spain had little interest in the territory. It was claimed by France in 1635 and, despite several interludes of British occupation, once during the Seven Years' War and twice during the Napoleonic Wars, has remained a French possession. In 1946, the French National Assembly voted unanimously to transform the colony into an overseas department.
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Mayotte
Mayotte (French: Mayotte, pronounced: [majɔt]; Shimaore: Maore, IPA: [maˈore]; Malagasy: Mahori) is an overseas department and region of France consisting of a main island, Grande-Terre (or Mahoré), a smaller island, Petite-Terre (or Pamanzi), and several islets around these two. The archipelago is located in the northern Mozambique Channel in the Indian Ocean, namely between northwestern Madagascar and northeastern Mozambique. Mayotte's area is 374 square kilometres (144 sq mi), and with its estimated 194,000 people is very densely populated (520 /km2 or 1,300 /sq mi). Its biggest city and prefecture is Mamoudzou. The territory is geographically part of the Comoro Islands, but has been politically separate since a 1974 referendum in which it elected to remain under French rule. The territory is also known as Mahoré, the native name of its main island, especially by advocates of its inclusion in the Union of Comoros. In a 2009 referendum, the population overwhelmingly approved accession to status of department (95.2% voted in favour of departmental status). On March 31, 2011, Mayotte became an overseas department.
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Metropolitan France
Metropolitan France (French: France métropolitaine or la Métropole, or colloquially l'Hexagone) is the part of France located in Europe. It can also be described as mainland France or as the French mainland and the island of Corsica. By contrast, Overseas France (la France d'outre-mer, or l'Outre-mer, or colloquially les DOM-TOM) is the collective name for the French overseas departments (départements d'outre-mer or DOM),territories (territoires d'outre-mer or TOM), collectivities (collectivités d'outre-mer or COM) and the sui generis collectivity (collectivité sui generis) of New Caledonia.
Metropolitan France and Overseas France together form what is officially called the French Republic. Metropolitan France accounts for 81.8% of the territory and 95.9% of the population of the French Republic.
The five overseas departments—Martinique, Guadeloupe, Réunion, French Guiana, and Mayotte—have the same political status as metropolitan France's departments. Metropolitan France and these five overseas departments together are sometimes called France entière ("entire France") by the French administration, especially by INSEE, although in reality this France entière does not include the French overseas collectivities and territories which have more autonomy than the overseas departments (read the Origin of the name section below).
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Montbéliard
Coordinates: 47°30′37″N 6°47′56″E / 47.5103°N 6.7989°E / 47.5103; 6.7989
Montbéliard (French pronunciation: [mɔ̃.be.ljaʁ]; archaic German: Mömpelgard) is a city in the Doubs department in the Franche-Comté region in eastern France. It is one of the two subprefectures of the department.
Mentioned first in 985 as Mons Beliardae, it became a county of the Holy Roman Empire in the 11th century. In 1397 the town, known in German as Mömpelgard, passed by marriage of Henriette, heiress of county to Eberhard IV, Count of Württemberg, to the House of Württemberg . In 1524, ten years earlier than in Württemberg, duke Ulrich and reformer William Farel made Mömpelgard Protestant (specifically Lutheran). From 1598 to 1608, the architect Heinrich Schickhardt built several landmarks of the city, like St. Martin, a castle, a bridge, a college and several hotels.
After the French Revolution, it was briefly incorporated into the Rauracian Republic.[citation needed] In 1793 the town was annexed to France, which was confirmed in 1796 and by the German Mediatisation of 1806, when Württemberg was compensated with other areas, and became a kingdom.
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Mulhouse
Coordinates: 47°44′58″N 7°20′24″E / 47.7495°N 7.3399°E / 47.7495; 7.3399
Mulhouse (French: Mulhouse, pronounced: [myluz]; Alsatian: Milhüsa or Milhüse, [mɪlˈyːzə]; German: Mülhausen; i.e. mill hamlet) is a city and commune in eastern France, close to the Swiss and German borders. With a population of 110,514 and 278,206 inhabitants in the metropolitan area in 2006, it is the largest city in the Haut-Rhin département, and the second largest in the Alsace region after Strasbourg. Mulhouse is the principal commune of the 32 making up the Communauté d'agglomération Mulhouse Alsace Agglomération (MAA, population 252,000).
Mulhouse is famous for its museums, especially the Cité de l’Automobile (also known as "Musée national de l’automobile") and the Musée Français du Chemin de Fer (also known as "Cité du train"), respectively the largest automobile and railway museums in France. An industrial town nicknamed "the French Manchester", Mulhouse is also the main seat of the Upper Alsace University, where the secretariat of the European Physical Society can be found.
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Nazi Germany
The Third Reich, also Nazi Germany, is the common name for Germany when it was a totalitarian state ruled by Adolf Hitler and the National Socialist German Workers' Party (NSDAP). On 30 January 1933 Hitler became chancellor of Germany, quickly eliminating all opposition to rule as sole leader. The state idolized Hitler as its Führer ("leader"), centralizing all power in his hands. Historians have emphasized the hypnotic effect of his rhetoric on large audiences, and of his eyes in small groups. Kessel writes, "Overwhelmingly...Germans speak with mystification of Hitler's 'hypnotic' appeal..." Under the "leader principle", the Führer's word was above all other laws. Top officials reported to Hitler and followed his policies, but they had considerable autonomy. The government was not a coordinated, cooperating body, but rather a collection of factions struggling to amass power and curry favor with the Führer. In the midst of the Great Depression, the Nazi government restored prosperity and ended mass unemployment using heavy military spending and a mixed economy of free-market and central-planning practices. Extensive public works were undertaken, including the construction of the Autobahns. The return to prosperity gave the regime enormous popularity; the suppression of all opposition made Hitler's rule mostly unchallenged.
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Nivernais
Nivernais (French pronunciation: [nivɛʁnɛ]) is former province of France, around the city of Nevers and the département of Nièvre.
The raw climate and soils cause the area to be heavily wooded.
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Orléanais
Orléanais (French pronunciation: [ɔʁleanɛ]) is a former province of France, around the cities of Orléans, Chartres, and Blois.
The name comes from Orléans, its main city and traditional capital. The province was one of those into which France was divided before the French Revolution. It was the country around Orléans, the pagus Aurelianensis; it lay on both banks of the Loire, and for ecclesiastical purposes formed the diocese of Orléans. It was in the possession of the Capet family before the advent of Hugh Capet to the throne of France in 987, and in 1344 Philip VI gave it with the title of duke to Philip of Valois (d. 1375), one of his younger sons. In a geographical sense the region around Orléans is sometimes known as the Orléanais, but this is somewhat smaller than the former province.
Orléanais was also a dialect of the French language spoken in the province of Orléanais until the beginning of the 19th century.
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Pays de la Loire
Pays de la Loire (French pronunciation: [pɛ.i də la lwaʁ]; Breton: Broioù al Liger) is one of the 27 regions of France. It is one of the regions created in the late 20th century to serve as a zone of influence for its capital, Nantes, one of a handful so-called "balancing metropolises" (métropoles d'équilibre)¹. Other examples of "artificially created" regions include Rhône-Alpes, which was created as the region for Lyon, and Midi-Pyrénées, which was created as the region for Toulouse.
Pays de la Loire is made up of the following historical provinces:
Consequently, the name of the region, chosen by the French central government, was not based on history, but purely on geographical references: Pays (i.e. "lands") de la Loire (i.e. "of the Loire River"). However, the majority of the famous châteaux of the Loire Valley are located in the Centre region, and not inside Pays de la Loire, despite the confusing name. The Pays de la Loire present many great monuments as the castles of Angers, Laval, Mayenne and the Nantes "Château des Ducs de Bretagne", the Royal Fontevraud Abbey (the widest monastic ensemble in Europe), the old city of Le Mans, and also many natural parks such as the Brière and the Marsh of Poitou.
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Picardy
Picardy (French: Picardie, French pronunciation: [pikaʁdi]) is one of the 27 regions of France. It is located in the northern part of France.
The historical province of Picardy stretched from north of Noyon to Calais, via the whole of the Somme department and the north of the Aisne department. The province of Artois (Arras area) separated Picardy from French Flanders.
In the 5th century the area was occupied by the Franks, and in the feudal period it encompassed the six countships of Boulogne, Montreuil, Ponthieu, Amiénois, Vermandois, and Laonnois.
The name "Picardy" (which may have referred to a Frankish tribe of picards or pike-bearers) was not used until the 12th or 13th century. During this time, the name applied to all lands where the Picard language was spoken, which included all the territories from Paris to the Netherlands. In the Latin Quarter of Paris, people identified a "Picard Nation" (Nation Picarde) of students at Sorbonne University, most of whom actually came from Flanders.
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Poitou
Poitou (French pronunciation: [pwatu]) was a province of west-central France whose capital city was Poitiers.
The region of Poitou was called Thifalia (or Theiphalia) in the sixth century.
There is a marshland called the Poitevin Marsh (French Marais Poitevin) on the Gulf of Poitou, on the west coast of France, just north of La Rochelle and west of Niort.
Many of the Acadians who settled in what is now Nova Scotia beginning in 1604 and later to New Brunswick, came from the region of Poitou. After the Acadians were deported by the British beginning in 1755, a number of Acadians eventually took refuge in Poitou and in Québec. A large portion of these refugees also migrated to Louisiana in 1785 and following years became known as Cajuns (see Cajuns).
Perhaps paradoxically, during the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries Poitou had been a hotbed of Huguenot (French Calvinist) activity among the nobility and bourgeoisie and was severely impacted by the French Wars of Religion (1562–1598).
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Propriano
Coordinates: 41°40′34″N 8°54′18″E / 41.6761°N 8.905°E / 41.6761; 8.905
Propriano is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica.
It is situated on the Valinco Gulf.
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Ravenna
Ravenna [raˈvenna] ( listen) (Romagnol: Ravêna) is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy. It was the capital city of the Western Roman Empire from 402 until that empire collapsed in 476. Afterwards, it served as the capital of the Kingdom of the Ostrogoths. The city formed the centre of the Byzantine Exarchate of Ravenna until the invasion of the Franks in 751, after which it became the seat of the Kingdom of the Lombards.
Although an inland city, Ravenna is connected to the Adriatic Sea by the Candiano Canal. It is the location of a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The origin of the name Ravenna is unclear, although it is believed the name is Etruscan. Some have speculated that "ravenna" is related to "Rasenna" (later "Rasna"), the term that the Etruscans used for themselves, but there is no agreement on this point.[citation needed]
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Roussillon
Roussillon (French pronunciation: [ʁusiˈjɔ̃]; Catalan: Rosselló, IPA: [rusəˈʎo]) is one of the historical counties of the former Principality of Catalonia, corresponding roughly to the present-day southern French département of Pyrénées-Orientales (Eastern Pyrenees). It may also refer to French Catalonia or Northern Catalonia, the latter used by Catalan-speakers. A 1998 survey found that 34% of respondents stated they speak Catalan, and a further 21% understand it.
Also a French province before the Revolution (and Spanish before the Thirty Years' War), Roussillon derived its name from Ruscino (Rosceliona, Castel Rossello), a small fortified place near modern-day Perpignan where Gaulish chieftains met to consider Hannibal's request for a conference. The region formed part of the Roman province of Gallia Narbonensis from 121 BC to AD 462, when it was ceded with the rest of Septimania to the Visigoth Theodoric II. His successor, Amalaric, on his defeat by Clovis in 531 retired to Hispania, leaving a governor in Septimania.
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Réunion
Réunion (French: La Réunion, IPA: [la 'ʁeynjɔ̃] ( listen); previously Île Bourbon) is a French island with a population of about 800,000 located in the Indian Ocean, east of Madagascar, about 200 kilometres (120 mi) south west of Mauritius, the nearest island.
Administratively, Réunion is one of the overseas departments of France. Like the other overseas departments, Réunion is also one of the 27 regions of France (being an overseas region) and an integral part of the Republic with the same status as those situated on the European mainland.
Réunion is an outermost region of the European Union and, as an overseas department of France, is part of the Eurozone.
Before the arrival of the Portuguese in the early sixteenth century, there is little to Réunion's recorded history. Arab traders were familiar with it by the name Dina Morgabin,. The island possibly features on a map from 1153 AD by Al Sharif el-Edrisi. The island may also have been visited by Swahili or Malay sailors.
The first European discovery of the area was made around 1507 by Portuguese explorers, but the specifics are unclear. The uninhabited island may have been first sighted by the expedition led by Don Pedro Mascarenhas, who gave his name to the island group around Réunion, the Mascarenes. Réunion itself was dubbed Santa Apolonia after a favorite saint, which suggests that the date of the Portuguese discovery may have been February 9, her saint day. Diego Lopes de Sequeira is claimed to have landed on the island in 1509.
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Saintonge
Saintonge (French pronunciation: [sɛ̃tɔ̃ʒ]) is a small region and historical province on the Atlantic coast of France within the département Charente-Maritime, west and south of Charente in the administrative region of Poitou-Charentes. It derives its name from the ancient Gallic tribe of the Santones who lived in this area, around the current city of Saintes.
The Saintonge was the center of the French Huguenots. Today, the region is famous for its production of the grapes that are used to produce cognac and Pineau des Charentes.
It was the birthplace of the explorer Jean Allefonsce and Samuel de Champlain who founded Quebec.
Saintongeais (patouê saintonjhouê, jhabrail) is spoken in the former provinces of Saintonge, Aunis, and Angoumois
This area is also famous for its widely exported medieval pottery, shards of which are found in large quantities on medieval excavations throughout Ireland and other European countries. These shards are from vessels made and exported as a by-product of the Bordeaux wine trade (Deroeux and Dufournier, 1991). They consist of an off-white micaceous fabric with moderate amounts of quartz and sparse inclusions of haematite. They are glazed on the external surface only, with a clear lead glaze. In Saintonge Green wares the addition of copper filings produces a mottled mid-green colouring. Many forms of Saintonge wares were produced, including Saintonge Polychrome, Saintonge Green, and in some cases unglazed wares.
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Sardinia
Sardinia ( /sɑrˈdɪniə/, Italian: Sardegna [sarˈdeɲɲa], Sardinian: Sardigna [sarˈdinja]) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily and before Cyprus). It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are (clockwise from north) the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.
The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[], romanised as sardus (feminine sarda); that the name had a religious connotation is suggested from its use also as the adjective for the ancient Sardinian mythological hero-god Sardus Pater "Sardinian Father" (misunderstood by many modern Sardinians/Italians as being "Father Sardus"), as well as being the stem of the adjective "sardonic". Sardinia was called Ichnusa (the Latinised form of the Greek Hyknousa), Sandalion, Sardinia and Sardo by the ancient Greeks and the Romans.
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 23,821 km². It is situated between 38° 51' and 41° 15' latitude north and 8° 8' and 9° 50' east longitude. To the west of Sardinia is the Sea of Sardinia, a unit of the Mediterranean Sea; to Sardinia's east is the Tyrrhenian Sea, which is also an element of the Mediterranean Sea.
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Savoy
Savoy (/ˈsævɔɪ/; Arpitan: Savouè, IPA: [saˈvwɛ]; French: Savoie, IPA: [savwa]; Italian: Savoia) is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Dauphiné in the south.
The historical land of Savoy emerged as the feudal territory of the house of Savoy during the 11th to 14th centuries. The historical territory is shared between the modern republics of France and Italy.
Installed by Rudolph III, King of Burgundy, officially in 1003, the House of Savoy became the longest surviving royal house in Europe.[citation needed] It ruled the County of Savoy to 1416 and then the Duchy of Savoy from 1416 to 1714.
The territory of Savoy was annexed to France in 1792 under the French First Republic, before being returned to the Kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia in 1815. Savoy was finally annexed to France, under the Second French Empire in 1860, as part of a political agreement brokered between the French emperor Napoleon III and King Victor Emmanuel II of the Kingdom of Sardinia that began the process of unification of Italy. Victor Emmanuel's dynasty, the House of Savoy, retained its Italian lands of Piedmont and Liguria and became the ruling dynasty of Italy.
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Strait of Bonifacio
The Strait of Bonifacio (Corsican: Bucchi di Bunifaziu, French: Bouches de Bonifacio, Gallurese: Bocchi di Bunifaciu, Italian: Bocche di Bonifacio, Sardinian: Istrettu de Bonifacio, Sassarese: Bocchi di Bonifaziu) (Bonifaccio is an older spelling from circa 1861) is the strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after the Corsican town Bonifacio. It is 11 km (6.8 mi) wide and divides the Tyrrhenian Sea from the western Mediterranean Sea. The strait is notorious among sailors for its weather, currents, shoals, and other obstacles.
The most famous disaster in the Strait of Bonifacio was that of the French frigate Sémillante on February 15, 1855. Sémillante had left the port of Toulon the day before on its way into the Black Sea to supply the Crimean War with troops. A storm caused it to hit a reef; the ship sank and none of the 750 soldiers on board survived.
After a tanker disaster in 1993, the passage through the Strait of Bonifacio has been prohibited for only French and Italian flag ships with dangerous goods.
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Touraine
The Touraine (French pronunciation: [tuʁɛn]) is one of the traditional provinces of France. Its capital was Tours. During the political reorganization of French territory in 1790, the Touraine was divided between the departments of Indre-et-Loire, Loir-et-Cher and Indre.
Traversed by the Loire and its tributaries the Cher, the Indre and the Vienne, the Touraine makes up a part of the Paris Basin. It is well known for its viticulture. The TGV, which connects Tours with Paris in less than an hour, has made the Touraine a place of residence for people who work in the capital but seek a different quality of life.
The Touraine takes its name from a Celtic tribe called the Turones, who inhabited the region about two thousand years ago. In 1044, the control of Touraine was given to the Angevins, who (as the House of Plantagenet) became kings of England in 1154, the castle of Chinon being their greatest stronghold. In 1205, Philip II Augustus of France regained Touraine. At this time, Touraine was made into a royal duchy. In 1429, Saint Joan of Arc had a historic meeting with the future King of France Charles VII at Chinon. Throughout the late 15th and 16th centuries, Touraine was a favorite residence of French kings, and the dark and gloomy castles were converted to Renaissance châteaux; for this reason the region was titled "The Garden of France". These same châteaux became popular tourist attractions in modern times. The royal duchy became a province in 1584, and was divided into departments in 1790.
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Upper Normandy
Upper Normandy (French: Haute-Normandie, IPA: [ot nɔʁmɑ̃di]; Norman: Ĥâote-Normaundie) is one of the 27 regions of France. It was created in 1984 from two départements: Seine-Maritime and Eure, when Normandy was divided into Lower Normandy and Upper Normandy. This division continues to provoke controversy, and some continue to call for reuniting the two regions. However, the name Upper Normandy existed prior to 1956 and referred by tradition to territories currently included within the administrative region: the Pays de Caux, the Pays de Bray (not that of Picardy), the Roumois, the Campagne of Le Neubourg, the Plaine de Saint André and the Norman Vexin. Today, most of the Pays d'Auge, as well as a small portion of the Pays d'Ouche, are located in Lower Normandy.
Rouen is the regional capital, historically important with many fine churches and buildings, including the tallest cathedral tower in France. The region's largest city, in terms of metropolitan population, is Le Havre. The region is twinned with the London Borough of Redbridge in England. Its economy is centered around agriculture, industry, petrochemicals and tourism.
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Alexandre Dumas
Alexandre Dumas, pronounced: [a.lɛk.sɑ̃dʁ dy.ma], born Dumas Davy de la Pailleterie ([dy.ma da.vi də pa.jət.ʁi]) (24 July 1802 – 5 December 1870) was a French writer, best known for his historical novels of high adventure which have made him one of the most widely read French authors in the world. Many of his novels, including The Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers, Twenty Years After, and The Vicomte de Bragelonne were originally serialized. He also wrote plays and magazine articles and was a prolific correspondent. Born in poverty, Dumas was the grandson of a French nobleman and a Haitian slave.
Alexandre Dumas was born in Villers-Cotterêts in the department of Aisne, in Picardy, France.
Dumas' paternal grandparents were Marquis Alexandre-Antoine Davy de la Pailleterie, a French nobleman and Général commissaire in the Artillery in the colony of Saint-Domingue (now Haiti) and Marie-Cesette Dumas, an Afro-Caribbean Creole of mixed French and African ancestry. Their son, Thomas-Alexandre Dumas, married Marie-Louise Élisabeth Labouret, the daughter of an innkeeper. Thomas-Alexandre, then a general in Napoleon's army, fell out of favor and the family was impoverished when Dumas was born.
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Alizée
Alizée Jacotey (French pronunciation: [a.li.ze]; born 21 August 1984) is a French singer, known professionally by her Christian name Alizée She was discovered by Mylène Farmer, following her winning performance in the talent show, Graines de Star, in 1999. While collaborating with Mylène Farmer and Laurent Boutonnat, Alizée released two albums, both of which were hits inside and outside of France.
Alizée entered the music business in 2000. She has since released four studio albums, the first two of which were composed by Laurent Boutonnat and written by Mylène Farmer. Her first album was Gourmandises, which received Platinum certification within three months of release. After its international launch in 2001, Gourmandises was a success both in France and abroad, earning Alizée the distinction of being the highest selling female French singer in 2001. The album featured her most successful single "Moi... Lolita" which reached number one in several countries in Europe and East Asia. Gourmandises was followed by a second studio album, Mes Courants Électriques, in 2003. Following its release, Alizée toured during the fall of 2003, performing in 43 concerts throughout France, Belgium and Switzerland.
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Alsace
Alsace (French: Alsace [alzas]; Alsatian: Elsàss [ˈɛlsɑs]; German: Elsass, pre-1996: Elsaß, IPA: [ˈɛlzas]; Latin: Alsatia) is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area (8,280 km²), and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km² (total population in 2006: 1,815,488; 1 January 2008 estimate: 1,836,000). Alsace is located on France's eastern border and on the west bank of the upper Rhine adjacent to Germany and Switzerland. The political, economic and cultural capital as well as largest city of Alsace is Strasbourg. Because that city is the seat of dozens of international organizations and bodies, Alsace is politically one of the most important regions in the European Union.
The name "Alsace" can be traced back to the Old High German Ali-saz or Elisaz, meaning "foreign domain". An alternative explanation derives it from a Germanic Ell-sass, meaning "seated on the Ill", a river in Alsace. The region was historically part of the Holy Roman Empire. It was gradually annexed by France in the 17th century under kings Louis XIII and Louis XIV and made one of the provinces of France. Alsace is frequently mentioned in conjunction with Lorraine, because German possession of parts of these two régions (as the imperial province Alsace-Lorraine, 1871–1918) was contested in the 19th and 20th centuries, during which Alsace changed hands four times between France and Germany in 75 years.
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Charlemagne
Charlemagne ( /ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn/ or /ˈʃɑrləmeɪn/; French pronunciation: [ʃaʁ.lə.maɲ]; c. 742 – 28 January 814), also known as Charles the Great (Latin: Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus), was King of the Franks from 768 and Emperor of the Romans (Imperator Romanorum) from 800 to his death in 814. He expanded the Frankish kingdom into an empire that incorporated much of Western and Central Europe. During his reign, he conquered Italy and was crowned Imperator Augustus by Pope Leo III on 25 December 800 in Rome.
His rule is also associated with the Carolingian Renaissance, a revival of art, religion, and culture through the medium of the Catholic Church. Through his foreign conquests and internal reforms, Charlemagne helped define both Western Europe and the European Middle Ages. He is numbered as Charles I in the regnal lists of Germany, the Holy Roman Empire, and France.
The son of King Pepin the Short and Bertrada of Laon, a Frankish queen, he succeeded his father in 768 and was initially co-ruler with his brother Carloman I. It has often been suggested that the relationship between Charlemagne and Carloman was not good, but it has also been argued that tensions were exaggerated by Carolingian chroniclers.
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Corsican people
Corsican people or Corsicans are the people from or with origins in Corsica, a mediterranean island and a territorial collectivity of France. That Corsican is in essence one of the regional French identities, reflecting his complex history.
Corsica is one of the few regions of France that retains its own language in everyday usage, spoken by 65% of the population. However since its takeover by France in the 18th century, French has dominated the media and commerce, and since 1960, 80% of the population is fluent in French (but only 35% of the population has French as its first language).[citation needed]
From the mountains to the plains and sea, many ingredients play a role. Game such as wild boar (Cignale, Singhjari) is popular, in old times mouflon (muvra) were consumed. There also is seafood and river fish such as trout. Delicatessen such as figatellu, coppa, ham (prizuttu), lonzu are made from Corsican pork (porcu nustrale). Cheeses like Brocciu, casgiu merzu, casgiu veghju are made from goat or sheep milk. Chestnuts are the main ingredient in the making of pulenta. A variety of alcohol also exists ranging from aquavita (brandy), red and white Corsican wines (Vinu Corsu), muscat (plain or sparkling), and the famous "cap corse" produced by Mattei.
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Franks
The Franks (Latin: Franci or gens Francorum) were a confederation of Germanic tribes first attested in the third century AD as populating a broad strip of land on the right bank of the Lower and Middle Rhine River. From the third to fifth centuries some Franks raided Roman territory while other Franks joined the Roman troops in Gaul. Only the Salian Franks formed a kingdom on Roman-held soil that was acknowledged by the Romans after 357. In the climate of the collapse of imperial authority in the West, the Frankish tribes were united under the Merovingians and conquered all of Gaul except Septimania in the 6th century. The Salian political elite was one of the most active forces in spreading Christianity over western Europe. The Franks had created one of the most strong and stable barbaric kingdoms.
The Merovingian dynasty, descended from the Salians, founded one of the Germanic monarchies which replaced the Western Roman Empire from the fifth century. The Frankish state consolidated its hold over large parts of western Europe by the end of the eighth century, developing into the Carolingian Empire which dominated most of Western Europe. This empire would gradually evolve into France and the Holy Roman Empire.
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François Lanzi
François Lanzi (5 July 1916 – 13 November 1988) was a French-born artist who lived a large part of his adult life in the United Kingdom.
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Italians
Italians (Italian: italiani) are an ethnic group native of Southern Europe that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence (though the principle of jus sanguinis is used extensively and arguably more favorably in the Italian nationality law), and are distinguished from people of Italian descent and, historically, from ethnic Italians living in the unredeemed territories adjacent to the Italian Peninsula.
In 2012, in addition to the 60 million Italians in Italy and 3,000 in San Marino, Italian-speaking, autonomous groups are found in neighboring countries: about 500,000 in Switzerland, a large, but undefined population in France (Nice, Corsica), and smaller groups in Slovenia and Croatia, primarily in Istria. If regarded as an ethnic group, they constitute one of the world's largest.
Because of wide-ranging and long-lasting diaspora, about 4 and half million Italian citizens and over 70 million people of full or part Italian ancestry live outside of Italy, most notably in South America, North America, Australia and parts of Europe.
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Joseph Heller
Joseph Heller (May 1, 1923 – December 12, 1999) was an American satirical novelist, short story writer, and playwright. His best known work is Catch-22, a novel about US servicemen during World War II. The title of this work entered the English lexicon to refer to absurd, no-win choices, particularly in situations in which the desired outcome of the choice is an impossibility, and regardless of choice, the same negative outcome is a certainty. Heller is widely regarded as one of the best post–World War II satirists. Although he is remembered primarily for Catch-22, his other works center on the lives of various members of the middle class and remain exemplars of modern satire.
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Lionel Jospin
Lionel Jospin (French pronunciation: [ljɔnɛl ʒɔspɛ̃]; born 12 July 1937) is a French politician, who served as Prime Minister of France from 1997 to 2002.
Jospin was the Socialist Party candidate for President of France in the elections of 1995 and 2002. He was narrowly defeated in the final runoff election by Jacques Chirac in 1995. He ran for President again in 2002, and was eliminated in the first round due to finishing behind both Chirac and the far-right candidate Jean-Marie Le Pen, following which he immediately announced his retirement from politics.
Lionel Jospin was born to a Protestant family in Meudon (Hauts-de-Seine), a suburb of Paris. He is the son of Robert Jospin, a negationnist socialist close to Robert Faurisson. He attended the Lycée Janson-de-Sailly before studying at the Institut d'études politiques de Paris and the École nationale d'administration (ENA). He was active in the UNEF students' union, protesting against the war in Algeria (1954–62). He completed his military service as an officer in charge of armoured training in Trier (Germany).
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Lombards
The Lombards or Langobards (Latin: Langobardī), were a Germanic tribe who from 568 to 774 ruled a Kingdom in Italy.
The Lombard historian Paul the Deacon wrote in the Historia Langobardorum that the Lombards descended from a small tribe called the Winnili, dwelling in southern Scandinavia (Scadanan), who had migrated southward to seek new lands. In the 1st century AD they formed part of the Suebi, in northwestern Germany. By the end of the 5th century they had moved into the area roughly coinciding with modern Austria north of the Danube river, where they subdued the Heruls and later fought frequent wars with the Gepids. The Lombard king Audoin defeated the Gepid leader Thurisind in 551 or 552; his successor Alboin eventually destroyed the Gepids at the Battle of Asfeld in 567.
Following this victory, Alboin decided to lead his people to Italy, which had become severely depopulated after the long Gothic War (535–554) between the Byzantine Empire and the Ostrogothic Kingdom there. The Lombards were joined by numerous Saxons, Heruls, Gepids, Bulgars, Thuringians, and Ostrogoths, and their invasion of Italy was almost unopposed. By late 569 they had conquered all the principal cities north of the Po River except Pavia, which fell in 572. At the same time, they occupied areas in central Italy and southern Italy. They established a Lombard Kingdom in Italy, later named Regnum Italicum ("Kingdom of Italy"), which reached its zenith under the eighth-century ruler Liutprand. In 774, the Kingdom was conquered by the Frankish King Charlemagne, and integrated into his Empire. However, Lombard nobles continued to rule parts of the Italian peninsula well into the 11th century, when they were conquered by the Normans, and added to their Kingdom of Sicily. Their legacy is apparent in the regional appellation, Lombardy.
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Nicolas Sarkozy
Nicolas Sarkozy (pronounced [ni.kɔ.la saʁ.kɔ.zi] ( listen), born Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa; 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as the 23rd President of the French Republic from 16 May 2007 until 15 May 2012.
Before his presidency, he was leader of the Union for a Popular Movement (UMP). Under Jacques Chirac's presidency he served as Minister of the Interior in Jean-Pierre Raffarin's (UMP) first two governments (from May 2002 to March 2004), then was appointed Minister of Finances in Raffarin's last government (March 2004 to May 2005) and again Minister of the Interior in Dominique de Villepin's government (2005–2007).
Sarkozy was also president of the General council of the Hauts-de-Seine department from 2004 to 2007 and mayor of Neuilly-sur-Seine, one of the wealthiest communes of France from 1983 to 2002. He was Minister of the Budget in the government of Édouard Balladur (RPR, predecessor of the UMP) during François Mitterrand's last term.
In foreign affairs, he promised a strengthening of the entente cordiale with the United Kingdom and closer cooperation with the United States. During his term, he faced the late-2000s financial crisis (followed by the recession and the debt crisis caused by it) and the Arab Spring (especially in Tunisia, Libya, and Syria). He also married Italian-French singer-songwriter Carla Bruni on 2 February 2008 at the Élysée Palace in Paris.
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Pasquale Paoli
Filippo Antonio Pasquale di Paoli (Pascal Paoli, April 6, 1725 – February 5, 1807), was a Corsican patriot and leader, the president of the Executive Council of the General Diet of the People of Corsica. Paoli designed and wrote the Constitution of the state.
The Corsican Republic was a representative democracy asserting that the elected Diet of Corsican representatives had no master. Paoli held his office by election and not by appointment. It made him commander-in-chief of the armed forces as well as chief magistrate. Paoli's government claimed the same jurisdiction as the Republic of Genoa. In terms of de facto exercise of power, the Genoese held the coastal cities, which they could defend from their citadels, but the Corsican republic controlled the rest of the island from Corte, its capital.
Following the French conquest of Corsica in 1768, Paoli oversaw the Corsican resistance. Following the defeat of Corsican forces at the Battle of Ponte Novu he was forced into exile in Britain where he was a celebrated figure. He returned after the French Revolution which he was initially supportive of. He later broke with the revolutionaries and helped to create the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom which lasted between 1794 and 1796. After the island was re-occupied by France he again went into exile in Britain where he died in 1807,
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Pepin the Short
Pepin (or Pippin) (died 24 September 768), called the Younger (Pippin der Jüngere), was the first King of the Franks (752–768) of the Carolingian dynasty. In 741 he and his brother Carloman succeeded their father, Charles Martel, as mayors of the palace and de facto rulers of the kingdom during an interregnum (737–743). After the retirement of Carloman (747), Pepin obtained the permission of Pope Zachary to depose the last of the Merovingian kings, Childeric III, and assume the throne (752).
He is sometimes called the Short or the Little (Pépin le Bref) or, rarely the Great (Pippin der Grosse), As he was named for his grandfather, Pepin of Heristal, in turn named for his grandfather, Pepin of Landen, both mayors of the palace, Pepin the Short has sometimes been numbered Pepin III.
Pepin's father Charles Martel died in 741. He divided the rule of the Frankish kingdom between Pepin and his elder brother, Carloman, his surviving sons by his first wife: Carloman became Mayor of the Palace of Austrasia, Pepin became Mayor of the Palace of Neustria. Grifo, Charles's son by his second wife, Swanahild (also known as Swanhilde), demanded a share in the inheritance, but he was imprisoned in a monastery by his two half-brothers.
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Piri Reis
Piri Reis (full name Hacı Ahmed Muhiddin Piri - Hadji Ahmed Muhiddin Piri, Ahmet ibn-i el-Haç Mehmet El Karamani; Reis was a Turkish military rank akin to that of captain) was an Ottoman admiral, geographer and cartographer born between 1465 and 1470 and died in 1554 or 1555.
He is primarily known today for his maps and charts collected in his Kitab-ı Bahriye (Book of Navigation), a book that contains detailed information on navigation, as well as very accurate charts (for its time) describing the important ports and cities of the Mediterranean Sea. He gained fame as a cartographer when a small part of his first world map (prepared in 1513) was discovered in 1929 at the Topkapı Palace in Istanbul. His world map is the oldest known Turkish atlas showing the New World, and one of the oldest maps of America still in existence anywhere (the oldest known map of America that is still in existence is the map drawn by Juan de la Cosa in 1500). Piri Reis' map is centered on the Sahara at the latitude of the Tropic of Cancer.
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Pope Stephen II
Pope Stephen II (715 – 26 April 757) was Pope from 752 to 757, succeeding Pope Zachary following the death of Pope-elect Stephen. Stephen II marks the historical delineation between the Byzantine Papacy and the Frankish Papacy.
The Lombards to the north of Rome had captured Ravenna, capital of the Eastern Roman Empire Exarchate of Ravenna, in 751, and began to put pressure on the city of Rome.
Relations were very strained in the mid-8th century between the papacy and the Eastern Roman emperors over the support of the Isaurian Dynasty for iconoclasm. Likewise, maintaining political control over Rome became untenable as the Eastern Roman Empire itself was beset by the Abbasid Caliphate to the south and Bulgars to the northwest. As a result, Rome was unable to secure military support from Constantinople to push back Lombard forces.
Stephen turned to Pepin the Younger, the recently-crowned King of the Franks, and even traveled to Paris to plead for help in person. On 6 January 754, Stephen re-consecrated Pepin as king. In return, Pepin assumed the role of ordained protector of the Church and set his sights on the Lombards.
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Portuguese people
The Portuguese (Portuguese: os Portugueses) are a nation and ethnic group native to the country of Portugal, in the west of the Iberian peninsula of south-west Europe. Their language is Portuguese, and Roman Catholicism is the predominant religion.
Due to the large historical extent of the Portuguese Empire and the colonization of territories in Africa, Asia and the Americas, as well as historical and recent emigration, Portuguese communities can be found in many diverse regions around the globe, and a large Portuguese diaspora exists.
The Portuguese are a southwestern European population, with origins predominantly from Atlantic Europe, Western Europe and the Western Mediterranean.
The earliest modern humans inhabiting Portugal are believed to have been Paleolithic peoples that may have arrived in the Iberian Peninsula as early as 35,000 to 40,000 years ago. Current interpretation of Y-chromosome and mtDNA data suggests that modern-day Portuguese traces largely a significant amount of these lineages to the paleolithic peoples which began arriving to the European continent between the end of the last glaciation around 45,000 years ago.
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Tino Rossi
Tino Rossi (29 April 1907 – 26 September 1983) was a French singer and film actor.
Born Constantino Rossi in Ajaccio, Corsica, France, he became a tenor of French cabaret and one of the great romantic idols of his time. Gifted with an operatic voice, a "Latin Lover" persona made him a movie star as well. Over his career, Rossi made hundreds of records and appeared in more than 25 films, the most notable of which was the 1953 production, Si Versailles m'était conté directed by Sacha Guitry. His romantic ballads had women swooning and his art-songs by Jules Massenet (1842–1912), Reynaldo Hahn (1875–1947), and other composers helped draw sold out audiences wherever he performed.
As a young French man, he played guitar and sang at a variety of small venues in his hometown of Ajaccio before going on to perform in Marseilles and at resort clubs along the French Riviera. In the early 1930s he went to Paris and within a few years achieved enormous success, joining a Columbia Records roster that included the biggest stars of the day such as Lucienne Boyer, Damia, Pills et Tabet, Mireille, and Jean Sablon.
wn.com/Tino_Rossi -
Vandals
The Vandals were an East Germanic tribe who in 429 under king Genseric entered Africa and by 439 established a kingdom which included the Roman Africa province, besides the islands of Sicily, Corsica, Sardinia, Malta and the Balearics. In 455, they sacked the city of Rome. Their kingdom collapsed in the Vandalic War of 533–4, in which Justinian I managed to reconquer the Africa province for the Eastern Roman (Byzantine) Empire.
Renaissance and Early Modern writers characterized the Vandals as barbarians, "sacking and looting" Rome. This led to the use of the term "vandalism", to describe any senseless destruction, particularly the "barbarian" defacing of artworks. However, modern historians tend to regard the Vandals during the transitional period (from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages) as perpetuators, not destroyers, of Roman culture.
The name of the Vandals has often been connected to that of Vendel,[citation needed] the name of a province in Uppland, Sweden, which is also eponymous of the Vendel period of Swedish prehistory, corresponding to the late Germanic Iron Age leading up to the Viking Age. The connection would be that Vendel is the original homeland of the Vandals prior to the Migration Period, and retains their tribal name as a toponym.
wn.com/Vandals -
Visigoths
The Visigoths (Latin: Visigothi, Wisigothi, Vesi, Visi, Wesi, or Wisi) were one of two main branches of the later Goths, the Ostrogoths being the other. These tribes were among the Germanic peoples who spread through the late Roman Empire during Late Antiquity or the Migration Period. The Visigoths emerged out of the Gothic groups who entered the Roman Empire in and after 376 and defeated the Romans at the Battle of Adrianople in 378. The Visigoths invaded Italy under Alaric I and famously sacked Rome in 410 AD, eventually settling in Spain and Portugal, where they founded a powerful Kingdom.
After numerous years of migration, which led the Visigoths to compare themselves to the Biblical Hebrew people wandering for 40 years in the Sinai Desert, the Visigoths settled in southern Gaul as foederati of the Romans in 418. For unknown reasons, they soon fell out with their hosts and established their own kingdom with its capital at Toulouse. Extending their authority into Hispania at the expense of the Vandals, their rule in Gaul was ended by the Franks under Clovis I at the Battle of Vouillé in 507. Thereafter the only territory north of the Pyrenees that the Visigoths held was Septimania, such that their kingdom became limited to Hispania. The province came to be dominated by the Visigothic small governing elite at the expense of the Byzantine province of Spania and the Suebic Kingdom of Galicia.
wn.com/Visigoths
L'éternité, c'est Zonza !
Les tours génoises ont vu passer
De la birème aux plaisanciers
Beaucoup d'hommes qui ne savaient pas
Que si tu t'offres, on te prend pas
Ma liberté, c'est Zonza !
Un bout de terre au fond du sud
Où s'évanouit ma lassitude
Comme un rêve qui ne revient pas...
O Corsica bella Corsica,
Fleur de montagne posée sur l'eau
Où la mer s'abreuve aux ruisseaux Pour éclairer son bleu-marine.
Corsica, ma belle Corsica,
Si je pouvais choisir l'endroit
Où la mort me recouvrira
De son manteau de cornaline,
J'aimerais qu'elle m'endorme chez toi.
L'éternité, c'est Zonza !
Elle a protégé les brigands
Quand ils étaient bandits d'honneur,
Comme on l'est tous du fond du cœur.
Lorsque le joug est trop pesant
Ma liberté, c'est Zonza !
Les tours d'en bas m'avertiront
Quand tout au fond de l'horizon
Mon dernier matin paraîtra...
O Corsica bella Corsica,
Fleur de montagne posée sur l'eau
Où la mer s'abreuve aux ruisseaux Pour éclairer son bleu-marine.
Corsica, ma belle Corsica,
Si je pouvais choisir l'endroit
Où la mort me recouvrira
De son manteau de cornaline,
J'aimerais qu'elle m'endorme chez toi.
O Corsica bella Corsica,
Corsica, ma belle Corsica,
Si je pouvais choisir l'endroit
Où la mort me recouvrira
De son manteau de cornaline,
Alors qu'elle m'endorme chez toi.
L'éternité, c'est Zonza !
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Corsica Dream
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:08
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
Short Film : Corsica Dream by Fred Bouchal. Music by Fred Bouchal (LFK) (Symphony n°2-Angelus Symphonia). Shot with Canon 60D, Panasonic GH2 & Nikon D7000. * Official website : LFK13.com * FaceBook facebook.com * Twitter : twitter.com --- corse canon 60d panasonic gh2 nikon d7000 short film nature ushuaia landscape travel log voyage best relaxation slow motion healing photography widescreen "high quality" 1080p 720p definition hdtv "high definition" "i muvrini" decouverte camera digital jumping wildlife spirituality tourism Corsica "Short Film" Adventure Destination "Symphonic Music" "High Quality" ajaccio porto-veccio Cruise
http://wn.com/Corsica_Dream
Short Film : Corsica Dream by Fred Bouchal. Music by Fred Bouchal (LFK) (Symphony n°2-Angelus Symphonia). Shot with Canon 60D, Panasonic GH2 & Nikon D7000. * Official website : LFK13.com * FaceBook facebook.com * Twitter : twitter.com --- corse canon 60d panasonic gh2 nikon d7000 short film nature ushuaia landscape travel log voyage best relaxation slow motion healing photography widescreen "high quality" 1080p 720p definition hdtv "high definition" "i muvrini" decouverte camera digital jumping wildlife spirituality tourism Corsica "Short Film" Adventure Destination "Symphonic Music" "High Quality" ajaccio porto-veccio Cruise
Corsica Holiday 2011 part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 12:09
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
Our amazing time in Corsica France. There is much more footage to come!
http://wn.com/Corsica_Holiday_2011_part_1
Our amazing time in Corsica France. There is much more footage to come!
- published: 12 Jul 2011
- views: 1326814
- author: DanielleBabyBliss
Corsica Jump
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:05
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
Just jumping some free cars that i got! I forgot to unhook the airbag in the Corsica and it blew up in my face. that is the first time i have ever encountered an airbag. i removed the driver side airbag from the van but not the passenger side and it did indeed go off. i didn't think that little jump with the van was enough to set off an airbag either. AIRBAGS ARE DANGEROUS HA. if you are ever going to jump a car make sure you disable the airbag! the jump with the Corsica was defiantly the farthest i have jumped with a vehicle. i would like to thank my camera men Seth Pust and Bradly Denson for recording. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Stephanie Wood for helping me get the cars ready for this day. recorded on 3/31/10
http://wn.com/Corsica_Jump
Just jumping some free cars that i got! I forgot to unhook the airbag in the Corsica and it blew up in my face. that is the first time i have ever encountered an airbag. i removed the driver side airbag from the van but not the passenger side and it did indeed go off. i didn't think that little jump with the van was enough to set off an airbag either. AIRBAGS ARE DANGEROUS HA. if you are ever going to jump a car make sure you disable the airbag! the jump with the Corsica was defiantly the farthest i have jumped with a vehicle. i would like to thank my camera men Seth Pust and Bradly Denson for recording. I would also like to thank my girlfriend Stephanie Wood for helping me get the cars ready for this day. recorded on 3/31/10
- published: 01 Apr 2010
- views: 96809
- author: sjkessel
Why Corsica became the murder capital of France
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:46
- Updated: 10 Feb 2013
Corsica, France - Two french government ministers rushed to Corsica on Thursday after the latest high-profile killing in an increasingly deadly battle between criminal gangs on the Mediterranean island. Interior Minister Manuel Valls and Justice Minister Christiane Taubira arrived just hours after Jacques Nacer, the head of Corsica's chamber of commerce, was gunned down at his clothing store in the capital Ajaccio. Visual report live from the scene of events, between 3 seconds and two minutes long. 4 news reports daily broadcast from 6.15 am. An in-depth report on a major news issue. More FRANCE24 reports: www.france24.com
http://wn.com/Why_Corsica_became_the_murder_capital_of_France
Corsica, France - Two french government ministers rushed to Corsica on Thursday after the latest high-profile killing in an increasingly deadly battle between criminal gangs on the Mediterranean island. Interior Minister Manuel Valls and Justice Minister Christiane Taubira arrived just hours after Jacques Nacer, the head of Corsica's chamber of commerce, was gunned down at his clothing store in the capital Ajaccio. Visual report live from the scene of events, between 3 seconds and two minutes long. 4 news reports daily broadcast from 6.15 am. An in-depth report on a major news issue. More FRANCE24 reports: www.france24.com
- published: 16 Nov 2012
- views: 894
- author: france24english
Georgian Voice Imeri & Corsicans (CORSICA 2011) - ALILO
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:31
- Updated: 23 Feb 2013
Georgian Voice Imeri & Corsicans (CORSICA 2011) - ALILO
http://wn.com/Georgian_Voice_Imeri_Corsicans_CORSICA_2011_ALILO
Georgian Voice Imeri & Corsicans (CORSICA 2011) - ALILO
- published: 24 Mar 2012
- views: 7507
- author: eliso meqoshvili
Rally Corsica 1982 Natural Sounds
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 6:32
- Updated: 25 Feb 2013
Rallye De Corse
http://wn.com/Rally_Corsica_1982_Natural_Sounds
WRC Onboards: Rally Corsica 2008- SS15 Sebastien Loeb Onboard
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:55
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
WRC On Boards: Corsica 2008 SS15 Sebastien Loeb
http://wn.com/WRC_Onboards_Rally_Corsica_2008_SS15_Sebastien_Loeb_Onboard
Petru Guelfucci - Corsica
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:53
- Updated: 24 Feb 2013
belle chanson et pas i muvrini
http://wn.com/Petru_Guelfucci_Corsica
Nathan Fake - 'Fentiger' : live at Hard Islands @ Corsica Studios, London, 15th May 2009
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:16
- Updated: 22 Feb 2013
Nathan Fake performs 'Fentiger' live at the 'Hard Islands' launch party at London's Corsica Studios in May 2009. 'Fentiger' appears on the 'Hard Islands' mini-album, out now on Border Community. Directed & Edited by David Insull. Cameras by Paul Ward-Perkins and Benjamin Meech. Visuals by Dan Tombs.
http://wn.com/Nathan_Fake_'Fentiger'_live_at_Hard_Islands_@_Corsica_Studios,_London,_15th_May_2009
Nathan Fake performs 'Fentiger' live at the 'Hard Islands' launch party at London's Corsica Studios in May 2009. 'Fentiger' appears on the 'Hard Islands' mini-album, out now on Border Community. Directed & Edited by David Insull. Cameras by Paul Ward-Perkins and Benjamin Meech. Visuals by Dan Tombs.
- published: 07 Jul 2009
- views: 13831
- author: bordertube
WRC Onboards: Rally Corsica 2008- SS06 Mikko Hirvonnen Onboard
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:10
- Updated: 16 Jan 2013
WRC On Boards: Corsica 2008 SS06 Mikko Hirvonnen
http://wn.com/WRC_Onboards_Rally_Corsica_2008_SS06_Mikko_Hirvonnen_Onboard
Mireille Mathieu Corsica
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:00
- Updated: 01 Oct 2012
Enjoy this Mireille Mathieu hit from 1972.
http://wn.com/Mireille_Mathieu_Corsica
Enjoy this Mireille Mathieu hit from 1972.
- published: 01 Jun 2007
- views: 15274
- author: videoenhancer
1983 Corsica Rally Tour de Corse. Mikkola Mouton Audi quattro A2
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:09
- Updated: 26 Dec 2012
In 1983, Audi Sport unleashed their new Rally weapon - The Audi quattro A2, in Corsica on The Tour de Corse Rally. They fielded two cars, registered as IN-NL 67 for H. Mikkola and also IN-NT 49 for M. Mouton. These A2's are a much lighter and more powerful version of the LWB quattro. Despite Audi's greatest efforts, their new cars were no match for the might of the Lancia 037's on Tarmac, and it was not until the loose surface rallies where the A2 began to dominate - ultimately bringing Hannu Mikkola the drivers World Rally Championship in 1983 and Stig Blomqvist in 1984 - going to prove that the A2 quattro was the most successful rally car ever built by Audi.
http://wn.com/1983_Corsica_Rally_Tour_de_Corse_Mikkola_Mouton_Audi_quattro_A2
In 1983, Audi Sport unleashed their new Rally weapon - The Audi quattro A2, in Corsica on The Tour de Corse Rally. They fielded two cars, registered as IN-NL 67 for H. Mikkola and also IN-NT 49 for M. Mouton. These A2's are a much lighter and more powerful version of the LWB quattro. Despite Audi's greatest efforts, their new cars were no match for the might of the Lancia 037's on Tarmac, and it was not until the loose surface rallies where the A2 began to dominate - ultimately bringing Hannu Mikkola the drivers World Rally Championship in 1983 and Stig Blomqvist in 1984 - going to prove that the A2 quattro was the most successful rally car ever built by Audi.
- published: 02 Jul 2011
- views: 13954
- author: hansport
Pescasub: Calasole in Corsica...Part one...Spearfishing Pesca sub
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:52
- Updated: 20 Jan 2013
Magica Corsica
http://wn.com/Pescasub_Calasole_in_CorsicaPart_oneSpearfishing_Pesca_sub
SHIT AND SHINE, Corsica Studios, London, May 2008
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:01
- Updated: 08 Dec 2012
These people are amazing.
http://wn.com/SHIT_AND_SHINE,_Corsica_Studios,_London,_May_2008
Need for Speed: Porsche Unleashed - Corsica
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 4:05
- Updated: 24 Dec 2012
Today: Corsica. Driving done with the keyboard using manual transmission. Song: 60 Miles an Hour By: New Order From: Get Ready (2001)
http://wn.com/Need_for_Speed_Porsche_Unleashed_Corsica
Today: Corsica. Driving done with the keyboard using manual transmission. Song: 60 Miles an Hour By: New Order From: Get Ready (2001)
- published: 19 Jan 2009
- views: 18117
- author: MattyDienhoff
Thivaios Θηβαιος - Corsica - Mavroudis & Margaris
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 5:22
- Updated: 26 Feb 2013
music: παναγιωτης μαργαρης & νοτης μαυρουδης. τραγουδαει/ Singer: Χρηστος Θηβαιος album/δισκος:cafe de l' art 6 VI passion (guelfucci mac claude)Margaris mavroudis Thivaios Στιχοι Lyrics In un scornu di lu mondu, Ci hè un lucucciu tenerezza Ind'u mio core, maestosu, Imbalsama di purezza Ghjuvellu di maraviglie, Ùn ne circate sumiglie, Ùn truverete la para ; Ghjè ùnica, sola è cara. Córsica. Face sempre tant'inviglia Ssu scogliu ciottu in mare, Tesoru chì spampilla Sacru cume un altare. Calma, dolce cum'agnella, Generosa è accugliente, Si rivolta è si ribella S'omu disprezza a so ghjente. Córsica. Traduction : Dans un recoin du monde il est un petit coin de tendresse qui dans mon coeur, majestueux, embaume de pureté joyau de merveilles, n'en cherchez pas de semblables, vous n'en trouverez pas de pareil ; elle est unique, seule et chérie. Corsica. Il fait toujours tellement envie ce rocher dans la mer trésor étincelant sacré comme un autel. Calme, douce comme un agneau, généreuse et accueillante, elle se révolte et se rebelle si l'on méprise les siens. Corsica. SVRGN05
http://wn.com/Thivaios_Θηβαιος_Corsica_Mavroudis_Margaris
music: παναγιωτης μαργαρης & νοτης μαυρουδης. τραγουδαει/ Singer: Χρηστος Θηβαιος album/δισκος:cafe de l' art 6 VI passion (guelfucci mac claude)Margaris mavroudis Thivaios Στιχοι Lyrics In un scornu di lu mondu, Ci hè un lucucciu tenerezza Ind'u mio core, maestosu, Imbalsama di purezza Ghjuvellu di maraviglie, Ùn ne circate sumiglie, Ùn truverete la para ; Ghjè ùnica, sola è cara. Córsica. Face sempre tant'inviglia Ssu scogliu ciottu in mare, Tesoru chì spampilla Sacru cume un altare. Calma, dolce cum'agnella, Generosa è accugliente, Si rivolta è si ribella S'omu disprezza a so ghjente. Córsica. Traduction : Dans un recoin du monde il est un petit coin de tendresse qui dans mon coeur, majestueux, embaume de pureté joyau de merveilles, n'en cherchez pas de semblables, vous n'en trouverez pas de pareil ; elle est unique, seule et chérie. Corsica. Il fait toujours tellement envie ce rocher dans la mer trésor étincelant sacré comme un autel. Calme, douce comme un agneau, généreuse et accueillante, elle se révolte et se rebelle si l'on méprise les siens. Corsica. SVRGN05
- published: 26 Aug 2008
- views: 30422
- author: lelasson
Classic Onboards: Duval Corsica 2003 Part 1
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 10:00
- Updated: 23 Feb 2013
Look back to 2003 with Francois Duval on stage 13 in Corsica. Check out the second part as well! Visit www.wrc.com for more exciting videos.
http://wn.com/Classic_Onboards_Duval_Corsica_2003_Part_1
Look back to 2003 with Francois Duval on stage 13 in Corsica. Check out the second part as well! Visit www.wrc.com for more exciting videos.
- published: 30 Sep 2008
- views: 16402
- author: wrc
Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno-corsica studios
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:27
- Updated: 04 Feb 2013
Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno live at the baba yaga's hut at the corsica studios. video by marcelo borges 31/07/08
http://wn.com/Acid_Mothers_Temple_and_the_Cosmic_Inferno-corsica_studios
Acid Mothers Temple and the Cosmic Inferno live at the baba yaga's hut at the corsica studios. video by marcelo borges 31/07/08
- published: 13 Aug 2008
- views: 9293
- author: babayagashut
The 1983 Corsica Rally (Part 1)
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 9:57
- Updated: 15 Jan 2013
A video from the 1983 WRC. Featuring all of the top cars and drivers of the time. One by Marku Alen in his Lancia 037.
http://wn.com/The_1983_Corsica_Rally_Part_1
A video from the 1983 WRC. Featuring all of the top cars and drivers of the time. One by Marku Alen in his Lancia 037.
- published: 21 May 2007
- views: 19602
- author: dug2511
Corsica Cliff Diving - Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:14
- Updated: 15 Feb 2013
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012 kicks off on the island of Corsica where the divers competed head-to-head from a 27-meter ledge built into the side of a fortress. Over 1200 spectators watched from their boats as Orlando Duque, Steven LoBue and Michal Navratil put on a memorable show. www.redbull.com Want more? Subscribe to Red Bull: www.youtube.com
http://wn.com/Corsica_Cliff_Diving_Red_Bull_Cliff_Diving_World_Series_2012
The Red Bull Cliff Diving World Series 2012 kicks off on the island of Corsica where the divers competed head-to-head from a 27-meter ledge built into the side of a fortress. Over 1200 spectators watched from their boats as Orlando Duque, Steven LoBue and Michal Navratil put on a memorable show. www.redbull.com Want more? Subscribe to Red Bull: www.youtube.com
- published: 25 Jun 2012
- views: 29105
- author: redbull
Bastia-Savona 2009 with Corsica Victoria in stormy seas
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 7:59
- Updated: 16 Feb 2013
This is my third an last video of my holidays in Corsica 2009. In this video you can see our night crossing from Bastia (Corsica) to Savona with Corsica Victoria in rough seas (04.09.2009). After we reached the Cap Corse, we were hit by several big waves which wasn't a very funny experience! The cosy bar at the front of our ship had to be closed after water came inside the bar through the roof.
http://wn.com/Bastia-Savona_2009_with_Corsica_Victoria_in_stormy_seas
This is my third an last video of my holidays in Corsica 2009. In this video you can see our night crossing from Bastia (Corsica) to Savona with Corsica Victoria in rough seas (04.09.2009). After we reached the Cap Corse, we were hit by several big waves which wasn't a very funny experience! The cosy bar at the front of our ship had to be closed after water came inside the bar through the roof.
- published: 14 Feb 2010
- views: 19453
- author: chrisolli
L'Alba - new Corsican music
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 2:57
- Updated: 19 Feb 2013
A shortened version of a beautiful clip you can watch here: albatv.blog4ever.com. And if you want more, visit this marvelous ensemble's web page www.l-alba.com Swedish tour produced by Musik i Väst: miv.se
http://wn.com/L'Alba_new_Corsican_music
A shortened version of a beautiful clip you can watch here: albatv.blog4ever.com. And if you want more, visit this marvelous ensemble's web page www.l-alba.com Swedish tour produced by Musik i Väst: miv.se
- published: 02 Oct 2008
- views: 34727
- author: musikivast
U Fiatu Muntese, Corsican Polyphony
- Order: Reorder
- Duration: 3:39
- Updated: 13 Feb 2013
A concert with "U Fiatu Muntese" in the church of Pietralba, Corse, Balagne. Corsican Polyphony
http://wn.com/U_Fiatu_Muntese,_Corsican_Polyphony
A concert with "U Fiatu Muntese" in the church of Pietralba, Corse, Balagne. Corsican Polyphony
- published: 20 Sep 2008
- views: 13390
- author: Chuck Lutz
photo: AP / Mary Altaffer
26 Feb 2013
Jesus Diaz - . Scientists have found proof of a sunken continent in the Indian Ocean. According to a study published in Nature Geoscience, the continent “was separated from Madagascar and fragmented into a ribbon-like configuration by a series of mid-ocean ridge jumps during the opening of the Mascarene ocean basin.”. Its name is not Atlantis, though ... [Nature Geoscience via BBC News]. Image by Shutterstock ... Related Posts ... ....(size: 3.6Kb)
photo: Creative Commons / John Harrison
25 Feb 2013
Just like Angelina Jolie's right leg last year, Oscar-winner Anne Hathaway's apparently 'alert' nipples inspired their own Twitter account and a flurry of cheeky hashtags last night. BY Bibby Sowray . 25 February 2013. Anne Hathaway's seemingly pointy nipples attracted a lot of attention. Photo. Getty. Poor Anne Hathaway, she's not been served well by fashion of late ... Related articles. Oscars 2013 fashion. red carpet hits and misses ... Photo ... ....(size: 4.9Kb)
photo: AP / Nasser Shiyoukhi
25 Feb 2013
Six days after Arafat Jaradat was arrested by the Israeli army and the Shin Bet, he was dead. Between the date of his arrest - February 18 - and the day of his death - February 23 - his lawyer Kamil Sabbagh met with Arafat only once. in front of a military judge at the Shin Bet's Kishon interrogation facility. Sabbagh reported that when he saw Jaradat, the man was terrified ... Arafat was killed under torture. Torture is routine ... 757. Source.....(size: 8.3Kb)
photo: AP / Ibrahim Zayed
26 Feb 2013
Updated. February 26, 2013 8.35AM. LUXOR, Egypt — A hot air balloon flying over Egypt’s ancient city of Luxor caught fire and crashed into a sugar cane field on Tuesday, killing at least 19 foreign tourists in one of the world’s deadliest ballooning accidents and handing a new blow to Egypt’s ailing tourism industry ... The balloon then shot up in the air, the investigator said ... The security official said all 18 bodies have been recovered ... ....(size: 6.2Kb)
photo: USAF / Tech. Sgt. Effrain Lopez
26 Feb 2013
Article by WN.com Correspondent Dallas Darling. During the 19th and early 20th centuries developments in technology vastly transformed warfare. The age of machine guns, steam-powered battle ships, and tanks replaced the era of flintlock muskets, sailing wooden ships, and cannonballs. But these new and more lethal innovations also altered humanity and political systems ... World War I and II ... They will subversively disrupt entire societies....(size: 4.8Kb)
The Examiner
25 Feb 2013
Tired of winter’s gloomy frigid weather? And, tired of the same old comfort food? Chicken pot pie, mac ‘n cheese, chicken noodle soup… the list goes on ... And, for all you chocoholics out there, chocolate shavings are a garnish making the perfect final touch!View slideshow ... Chef Filoni’s knowledge of chestnuts goes back to his roots growing up on the Mediterranean in the region where chestnuts from Corsica are grown in abundance ... 6 ... 2 oz ... ....(size: 7.2Kb)
The Daily Telegraph Australia
24 Feb 2013
THE Swiss have mountains, so they climb. Canadians have lakes, so they canoe. Australians have canyons, so we go canyoning, a hybrid form of madness that's halfway between mountaineering and caving. Unlike other places with slot canyons, such as Utah, Jordan or Corsica, Australia has a rich, deep heritage of canyoning ... But without ropes and technical equipment, Aborigines couldn't explore the deepest slots ... But it's worth it ... -- ... ....(size: 8.2Kb)
Goal
24 Feb 2013
Rudi Garcia's men continued their rise up the table thanks to in-form Dimitri Payet. Elsewhere, Lyon maintained their title charge, as Nancy's woes continue against Saint-Etienne. By Mohammed Ali ... Panoramic. OGC NICE 2-0 STADE DE REIMS ... STADE RENNES 2-2 SOCHAUX ... AC AJACCIO 1-3 LOSC LILLE METROPOLE. Lille's resurgence in form continued as they picked up a straightforward 3-1 victory over Ajaccio in Corsica on Saturday evening ... Bordeaux. 16 ... 6 ... ....(size: 15.2Kb)
ESPN
23 Feb 2013
St Etienne kept the pressure on in the battle for Europe in Ligue 1 as they brushed aside rock-bottom Nancyto take all the points from a lively encounter that saw both sides finish with 10 men. GettyImagesBrandao set Saint Etienne on their way to a comfortable victory at Nancy ... Lille continued their upturn in form as they comfortably saw off Ajaccio with in Corsica despite playing for the final half-hour with 10 men ... ....(size: 2.3Kb)
ESPN
22 Feb 2013
Lille goalkeeper Steeve Elana has said he would "spend all [his] time in police stations" if he complained every time he was racially abused at football matches in France ... Elana will travel to Corsica with Lille for Saturday's game against Ajaccio, and certainly does not expect a warm welcome if his past experiences are anything to go by ... ....(size: 1.7Kb)
The Times of India
22 Feb 2013
LONDON. An Asian export — possibly Indian — now has the whole of Europe worried ... The EEA said on Thursday said that the mosquito is now present in Albania, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, France, including Corsica, Greece, Monaco, Montenegro, the Netherlands, Italy, including Sicily and Sardinia, Slovenia, Spain and Switzerland, plus — but needing further confirmation — Belgium and Germany ... dengue and chikungunya ... ....(size: 2.5Kb)
noodls
20 Feb 2013
Hannah Perlkin holds a flower of the seagrass Posidonia oceanica after a dive off the coast of Corsica ... Last fall, the class went to a marine research station in Corsica, France ... That changed on their last day in Corsica when Serrão, whose research includes genetic studies of seagrasses, invited the students to come to her lab in Portugal ... Magaluf, Majorca; Calvi, Corsica; and Split, Croatia....(size: 9.4Kb)
noodls
20 Feb 2013
Last fall, the class went to a marine research station in Corsica, France ... That changed on their last day in Corsica when Serrão, whose research includes genetic studies of seagrasses, invited the students to come to her lab in Portugal ... Magaluf, Majorca; Calvi, Corsica; and Split, Croatia ... Many of the 14 student projects in Corsica were exceptional, ......(size: 8.9Kb)
News24
19 Feb 2013
The race which starts for the first time in Corsica on June 29 and runs until July 21, will take in some of France's most famous landmarks such as the Chateaux de Versailles as well as Mont Blanc, Mont Saint-Michel and the Loire region ......(size: 1.3Kb)
Yahoo Daily News
19 Feb 2013
2.2 liter Chevy engine is now discounted courtesy of the http.//www.remanufacturedenginesforsale.com/chevy-chevrolet/chevy-alero-22l-remanufactured-engines website. This engine is one of the most requested on the secondary market and is currently refurbished by this company for an affordable price to reduce installation costs ... The Corsica, Beretta, Tempest, Century and Lumina all used the 2.2 liter engine ... Bob Toland ... 1-877-630-3873 ... ....(size: 3.2Kb)
photo: Creative Commons / Town of Propriano
18 Feb 2013
The French island of Corsica is best known for its tourism ... Cold-blooded violence is staining Corsica's picture-postcard image ... Last October, Corsica's best-known lawyer, Antoine Sollacaro, was assassinated as he drove to work ... Corsica, the birthplace of Napoleon, gained a reputation for violence by militant separatists in the 1970s ... The violence is not limited to Corsica's coast....(size: 6.7Kb)
Kypost
18 Feb 2013
CINCINNATI - Presidents Day honors the leaders of our nation, but that story can’t be told without looking back at the Tri-State's history. Here are the top nine Presidents Day fun facts with Tri-State ties. 1. Eight men, seven of whom were born in the Buckeye State, called Ohio home before making the White House their temporary dwelling. Those presidents were ... Grant (18) Point Pleasant, Ohio Rutherford B ... Harding (29) Corsica, Ohio. 2 ... 3 ... 4....(size: 2.9Kb)
noodls
18 Feb 2013
(Source. Penn State - The Pennsylvania State University). UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. -- Three teams of Penn State students recently competed in the Sports Turf Managers Student Challenge, and two earned Top-3 finishes in their divisions ... Leonard, Md ... Ben Gotwalt, of Elizabethtown; Mike Scheyd, of Kensington, Conn.; Todd Pully, of Lewistown; and Jacob Leadbetter, of Corsica; also competed in the Four-Year Division. distributed by ... (noodl....(size: 3.1Kb)
"Corse" redirects here. For other uses, see Corse (disambiguation) and Corsica (disambiguation).
| Corsica Corse |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
| — Region of France — | |||
|
|||
 |
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| Country |  France |
||
| Prefecture | Ajaccio | ||
| Departments | |||
| Government | |||
| • President | Paul Giacobbi (PRG) | ||
| Area | |||
| • Total | 8,680 km2 (3,350 sq mi) | ||
| Population (2008-01-01) | |||
| • Total | 302,000 | ||
| • Density | 35/km2 (90/sq mi) | ||
| Time zone | CET (UTC+1) | ||
| • Summer (DST) | CEST (UTC+2) | ||
| GDP/ Nominal | € 7 billion (2006)[1] | ||
| GDP per capita | € 20,300 (2006)[1] | ||
| NUTS Region | FR8 | ||
| Website | www.corse.fr | ||
Corsica ( /ˈkɔːrsɪkə/; French: Corse, IPA: [kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica; Italian: Corsica, IPA: [ˈkɔrsika]) is a French island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the Italian island of Sardinia. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain.
Corsica is one of the 27 régions of France, although strictly speaking Corsica is designated as a territorial collectivity (collectivité territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivity, it enjoys greater powers than other French régions, but for the most part its status is quite similar. Corsica is referred to as a "région" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other régions of France.
Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian Sea and is closer to Italy than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is part of Metropolitan France. It was once briefly an independent Corsican Republic, until being incorporated into France in 1769. Its culture has French and Italian elements blended into it.
Napoléon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, the capital city of Corsica, where his ancestral home Casa Buonaparte is also located. Corsica is also the birthplace of the singers Tino Rossi and Alizée.
Contents |
History[link]
Corsica has been occupied continuously since the Mesolithic era. It acquired an indigenous population that was influential in the Mediterranean during its long prehistory.
After a brief occupation by the Carthaginians, colonization by the ancient Greeks, and an only slightly longer occupation by the Etruscans, it was incorporated by the Roman Republic and became with Sardinia a province of the Roman Empire.
In the 5th century, the Roman Empire collapsed and the island was invaded by the Vandals, the Visigoths, the Saracens, and the Lombards. Pepin the Short, king of the Franks and Charlemagne's father, expelled the invaders and granted Corsica to Pope Stephen II through the exarchate of Ravenna (756), which was the starting point of the temporal power of the papacy.
The Genoese took possession of the island in 1347, and governed it until 1729 – interrupted only by a brief occupation by forces of a Franco-Ottoman alliance in the Invasion of Corsica (1553)[citation needed].
Independent Corsica[link]
In 1729 the Corsican Revolution for independence began. After 26 years of struggle the independent Corsican Republic was formed in 1755 under the leadership of Pasquale Paoli and remained sovereign until 1769 when it was conquered by France. The first Corsican Constitution was written in Italian (the language of culture in Corsica until the end of the 19th century) by Paoli. He proclaimed that Italian was the official language of Corsica.
The Corsican Republic was unable to eject the Genoese from the major coastal bodies. Following French losses in the Seven Years War, Corsica was purchased by France from the Republic of Genoa in 1764. After an announcement and brief war in 1768–69 Corsican resistance was largely ended at the Battle of Ponte Novu. Despite triggering the Corsican Crisis in Britain, whose government gave secret aid, no foreign military support came for the Corsicans. Corsica was incorporated into France in 1770, marking the end of Corsican sovereignty. However, nationalist feelings still ran high.
Following the outbreak of the 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 Anglo-Corsican Kingdom. Following Spain's entry into the war the British decided to withdraw from Corsica in 1796. Corsica then returned to French rule.
In 1814, near the end of the Napoleonic Wars, the island 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 Castelreagh who insisted that the island should be returned to a restored French monarchy.
In Corsica, vendetta was a social code that required Corsicans to kill anyone who wronged the family honor. Between 1821 and 1852, no fewer than 4,300 murders were perpetrated in Corsica.[2]
Modern Corsica[link]
After the collapse of France to the German Wehrmacht in 1940, it came under the rule of the Vichy French regime, which was collaborating with the Nazis. Prior to its use as an aircraft base to attack German-occupied Italy, it was liberated by Italian and Free French Forces shortly after the Italian armistice in 1943.
During World War II, the island was nicknamed "USS Corsica", as the United States military established 17 airfields on Corsica for American tactical bomber groups attacking targets in Italy. One of the pilots stationed there was Joseph Heller, who would use his wartime experience in the creation of his novel Catch-22.
During the May 1958 crisis, French paratroopers from the Algerian corps landed on Corsica on May 24, taking the French island in a bloodless action called "Operation Corse."[3]
Geography[link]
Corsica was formed through volcanic explosions, and is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean.
It is 183 kilometres (114 mi) long at longest, 83 kilometres (52 mi) wide at widest, has 1,000 kilometres (620 mi) of coastline, more than 200 beaches, and is very mountainous, with Monte Cinto as the highest peak at 2,706 metres (8,878 ft) and 20 other summits of more than 2,000 metres (6,600 ft). Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Forest comprises 20% of the island.
Approximately 3,500 km2 (1,400 sq mi) of the total surface area of 8,680 km2 (3,350 sq mi) is dedicated to nature reserves (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse), mainly in the interior.[4] Corsica contains the GR20, one of Europe's most notable hiking trails.
The island is 90 kilometres (56 mi) from Tuscany in Italy and 170 kilometres (110 mi) from the Côte d'Azur in France. It is separated from Sardinia to the south by the Strait of Bonifacio, a minimum of 11 kilometres (6.8 mi) wide.[4]
Major communities[link]
Main articles: Communes of the Haute-Corse department and Communes of the Corse-du-Sud department
In 2005 the population of Corsica was settled in approximately 360 communities.[5]
Climate[link]
| Climate data for Ajaccio, largest city and capital of Corsica | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Average high °C (°F) | 13.3 (55.9) |
13.7 (56.7) |
15.0 (59.0) |
17.4 (63.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
24.5 (76.1) |
27.6 (81.7) |
27.7 (81.9) |
25.4 (77.7) |
22.0 (71.6) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.4 (57.9) |
19.95 (67.91) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 8.6 (47.5) |
9.0 (48.2) |
10.1 (50.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
15.7 (60.3) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.9 (71.4) |
22.1 (71.8) |
19.9 (67.8) |
16.7 (62.1) |
12.6 (54.7) |
9.6 (49.3) |
14.80 (58.64) |
| Average low °C (°F) | 3.9 (39.0) |
4.3 (39.7) |
5.3 (41.5) |
7.3 (45.1) |
10.6 (51.1) |
13.8 (56.8) |
16.2 (61.2) |
16.5 (61.7) |
14.4 (57.9) |
11.4 (52.5) |
7.7 (45.9) |
4.8 (40.6) |
9.68 (49.42) |
| Precipitation mm (inches) | 73.8 (2.906) |
69.7 (2.744) |
58.1 (2.287) |
52.0 (2.047) |
40.2 (1.583) |
19.0 (0.748) |
11.0 (0.433) |
19.9 (0.783) |
43.6 (1.717) |
87.0 (3.425) |
95.9 (3.776) |
75.5 (2.972) |
645.7 (25.421) |
| Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) | 8.9 | 8.7 | 8.3 | 7.2 | 5.7 | 2.8 | 1.3 | 2.4 | 4.3 | 7.3 | 8.6 | 9.1 | 74.6 |
| Mean monthly sunshine hours | 133.3 | 145.0 | 189.1 | 225.0 | 282.1 | 321.0 | 365.8 | 331.7 | 264.0 | 210.8 | 150.0 | 127.1 | 2,744.9 |
| Source: Hong Kong Observatory[6] | |||||||||||||
Ecology[link]
| Native name: Corsica Nickname: L’Île de Beauté The Isle of Beauty |
|
|---|---|
 Topography of Corsica |
|
 |
|
| Geography | |
| Location | Mediterranean Sea |
| Area | 8,680 km2 (3,351 sq mi) |
| Length | 184 km (114.3 mi) |
| Width | 83 km (51.6 mi) |
| Coastline | 1,000 km (600 mi) |
| Highest elevation | 2,706 m (8,878 ft) |
| Highest point | Monte Cinto |
| Country | |
|
France
|
|
| Région | Corsica |
| Largest city | Ajaccio (pop. 63,723) |
| Demographics | |
| Population | 302,000 (as of Jan. 2008) |
| Density | 35 /km2 (91 /sq mi) |
Zones by altitude[link]
The island is divided into three major ecological zones by altitude.[7] Below 600 metres (2,000 ft) is the coastal zone, which features a Mediterranean climate, with hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters. The natural vegetation is Mediterranean forests, woodlands, and shrubs. The coastal lowlands are part of the Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests ecoregion, in which forests and woodlands of evergreen sclerophyll oaks predominate, chiefly Holm Oak (Quercus ilex) and Cork Oak (Quercus suber). Much of the coastal lowlands have been cleared for agriculture, grazing and logging, which have reduced the forests considerably.
There is considerable birdlife in Corsica. In some cases Corsica is a delimited part of the species range. For example, the subspecies of Hooded Crow, Corvus cornix ssp cornix occurs in Corsica, but no further south.[8]
From 600 to 1,800 metres (2,000 to 5,900 ft) is a temperate montane zone. The mountains are cooler and wetter, and home to the Corsican montane broadleaf and mixed forests ecoregion, which supports diverse forests of oak, pine, and broadleaf deciduous trees, with vegetation more typical of northern Europe. The population lives predominantly below 900 metres (3,000 ft), with only shepherds and hikers at 600 to 900 metres (2,000 to 3,000 ft).
From 1,800 to 2,700 metres (5,900 to 8,900 ft) is a high alpine zone. Vegetation is sparse. In spite of the southern location, the highest elevations are snow-capped with small glaciers.[citation needed] This zone is uninhabited.
Zones by region[link]
Parc Naturel Régional de Corse[link]
The island has a natural park (Parc Naturel Régional de Corse, Parcu di Corsica), which protects the rare animal and plant species. The parc 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 mouflon (Ovis aries musimon) and Corsican red deer (Cervus elaphus corsicanus) inhabit the parc. The Corsican red deer was re-introduced after it was extinct due to overhunting. This Corsican subspecies was the same that survived on Sardinia, so its endemic. There are some more species that exist only on the island of Corsica especially in the upper mountain range, i.g. Corsican Nuthatch, Corsican Fire Salamander and Corsican Brook Salamander and many plant subspecies.
Extinct animals[link]
Corsica, like all the other Mediterranean islands, was home to indigenous animals of the Pleistocene, some endemic to it and some to it and Sardinia (as Sardinia was joined to Corsica for much of the Pleistocene). After the proliferation of humans in the Mesolithic, these began to disappear, partly from extinction of the species, and partly from eradication only in Corsica. However it is now known that many species managed to survive the mesolithic, and many were still present well into recorded history.[9]
The totally extinct species are Cynotherium sardous, Megaloceros cazioti, Soriculus corsicanus, Prolagus sardus, Bubo insularis and Athene angelis. Birds were especially hard-hit. Some that were eradicated from the vicinity are Haliaeetos albicilla and Aquila heliaca.
Demographics[link]
See also: Corsican people
In the 1998 census, 87.1% of the population was French-born[clarification needed] with 10% (26,018) being born out of France. The majority of immigrants were from the Maghreb region, particularly Moroccans (41.9% of immigrants) but also Italians (18.7%) and Portuguese (12.3%).[10]
Culture[link]
Language[link]
Main article: Corsican language
Corsica is one of the few regions of France that retains its own language in everyday usage: Corsican, which is more closely related to Italian than to French, is spoken by 65% of the population. However, since its takeover by France in the 18th century, French has dominated the media and commerce, and today it is spoken and understood by the entire population (though not all speak it as a native language).
Cuisine[link]
From the mountains to the plains and sea, many ingredients play a role. Game such as wild boar (Cignale, Singhjari) is popular. There also is seafood and river fish such as trout. Delicatessen such as ficatellu (also named as ficateddu), coppa, ham (prizuttu), lonzu are made from Corsican pork (porcu nustrale). Cheeses like Brocciu, casgiu merzu, casgiu veghju are made from goat or sheep milk. Chestnuts are the main ingredient in the making of pulenta. A variety of alcohol also exists ranging from aquavita (brandy), red and white Corsican wines (Vinu Corsu), muscat (plain or sparkling), and the famous "cap corse" produced by Mattei.
Art[link]
Corsica has produced a number of internationally known artists including the abstract painter François Lanzi and the polyphonic chant groups A Filetta and I Muvrini.
Administration[link]
The capital of Corsica is Ajaccio (Corsican: Aiacciu). The ruling body is the Corsican Assembly. The territorial collectivity is divided in two départements: Corse-du-Sud and Haute-Corse. These two départements were created on 15 September 1975 by splitting the hitherto united département of Corse.
Recent attempts to gain greater autonomy for the territorial collectivity of Corsica have failed. A local referendum held in 2003, aimed at disbanding the départements and leaving only the territorial collectivity with extended powers, was voted down by a narrow margin.
Economy[link]
Corsica is the least economically developed region in Metropolitan France.[1] 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. Tourism is particularly concentrated in the area around Porto Vecchio and Bonifacio in the south of the island and Calvi in the northwest.
In 1584 the Genoese governor ordered all farmers and landowners to plant four trees yearly; a chestnut, olive, fig, and mulberry tree. Many communities owe their origin and former richness to the ensuing chestnut woods.[11] Chestnut bread keeps fresh for as long as three weeks.[12] Corsica produces gourmet cheese, wine, sausages, and honey for sale in mainland France and for export. Corsican honey, of which there are six official varietals, 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).
Transport[link]
Railway[link]
Corsica has 232 kilometres (144 mi) of narrow-gauge railway. The main line runs between Bastia and Ajaccio and there is a branch line from Ponte-Leccia to Calvi. The trains are operated by Chemins de fer de Corse (CFC).
There is also a third line along the east coast that is no longer in use due to heavy damage during World War II. There has been talk of restoring it but as yet nothing has happened.
Politics[link]
 |
This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (May 2012) |
Corsica is currently governed in almost the same way as any other région of France. There are several nationalist movements on the island calling for some degree of Corsican autonomy from France or even full independence. Generally speaking, autonomist 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 of greater autonomy, but polls show that a large majority of Corsicans are opposed to full independence.[13]
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 since it did not complain to Italy to make this situation change. To stop the poisoning, one ship carrying toxic waste from Italy was bombed.[citation needed]
Organisations started to seek money, acting like 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 assassination, usually targeting buildings and officials representing the French government or Corsicans themselves for political reasons. 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 (similar to Italian), whose practice and teaching, like other regional or minority languages in France, had in the past been discouraged. According to the UNESCO classification, the Corsican language is currently in danger of becoming extinct. However, plans for increased autonomy were opposed by the 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.[citation needed][dubious – discuss]
In a referendum on 6 July 2003, a narrow majority of Corsican voters opposed a project from 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.[citation needed]
See also[link]
Notes[link]
- ^ a b c "GDP per inhabitant in 2006 ranged from 25% of the EU27 average in Nord-Est in Romania to 336% in Inner London". Eurostat. http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/pls/portal/docs/PAGE/PGP_PRD_CAT_PREREL/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2009/PGE_CAT_PREREL_YEAR_2009_MONTH_02/1-19022009-EN-AP.PDF.
- ^ "Wanderings in Corsica: its history and its heroes". Ferdinand Gregorovius (1855). p.196.
- ^ Jacques Massu obituary
- ^ a b Price, Gillian. Walking on Corsica: Long-Distance and Short Walks. Cicerone Press Limited. p. 9. ISBN 1-85284-387-X.
- ^ Keyser, William (2005). "Corsican Villages and Towns" (PDF). Corsica Isula. http://www.corsica-isula.com/downloads/Corsican_Villages_and_Towns.pdf. Retrieved 29 April 2008.
- ^ "Climatological Information for Ajaccio, France" – Hong Kong Observatory
- ^ Gregory, Desmond (1985). The ungovernable rock: a history of the Anglo-Corsican Kingdom and its role in Britain's Mediterranean strategy during the Revolutionary War, 1793–1797. London: Fairleigh Dickinson University Press. p. 16. ISBN 0-8386-3225-4.
- ^ C. Michael Hogan. 2009. Hooded Crow: Corvus cornix, GlobalTwitcher.com, ed, N. Stromberg
- ^ MacPhee, R.D.E.; Hans-Dieter Sues (1999). Extinctions in Near Time: Causes, Contexts, and Consequences. Springer. p. 179. ISBN 0-306-46092-0.
- ^ 2004 statistics:Atlas des populations immigrées en Corse. (French)
- ^ The Chestnut Tree in terracorsa.
- ^ The Grocer's Encyclopedia – Encyclopedia of Foods and Beverages. By Artemas Ward. New York. 1911.
- ^ "89 % des corses opposés à l’indépendance de l’île" (in French), Nouvel Observateur, http://tempsreel.nouvelobs.com/actualite/politique/20081001.OBS3635/89-des-corses-opposes-a-l-independance-de-l-ile.html .
Bibliography[link]
- 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
- 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[link]
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Corsica |
- Costa, L.J.; Cécile Costa (2005). "Préhistoire de la Corse". Kyrnos Publications pour l'archéologie. http://www.prehistoire-corse.org/. Retrieved 26 April 2008. (French)
- "TerraCorsa,I Muvrini and much more Corsican music". TerraCorsa. http://www.terracorsa.info. Retrieved 22 August 2011.
- Dumas, Alexandre (1845, 2003). "The Corsican Brothers". Arthur's Classical Novels. Archived from the original on 19 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080419073755/http://arthursclassicnovels.com/arthurs/dumas/corsic10.html. Retrieved 27 April 2008. (English)
- Corsica at the Open Directory Project (English)
- "Corsica". Wikitravel. 2008. http://wikitravel.org/en/Corsica. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- "National Geographic Magazine: Corsica Map". National Geographic Society. 2003. http://yellowbordermagazine.com/ngm/0304/feature3/map.html. Retrieved 5 May 2008.
- "Corsica rejects autonomy offer by Paris". CNN. 6 July 2003. Archived from the original on 8 April 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20080408111248/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/07/06/corsica.poll/index.html. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- Keyser, Will. "Corsica from the inside!". Corsica Isula. http://www.corsica-isula.com. Retrieved 26 April 2008.
- jabro. "Getting around in Corsica by bicycle". jabro.net. http://www.jabro.net/photos-fotky/by-bicycle/category/2-korsika-corsica-corse. Retrieved 28 August 2009.
- Guiderdoni, jf. "A different visit of Corsica". corsica_experience. http://www.corsicaexperience.com. Retrieved 5 June 2011.
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Coordinates: 42°9′N 9°5′E / 42.15°N 9.083°E / 42.15; 9.083
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This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corsica
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Nathan Fake | |
|---|---|
| Press shot at a Norfolk beach in 2009. Press shot at a Norfolk beach in 2009. |
|
| Background information | |
| Origin | Norfolk, England |
| Genres | Electronica, Techno, Ambient |
| Occupations | Producer |
| Years active | 2003–present |
| Website | www.nathanfake.co.uk |
Nathan Fake is an English electronic music artist from Norfolk, who has released numerous singles as well as two album releases on the label Border Community Recordings. His music has been used in soundtracks for TV shows and an advertisement.
In 2006, his debut album Drowning in a Sea of Love was released on Border Community. The album received very good reviews in the music press.[1] He released a six track mini-album Hard Islands in 2009.[2]
Contents |
Discography[link]
Albums[link]
- Drowning in a Sea of Love (2006) - Border Community
- Hard Islands (2009) - Border Community
EP[link]
- Outhouse (2003) - Border Community
- Watlington Street EP (2004) - Saw Recordings
- The Sky Was Pink (2004) - Border Community
- Dinamo EP (2005) Traum Schallplatten
- Silent Night (2005) - Border Community 7" release
- Drowning in a Sea of Remixes (Remix EP) (2006) - Border Community
- You Are Here (2007) - Border Community
Remixes[link]
- Avus - "Real (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Border Community (2004)
- Perc - "Closer (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Premier Sounds (2004)
- DJ Remy - "Scrambled (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Additive Records (2004)
- Steve Lawler - "Out at Night (Nathan's Night In)" - Subversive Records (2004)
- Tiefschwarz - "Isst (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Fine Records (2005)
- Shocking Pinks - "Dressed To Please (Nathan Fake Remix)" - DFA Records (2008)
- Vincent Oliver - "Cluods in The Haeds (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Lo Recordings (2008)
- Grasscut - "Muppet (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Ninja Tune (2010)
- Jon Hopkins - "Wire (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Double Six Recordings (2010)
- Walls - "Gaberdine" - Kompakt (2010)
- PVT - "Light Up Bright Fires (Nathan Fake Remix)" - Warp Records (2010)
- Radiohead - "Morning Mr Magpie (Nathan Fake RMX)" (2011)
Compilation appearances[link]
- Numb Chance (2006) - Elektronische Musik: Interkontinental 5 - Traum Schallplatten
Collaborations[link]
- "Lava Flow" (collaboration with Milky Globe) (2006) - LoEB
Television[link]
- The track "Grandfathered" was used in an ad for the Motorola Pebl phone and in the television programme Charlie Brooker's Screenwipe.
- The track "You Are Here" was used in the CSI: Miami episode "Miami Confidential". The FortDax remix is used as the theme tune to BBC Four's Newswipe with Charlie Brooker.[3]
References[link]
- ^ Ranta, Alan "TMT gives Nathan Fake debut 4.5/5". Tiny Mix Tapes. Retrieved on September 30, 2008
- ^ Ranta, Alan (May 20, 2009). "Nathan Fake: Hard Islands". PopMatters. Retrieved on June 14, 2010.
- ^ http://www.myspace.com/fortdax
External links[link]
- Nathan Fake Official Site
- Border Community
- Nathan Fake feature on BBC Collective
- Nathan Fake discography at Discogs
- Video tutorial on composing by Nathan Fake
- Nathan Fake Mixtape on Andrew Meza's BTS Radio
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Fake, Nathan |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1 March 1983 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
  |
This article about an English musician is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
| Mireille Mathieu | |
|---|---|
 Hamburg 1971 |
|
| Background information | |
| Also known as | Mimi Sparrow from Avignon |
| Born | (1946-07-22) 22 July 1946 (age 65) Avignon, Vaucluse, France |
| Genres | Chanson, Pop standards |
| Occupations | Singer, Publisher, Author |
| Years active | 1962[1]–present |
| Labels | Ariola Records Metronome Records Atlantic Records Capitol Warner Music France Columbia Records Philips Records Barclay Records |
| Website | mireillemathieu.com |
Mireille Mathieu (French pronunciation: [miˈʁɛj maˈtjø]) (born 22 July 1946) is a French chanteuse, and pop singer. Hailed in the French press as the successor to Édith Piaf, she has achieved great commercial success, recording over 1200 songs in nine different languages, with more than 120 million records sold worldwide.
Contents |
Biography[link]
Childhood to early teens[link]
Mireille Mathieu was born and raised in Avignon, Vaucluse département, France, the eldest daughter of a family of fourteen children. The youngest brother born after she had moved to Paris. Her father Roger (French pronunciation: [ʁɔ.ʒe]) was from Avignon, and her mother Marcelle-Sophie Poirier came to Avignon from Dunkirk in 1944, as a refugee from World War II. Roger, with his father Arcade, ran a stonemason shop outside the Saint-Véran Cemetery in Avignon, which is still in business today.[2] The family lived in poverty, and were dependent on government housing.[3]
Roger had once dreamed of becoming a singer, but his father Arcade disapproved, inspiring him to have one of his children learn to sing with him in church. Mireille's first paid performance before an audience, at age four, was rewarded with a lollipop. Another defining moment was seeing Édith Piaf sing on television.[3]
Mireille performed poorly in elementary school due to dyslexia, requiring an extra year to graduate. Born left handed, her teachers used a ruler to strike her hand each time she was caught writing with it.[3] She became right handed, although her left hand remains quite animated while singing. She has a fantastic memory, and never uses a prompter on stage.[4] Abandoning higher education, she began work in a local factory in Montfavet at age fourteen (1960), where she helped with the family income and paid for singing lessons. Very popular at work, she often sang songs at lunch, or while working. Like her parents, she is a short woman at five-feet in height. Her sister Monique (French pronunciation: [mo.nikə]) began work at the same factory a few months later, both given bicycles on credit to commute with, making for very long days. The factory went out of business, so Mireille and her two oldest sisters became youth counselors for the summer before her rise to fame. A summer where she had her fortune told by Tarot cards by an old Gypsy woman, saying she would soon mingle with Kings and Queens.[3]
Mireille is Roman Catholic, and her patron Saint is Saint Rita. Saint Rita is the Saint for the Impossible. Mireille's paternal grandmother Germaine assured her that Saint Rita was the one to pray to for hopeless cases. Beyond religion, like many artists, she is unabashed about superstition and luck. She has a terrible stage fright, and can be seen making the sign of the cross before moving out on stage.[3][4]
First public appearances[link]
Mathieu began her career by participating in singing contests. Her private singing lessons were from Madame Laure Collière, who was also a piano teacher in Avignon.[5] Self described as very stubborn in her autobiography, she wrote about singing love songs that the audience thought were inappropriate for a young girl.[3] Thus, losing to Michèle Torr in 1962 during Avignon's first On Chante dans mon Quartier contest, and losing again in 1963. In 1964, though, she won the event with the Édith Piaf song "La Vie en rose." Her win got her a pre-audition on the televised talent show Jeu de la Chance in Paris, on which amateur singers competed for audience votes. Her participation and train fare, arranged by Raoul Colombe, the deputy mayor of Avignon. Accompanied by a pianist and dressed in black, like Piaf, she sang two Piaf songs to the audition judges and left dispirited. Non-French cannot hear it, but Parisians at the studio made fun of her Provençal accent, and her dyslexia scrambled words. For example, her sister and current manager, Monique is called "Matite" because Mireille couldn't pronounce "petite" as a child.[3]
During a 1965 summer gala, added to the Enrico Macias concert by Raoul Colombe (her first manager), she met her future manager Johnny Stark.[3][6] Mireille and her father both thought he was an American based on his mannerisms, and they nicknamed him l'Américain. Stark had worked with singers such as Yves Montand, and the relationship between him and Mathieu is often described as resembling that between Colonel Tom Parker and Elvis Presley.[7] Stark is credited with making her a star and the successor to Piaf.[8] By 1968, under his careful management, she was France's most popular singer.[6]
[edit] Breakthrough: Télé-Dimanche and Olympia
| Quotation |
| Mireille has all to learn. How to walk, how to breathe, how to enunciate properly. But no one should ever touch that voice! |
| - Johnny Stark 1966 |
On Sunday 21 November 1965, Mathieu performed live on Jeu de la Chance, a talent segment of the popular French program "Télé-Dimanche." Both the studio audience and telephone voters gave her a slight lead over five-time winner Georgette Lemaire, so the producers called it a tie. Johnny Stark officially became her manager that night, and with his longtime assistant Nadine Joubert, helped prepare Mireille to win the contest the following week.[3] In a later interview, she underscored the importance of the event: "For me, Paris was the end of the world. I never took a train or saw a camera before. I did not know what the outcome of the adventure would be."[9]
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In the middle of her seven consecutive performances on Télé-Dimanche[10] she performed a concert at the Paris Olympia, which propelled her to stardom. She signed with Bruno Coquatrix, the owner of the Olympia, on 20 December, and performed the only three Piaf songs she had memorized, two days later.[3][10] She was hailed in the press, in France and abroad, as the "Sparrow from Avignon," in reference to Piaf's nickname "Sparrow of the Streets."[5] The Olympia performance convinced a skeptical Paul Mauriat to work with Mireille, and song writer André Pascal joined forces to develop her into a successful act. Pascal wrote Mon crédo, Viens dans ma rue, La première étoile and many other hit songs for her.[3] Her first album En Direct de L'Olympia – on the Barclay label – was released in 1966. Highly acclaimed, along with the singles and EP's from it, the album made her a star outside of France.[3]
A regular early contributor of material was Francis Lai, who wrote two songs: C'est ton nom, and Un homme et une femme for her first album, and often accompanied her with his accordion on television. Her first record was recorded in the EMI studios, with Paul Mauriat's band.[3] Mathieu's success led her record company, Barclay, to claim that they controlled 40% of the French pop disk market.[11]
Mireille spent all of 1966 and 1967 touring. It was during a car ride to another concert that Stark advised Mireille that she was finally debt free, and worth more than a million francs. She had always prayed that she could get her family out of poverty, but the touring and singing were much more important at the time. In her autobiography, she said her first major purchases were a vehicle for her father's business, and a large home for her parents and siblings. Most important, a telephone, so her parents no longer had to go to the pharmacy to talk to her in Paris. Her one regret was that she was unable to see her grandmother Germaine in the hospital before she died during these tours.[3]
Following her performance at the London Palladium, her French cover of Engelbert Humperdinck's "The Last Waltz" (La dernière valse) generated much publicity in Great Britain and was a hit even though the original had been number one only a few months previously. She also toured Canada and the United States where she appeared on the Ed Sullivan Show and the Danny Kaye Show. While on a visit to Hollywood, she met Elvis Presley, and in Las Vegas sang with Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra.[3]
Career[link]
Although the popularity of her genre suffered, given the domination of Rock and Roll and the global lack of interest in non-English popular music during her most profitable years, she remained a popular artist in France and other countries. Many thousands of fans have met her before and after performances for autographs and well wishes over the years, and the common refrain is how well she treats her fans. She easily interacts with the public. While the Mathieu sisters are quite wealthy, they have made their song writers extremely wealthy. Most of the record profits go to the authors, while Mireille had to tour and perform concerts live and on television.[12]
| Quotation |
| In the life of a singer, it's not all triumphs and happy memories; there are days you have to go out there when it's the last thing you feel like doing. |
| - Mireille Mathieu |
While on tour in February 1968, Mireille was in a car accident in which she fractured one of her vertebrae; the injury sidelined her for three months.[13][14] She writes in her book, that they received a note which said "we will get you next time" but it was not proved to be anything but an accident.[3][15] While she showed no signs of the accident throughout most of her career, she now has to be helped down the stairs, and moves with great difficulty. When she is singing she forgets her pain, but after the song she moves much like her ninety year old mother.
In 1971, Barclay was unable to meet the demands for records. Johnny Stark then made a contract for Philips Records to print all the Singles, and EP's, resulting in a US $1 Million lawsuit from Barclay for breach of contract. Barclay's contract was to run until 1972.[16]
In 1972, Mireille toured Canada and produced a live album. Johnny Stark suffered his first heart attack while making arrangements for this concert.[17]
In 1985, Mireille joined in a huge project by Placido Domingo, called The Tales of Cri-Cri. This television special used puppets along with fifty-years of traditional Mexican songs, producing popular versions in Spanish, French, and English. Mireille's father Roger died this same year.[18]
In 1986, she performed a concert in Beijing, China. In her autobiography she states that she was the first Western performer to give a concert, but this was in error, as at least two other Western performances preceded hers. [19]
In 1988, Mathieu published her autobiography with co-author Jacqueline Cartier. The title is Oui Je Crois which is taken from the lyrics of Mon crédo, her first recording. The book was seen as a final chapter in her career. The French public had pretty much disowned her, as a conservative relic. A pre-revolution (1968) Gaullist figurehead.[12]
In 1989, President François Mitterrand invited Mathieu to sing a tribute to General Charles de Gaulle.[12] Johnny Stark died the same year after his second heart attack. Divorced and estranged from his family, Johnny was entombed in the mausoleum Mathieu in Avignon.
Mireille writes in her autobiography that she and Johnny Stark understood each other. She wanted to be a singer, and he was tired of people who just wanted to be famous. They were both hard workers, and he kept her schedule filled with lucrative contracts. She also writes that she was forbidden to read the press, and having peeked at some of it, was content to follow that rule. Stark, of course, had a heavy hand in manipulating the press. Mireille writes that her mother was often surprised to read on the front page that she was engaged to a movie star, Prince, or Duke.[3] Upon Starks death, everyone said that no one could replace him, and it proved true, but by then the entertainment press had also matured.
Stark left behind a legal "bloody mess" that took Mireille's lawyers years to close out and process the taxes. "I had a great depression, but I got out without needing analysis."[17]
Many photographs and films from the early years show the life around Johnny Stark's villa in Roquefort-la-Bédoule (south of France). The villa, also named "la Bédoule", allowed everyone to escape from Paris and relax. The home supported Johnny's telephone addiction with 28 telephones, with each car also having a phone. Mireille lived here with her aunt Irene, and brothers and sisters would often visit. The pool was designed to be shallow all around, and deep in the center, as Mireille has a fear of drowning, and never learned to swim. The property was sold after Johnny's divorce.
The most controversial event of Mathieu's career occurred when she took over Stark's office on Avenue de Wagram, and ended her business relationship with Nadine Joubert. She lost confidence in Nadine who tried to modernize her act, and the L'Américain album failed miserably, along with the strain of Starks legal affairs setting her back financially. Her sister Monique stepped in to become her business manager, and the two women have since remained profitable in the industry.[12][17]
In December 1990, She gave a series of concerts at the Palais des Congrès in Paris.
| Quotation |
| My songs always speak of love, that's the way I like them. |
| - Mireille Mathieu |
In 1993, she released two albums devoted to her idol, Édith Piaf, essentially retracing her roots. One album was in French, the other in German. Her unique vibrato since childhood has mostly faded by this stage, and her use of both alveolar and uvular trills, popular with many Parisian singers, becomes dominant.
In January 1996, Vous lui Direz was released. She did not perform live in France to promote the album, preferring rather to go to Los Angeles, where she gave a tribute to Judy Garland. She was dressed by Christian Lacroix.[12]
In 1999, she released a German album Alles nur ein Spiel, with Francis Lai on accordion.
In 2002, she released her thirty-seventh French album: De tes mains, followed by a series of concerts at the Paris Olympia in November.
Mathieu celebrated the fortieth anniversary of her career at the Paris Olympia in November 2005, and released her thirty-eighth French album: Mireille Mathieu 2005. The album reached number fourteen on the charts in France, and remained in the top 100 for several months.[citation needed] The performance, and interview, were recorded and released in wide-screen DVD format in 2006; however, the DVD was in European video format only. A publishing label Abilene Disc was created to produce the DVD and CD, along with a new website. Mathieu joined with Jean Claudric and his Orchestra for this concert, and has worked with him ever since. Even their latest concert to Siberia in 2012 has kept them paired and the music has always been rated excellent in reviews.[12]
In 2007, she gave her support to Nicolas Sarkozy who was the mayor of Neuilly sur Seine (Neuilly), where she has resided since coming to Paris in 1965. Sarkozy was elected President of France, and Prince of Andorra.
On 1 November 2008, she was a guest of Prime Minister Vladimir Putin in Moscow, and performed a concert in his honor. The two visited the tent of visiting Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi.[20]
On 4 November 2010 she was awarded the Russian Medal of Friendship by President Dmitry Medvedev at a State Dinner. She was in Russia and the Baltic States throughout November, returning to Paris after a concert in Warsaw, Poland on 28 November.
On 26 January 2011, Mireille was promoted from Chevalier (9 December 1999) to Officier of the Légion d'honneur.[21]
On 10 November 2011, Mathieu cancelled her concert in Israel for the second time in 2011. The promoter again failed to meet the required ticket sales.
Mireille with Jean Claudric and his Orchestra were in Siberia, Russia from 21 to 26 March 2012, visiting three cities: Perm (21 March), Tyumen (24 March), and Yekaterinburg (26 March). Yekaterinburg is where the Russian Tsar Nicholas II and his family were executed.
Discography[link]
Main article: Mireille Mathieu discography
See also[link]
|
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Mireille Mathieu |
References[link]
- ^ International Who's Who. Europa. 2001. p. 368. ISBN 978-1-85743-122-3.
- ^ Fleurs Mathieu, Réjane Mathieu Owner
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o p q Mathieu, Mireille; Cartier, Jacqueline. Oui Je Crois Q'une Vie Ca Commence Avec Un Mot D'amour. Paris: Robert Laffont, 1988.
- ^ a b Street, Julie. "Mireille Mathieu The Comeback Album". RFI Musique. http://www.rfimusique.com/musiqueen/articles/060/article_6965.asp. Retrieved 28 October 2011.
- ^ a b "A New 'Sparrow' Stirs France". LIFE: pp. 115–16. 10 June 1966. http://books.google.com/books?id=rlUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA115. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ a b Looseley, David (2003). Popular music in contemporary France: authenticity, politics, debate. Berg Publishers. pp. 32. ISBN 978-1-85973-636-4. http://books.google.com/books?id=hy0rxkj8bdoC&pg=PA32.
- ^ "Rev. of En direct de l'Olympia – Mireille Mathieu". Stereo Review, Vol. 18. 1967.
- ^ Adler, Philippe (1 May 1971). "Talent in France: Poetry, Panache and Variety". Billboard. http://books.google.com/books?id=-wgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA33. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ Lemancel, Anne-Laure. "Mireille au grand coeur: Trente-huitième album de Mireille Mathieu". RFI Musique. http://www.rfimusique.com/musiquefr/articles/069/article_15759.asp. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ a b Stéphany, Pierre (2006). Les années 60 en Belgique. Lannoo. pp. 149. ISBN 978-2-87386-487-3. http://books.google.com/books?id=xwHQ71GVSnwC&pg=PA149.
- ^ "Hot Roster Making Barclay a Pop Giant". Billboard. 28 May 1966. http://books.google.com/books?id=6xAEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA32. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ a b c d e f "Biography: Mireille Mathieu". RFI Musique. http://www.rfimusique.com/siteEn/biographie/biographie_6096.asp. Retrieved 22 September 2010.
- ^ "From the Music Capitals of the World". Billboard. 30 March 1968. http://books.google.com/books?id=pQgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA57. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Miss Mathieu to Give First Concert Since Auto Mishap". Billboard. 13 April 1968. http://books.google.com/books?id=rQoEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA52. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Mireille Mathieu 'New Piaf,' Breaks the gate in Brussels". Billboard. 25 March 1967. http://books.google.com/books?id=HSgEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PA53. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ "Barclay Sues Mathieu Mgr over Pact". Billboard. 3 April 1971. http://books.google.com/books?id=SUUEAAAAMBAJ&pg=RA1-PA57. Retrieved 26 September 2010.
- ^ a b c Bonini, Emmanuel. La véritable Mireille Mathieu. Paris: Pygmalion, 2005.
- ^ "Cri-Cri (kree-kree) To Make World Television Debut in Musical Special". Billboard. 26 January 1985. http://books.google.com/books?id=7CQEAAAAMBAJ&pg=PT57. Retrieved 25 September 2010.
- ^ International Who's Who in Popular Music 2008
- ^ "Mireille Mathieu nominated as counselor of the Russian Prosecutor General's Office". Cotidianul (Romanian Daily). 8 Sep 2010. http://www.cotidianul.ro/124143-Mireille_Mathieu_consiliera_a_Procuraturii_Generale_din_Rusia. Retrieved 24 September 2010.
- ^ "Mireille Mathieu promue officier de la Légion d'honneur par Nicolas Sarkozy". Le Post. 26 Jan 2011. http://www.lepost.fr/article/2011/01/26/2384460_mireille-mathieu-promue-officier-de-la-legion-d-honneur-par-nicolas-sarkozy.html. Retrieved 28 Jan 2011.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | Mathieu, Mireille |
| Alternative names | Mimi |
| Short description | French Chanson and Pop Singer |
| Date of birth | 22 July 1946 |
| Place of birth | Avignon, France |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
London May (born 20 July), is a rock musician best known for playing drums in Glenn Danzig's post-Misfits/pre-Danzig punk/goth band Samhain, which he joined in the summer of 1985. May played on the group's best known release, "November-Coming-Fire" as well as "Final Descent" and "Live: '85-'86"
Previously, May was the drummer for Dischord Records band, Reptile House,[1] which later became Dischord Records band Lungfish.
He remained with Samhain until February 1987, when he was replaced by Chuck Biscuits.
Later, he performed briefly with Dain Bramage (replacing a pre-Nirvana Dave Grohl), Voice of Doom, Dag Nasty[2](with Minor Threat's Brian Baker and Doug Carrion of The Descendents), and remained for longer stints in Lunchbox (with T.S.O.L.'s Ron Emory), Dead, White, and Blue, Distorted Pony (recorded/produced by Steve Albini), Sheppard Pratt (on drums and guitar, produced by The Cramps/Nick Cave's Kid Congo Powers), The Amazing Chan Clan (on guitar), and Carbonation (on guitar with producer Paul Stacy of Oasis/Black Crows).
London re-joined Samhain for their 1999 reunion tour, switching off on bass and drums with Steve Zing. He later drummed for Tiger Army[3] and recorded their classic "Power Of Moonlight" CD along with Son of Sam's first album, "Songs From The Earth", which featured vocalist Davey Havok of AFI and a guest appearance by Glenn Danzig.[4]
In 2003 London joined The Hunns (featuring skateboarding legend Duane Peters) for a blitzkrieg 35 date tour of Europe. While on tour London met the German born FrankEEE and together they formed the rock "melancholia" band 'The Foul and the Fragrant' and have released two albums. The Foul and The Fragrant is an international project in which the members use internet file sharing to write and record material.[5]
In 2008 May founded the Los Angeles-based hardcore punk rock tribute band Millions Of Dead Comps. with Chris Bratton (ex-Chain Of Strength, Inside Out, Drive Like Jehu) and all proceeds from their performances are donated to charity. To date, the group has raised over $2000 for various charities in and around Los Angeles.[6]
In 2009 Metallica selected Samhain to appear as a special guest artist on their Guitar Hero: Metallica video game and May's original drum track from "Mother Of Mercy," a song from the 1986 album, "Samhain III November-Coming-Fire," is featured. The game has sold over 1.5 million copies and has been nominated for 2010 music video game of the year.[7]
London and his former band Distorted Pony re-convened in 2010 for their 20th anniversary and have been rehearsing and recording new material in preparation for a new release and European tour. In May, the band played three consecutive nights in Los Angeles to celebrate there return to the stage after disbanding 17 years ago.
Also in 2010, Minor Threat/Fugazi/Dischord Records front man Ian Mackaye and London have been working on the upcoming 25th anniversary re-release of Reptile House's first Dischord 7" from 1985 (which Mackaye also produced.)
May has also traveled the globe as a solo performer and fund raiser, recently performing in Cairo, Egypt and Beijing, China where he helped raise money for animal welfare by performing in a Misfits tribute band.
In March 2010 London (also a part-time ER nurse) spent a week in earthquake ravaged Haiti where he volunteered as part of an emergency medical team.
Branching out even further, London recently starred in the Ron Howard produced TV pilot, The Great Escape, for TNT/FOX network.
Featured Releases[link]
- REPTILE HOUSE
- Bouncing Babies Album comp. 1982
- I Stumble As The Crow Flies 7" 1985
- SAMHAIN
- November-Coming-Fire LP, CD 1986
- Final Descent CD 1990
- Box Set CD 2000
- Live: '85-'86 CD 2001
- VOICE OF DOOM
- Faith Is Torn 7" 1987
- DEAD, WHITE, AND BLUE
- Play It Safe 7" 1991
- Ego 7" 1991
- Heads CD 1992
- DISTORTED PONY
- Punishment Room CD 1992
- Gasoline Boost 7" 1993
- Instant Winner CD 1994
- Ow! Quit It 7" comp. 1994
- Smitten CD comp. 1994
- Bring Me The Head of Corporate Rock and Roll CD comp. 1994
- The Best of Bomp! CD comp. 1994
- SHEPPARD PRATT
- Blossom, Bone, and Still Alone CD 1994
- SON OF SAM
- Songs from the Earth CD 2001
- Punkzilla Comp. CD comp. 2001
- TIGER ARMY
- Tiger Army II: Power of Moonlite CD 2001
- Give 'Em the Boot III CD comp. 2002
- Punk-O-Rama Vol. 8 CD comp.(video only) 2002
- 30 DOLLAR MUSIC SCHOOL
- TREEPHORT
- Enchanted Forest CD (producer) 2004
- THE FOUL AND THE FRAGRANT
- Dead In The Center CD 2005
- All The Fetisch CD 2010
References[link]
- ^ "Reptile House biography". All Music Guide. http://www.allmusic.com/artist/p425081/biography. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ "Interview: Peter Cortner". The Big Takeover zine. http://www.bigtakeover.com/interviews/interview-peter-cortner-part-2. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ "Tiger Army News Archive 2001". Tiger Army official website. http://www.tigerarmy.com/news_2001.htm. Retrieved 2009-09-14.
- ^ "Son of Sam "Songs of the Earth"". Punk News. http://www.punknews.org/review/95. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ "MUSIC WITHOUT BOUNDARIES". THE FOUL & THE FRAGRANT official site. http://www.thefoulandthefragrant.com/_theband/_theband.php. Retrieved 2009-09-15.
- ^ "Millions of Dead Comps". Los Angeles times. http://theguide.latimes.com/music/millions-of-dead-comps-event. Retrieved 2009-08-13. [dead link]
- ^ "Sneak Peek: 'Guitar Hero: Metallica'". Spin Magazine. http://www.spin.com/articles/sneak-peek-guitar-hero-metallica. Retrieved 2009-08-13.
| Persondata | |
|---|---|
| Name | May, London |
| Alternative names | |
| Short description | |
| Date of birth | 1967-07-20 |
| Place of birth | |
| Date of death | |
| Place of death | |
http://wn.com/London_May
This page contains text from Wikipedia, the Free Encyclopedia - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/London_May
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This article is licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License, which means that you can copy and modify it as long as the entire work (including additions) remains under this license.
