Haute-Corse

Haute-Corse (French pronunciation: ​[ot.kɔʁs]; Corsican: Corsica suprana) (English: Upper Corsica) is a department of France consisting of the northern part of the island of Corsica.

History

The department was formed on 15 September 1975, when the department of Corsica was divided into Upper Corsica (Haute-Corse) and South Corsica (Corse-du-Sud). The department corresponds exactly to the former department of Golo, which existed between 1793 and 1811.

Geography

The department is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea and on the south by the department of Corse-du-Sud.

Demographics

The people living in this subregion are called "Northerners" (Supranacci).

Culture and politics

The Corsicans are a fiercely independent people. However, a 6 July 2003 referendum on increased autonomy was voted down by a very thin majority: 50.98 percent against to 49.02 percent for. This was a major setback for French Minister of the Interior Nicolas Sarkozy, who had hoped to use Corsica as the first step in his decentralization policies.

Calvi, Haute-Corse

Calvi (French: [kal.vi]) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.

It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana.

The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2ème REP) of the French Foreign Legion is based in the citadel of Calvi.

According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.

Geography

Calvi is located on the northwest coast of the island of Corsica, 95 km (59 mi) from Bastia and 24 km (15 mi) from L'Île-Rousse. It is the fifth-largest commune in Corsica; however, the arrondissement is the smallest.

Climate

History

The motto, "Calvi semper fidelis," ("Calvi Always Faithful") referred originally to its loyalty to the Republic of Genoa.