Haute-Corse (; co, Corsica suprana , or ; en, Upper Corsica) is (as of 2022) an administrative

department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geographical and administrative division within a country, ...

of France, consisting of the northern part of the island of

Corsica Corsica ( , Upper , Southern ; it, Corsica; ; french: Corse ; lij, Còrsega; sc, Còssiga) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 18 regions of France. It is the fourth-largest island in the Mediterranean and lies southeast of ...

. The corresponding departmental territorial collectivity merged with that of Corse-du-Sud on 1 January 2018, forming the single territorial collectivity of Corsica, with territorial elections coinciding with the dissolution of the separate councils. However, even though its administrative powers were ceded to the new territorial collectivity, it continues to remain an administrative department in its own right. In 2019, it had a population of 181,933.Populations légales 2019: 2B Haute-Corse
INSEE

History

Haute-Corse department relief location map

The department was formed on 1 January 1976, when the department of Corsica was divided into Upper Corsica (''Haute-Corse'') and Southern Corsica ('' Corse-du-Sud''). The department corresponds exactly to the former department of Golo, which existed between 1793 and 1811. On 6 July 2003, a 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 Nicolas Paul Stéphane Sarközy de Nagy-Bocsa (; ; born 28 January 1955) is a French politician who served as President of France from 2007 to 2012. Born in Paris, he is of Hungarian, Greek Jewish, and French origin. Mayor of Neuilly-sur-Se ...

, who had hoped to use Corsica as the first step in his decentralization policies. On 1 January 2018, Haute-Corse's administrative powers were partly ceded to the new territorial collectivity of Corsica.

Geography

The department is surrounded on three sides by the Mediterranean Sea and on the south by the department of Corse-du-Sud. Rivers include the Abatesco, Golo and Tavignano.

Principal towns

The most populous commune is Bastia, the prefecture. As of 2019, there are 7 communes with more than 5,000 inhabitants:

Demographics

The people living in the department are called ''Supranacci''.

Politics

The current prefect of Haute-Corse is François Ravier, who took office on 3 June 2019.

Current National Assembly representatives

Tourism

File:VP-nuit.jpg, Bastia File:Depuis la Serra.jpg, Calvi seen from Notre-Dame de la Serra File:Sant'Antonino Vi1JPG.jpg, Sant'Antonino, one of the most beautiful villages of France File:Saleccia 2004 1.jpg, Désert des Agriates File:Riviere-restonica.jpg,

Restonica The Restonica is a small river in the department of Haute-Corse, Corsica, France. It is a tributary of the river Tavignano. The river has a steep and rocky course with many pools and waterfalls. The valley contains two lakes, and is a popular tou ...

Gorge

Notes

References

External links

*
Prefecture website
* *
Corsica Isula
{{Authority control 1976 establishments in France Departments of Corsica Corsica region articles needing translation from French Wikipedia States and territories established in 1976