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.