Corsica (pron.: /'k??rs?k?/; French: Corse, IPA: [k??

s]; Corsican: Corsica; Ital ian: Corsica) 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 Sar dinia. Mountains comprise two-thirds of the island, forming a single chain. Befo re French domination, Corsica was under the ownership of the Republic of Genoa. Corsica is one of the 27 rgions of France, although it is designated as a territo rial collectivity (collectivit territoriale) by law. As a territorial collectivit y, it enjoys some greater powers than other French rgions. Corsica is referred to as a "rgion" in common speech, and is almost always listed among the other rgions of France. Corsica is split into two departments, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud, with its regional capital in Ajaccio, the prefecture of Corse-du-Sud. Bastia, t he prefecture of Haute-Corse, is the second-largest settlement in Corsica. Although the island is separated from the continental mainland by the Ligurian S ea and is closer to Italy than to the French mainland, politically Corsica is pa rt of Metropolitan France. After rule from the Republic of Genoa starting in 128 2, Corsica was briefly an independent Corsican Republic from 1755 until its conq uest by France in 1769. Corsica's culture contains elements of both the French a nd Italian, and its constitution while a Republic was written in Italian. The na tive Corsican language is recognised as a regional language by the French govern ment. The French emperor Napolon Bonaparte was born in 1769 in the Corsican capital of Ajaccio. His ancestral home, Casa Buonaparte, is today used as a museum. The nor thern town of Calvi claims to be the birthplace of the explorer Christopher Colu mbus.[2]