- For other meanings, see Bonifacio (disambiguation).
|
Commune of Bonifacio |
|
| Bunifaziu | |
|
Motto: Libertas |
|
 |
|
| The harbor | |
| Location | |
  |
|
| Time Zone | GMT+1 |
| Administration | |
|---|---|
| Country | France |
| Region | Corsica |
| Department | Corse-du-Sud |
| Arrondissement | Sartène |
| Canton | Bonifacio |
| Mayor | Jean-Baptiste Lantieri |
| Statistics | |
| Elevation | 0 m (0 ft)–70 m (230 ft) |
| Land area¹ | 138. A geographic coordinate system enables every location on the Earth to be specified in three coordinates using mainly a spherical coordinate system. Greenwich Mean Time ( GMT) is a term originally referring to mean solar time at the Royal Observatory in Greenwich, London Wikipedia talkFeatured lists for an explanation of this and other inclusion tags below -->This list of countries, arranged alphabetically This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. France is divided into 26 regions or régions (in French of which 21 are in continental Metropolitan France, one is the island of Corsica, Corsica (Corse Corsican and Italian: Corsica) is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division Corse-du-Sud (Corsica suttana ( English: Southern Corsica) is a French département. The 100 French departments are divided into 342 arrondissements, which may be translated into English as districts. The arrondissement of Sartène is an arrondissement of France located in the Corse-du-Sud department, in the Territorial collectivity of The cantons of France are territorial subdivisions of the French Republic's 341 arrondissements and 100 departments. A mayor (from the Latin māior, meaning "greater" is a modern title used in many countries for the highest ranking officer in a municipal government The elevation of a Geographic location is its height above a fixed reference point often the mean sea level. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit 36 km² |
| Population² (1999) |
2,658 |
| - Density | 19. As of January 1, 2008, 64473140 people live in the French Republic. Population density (in agriculture standing stock and Standing crop) is a measurement of Population per unit area or unit volume 2/km² (1999) |
| Miscellaneous | |
| INSEE/Postal code | 2A041/ 20169 |
| 1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km² (0. The INSEE code is a numerical indexing code used by the French National Institute for Statistics and Economic Studies (INSEE to identify various entities including communes Postal codes were introduced in France in 1972, when La Poste introduced automated sorting. Square Kilometre ( US spelling square kilometer) symbol km2, is a decimal multiple of the SI unit of 386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. The square mile is an imperial and US unit of Area equal the area of a square of one statute mile. An estuary is a semi-enclosed Coastal body of Water with one or more Rivers or Streams flowing into it and with a free connection to the open | |
| 2 Population sans doubles comptes: residents of multiple communes (e.g. students and military personnel) only counted once. C D E | |
 |
|
Bonifacio (Bunifaziu in Corsican) is a commune at the southern tip of the island of Corsica, in the Corse-du-Sud department of France. Corsican ( Corsu or Lingua Corsa) is a Romance language spoken and written on the islands of Corsica ( France) and northern Sardinia The commune is the lowest level of administrative division in the French Republic. Corsica (Corse Corsican and Italian: Corsica) is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily Corse-du-Sud (Corsica suttana ( English: Southern Corsica) is a French département. In the context of the political and geographic organization of France and many of its former colonies a department (département depaʁtǝmɑ̃ is an Administrative division This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Its inhabitants are called Bonifaciens, feminine Bonifaciennes. The commune in this case is identical to the canton and is the largest commune of Corsica.
Contents |
Geography
Bonifacio is located directly on the Mediterranean Sea, separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio. Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily) The Strait of Bonifacio ( Bonifaccio is an older spelling from circa 1861) is the Strait between Corsica and Sardinia, named after It is a city placed on the best and only major harbor of the southern coast and also is a commune covering a somewhat larger region including the offshore Isles Lavezzi, giving it the distinction of being the southernmost commune in Metropolitan France. The Lavezzi Islands (Îles Lavezzi Isuli Lavezzi form a small archipelago of Granite islands and Reefs in the Strait of Bonifacio that separates Metropolitan France (France métropolitaine or la Métropole, or colloquially l'Hexagone) is the part of France located in Europe, including The commune is bordered on the northwest by the canton of Figari and has a short border on the northeast with the canton of Porto-Vecchio. Figari is a commune of the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. Porto-Vecchio ( Porti Vechju in Corsu) is a commune in the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of The combined border runs approximately from the Golfe de Ventilegne on the west to the mouth of the Golfu di Sant'Amanza on the east. The coastline circumscribed by the two points in about 75 km (47 mi). The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States Highway N198 runs north along the east coast and N196 along the west. [1]
The islands are part of the French portion, 79,460 hectares (196,350 acres), of the international Bouches de Bonifacio ("Strait of Bonifacio") marine park,[2] a nature reserve, signed into legal existence by France and Italy in 1993 for the protection of the strait against passage of ships bearing dangerous chemicals, and implemented in France by a ministerial decree of 1999 detailing the land to be included in the réserve naturelle de Bouches de Bonifacio for the preservation of wild birds, other fauna and flora, fish and nature in general. Explanation The hectare is commonly used in most countries around the world especially in domains concerned with land planning and management such as Agriculture, The acre is a unit of Area in a number of different systems including the imperial and U [3]
The southern coast in the vicinity of Bonifacio is an outcrop of chalk-white limetone, precipitous and sculpted into unusual shapes by the ocean. Slightly further inland the limestone adjoins the granite of which the two islands, Sardinia and Corsica, are formed. The port of Bonifacio is placed on the Bay of Bonifacio, a drowned ravine of a fjord-like appearance separated from the ocean by a finger-like promontory 1500 m (4921 ft) long and 200 m (656 ft) wide. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit In prehistoric post-glacial times when sea levels were low and the islands were connected, the ravine was part of a valley leading to upland Corsica. The maximum draught supported by the harbor is 3. 5 m (11 ft), more than ample for ancient ships and modern small vessels. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit
The city of Bonifacio is split into two sections. The vieille ville (old town), or la Haute Ville (the Upper city), on the site of a citadel, is located on the promontory overlooking the Mediterranean Sea. The citadel was begun in the 9th century with the foundation of the city, has been reconstructed and rennovated many times since then, and most recently was an administrative center for the French Foreign Legion. Today it is more of a museum. Historically most of the inhabitants have resided in the Haute ville under the immediate protection of the citadel. The harbor facilities and residential areas below, la marine, line the narrow shelf of the inlet and extend for some distance up the valley, giving the settlement a linear appearance and creating a third residential section limited by St. Julien on the east.
The city and its fortifications also extend for some distance along the cliff-tops, which are at about 70 m (230 ft) elevation. The metre or meter is a unit of Length. It is the basic unit of Length in the Metric system and in the International A foot (plural feet or foot; symbol or abbreviation ft or sometimes &prime – the prime symbol) is a non-SI unit The cliffs have been undercut by the ocean so that the buildings, which have been placed on the very lip of the precipice, appear to overhang it. The appearance from the sea is of a white city gleaming in the sun and suspended over the rough waters below.
History
- See also: History of Corsica
Prehistoric period
Bonifacio has two prehistoric sites of some importance: the ancient cave shelter of Araguina-Sennola near the village of Capello on Route N96 just north of the city and a chambered tomb of Vasculacciu further north near Figari. That the history of Corsica has been influenced by its strategic position at the heart of the western Mediterranean and its maritime Figari is a commune of the Corse-du-Sud department of France on the island of Corsica. The first is the site of the notable Lady of Bonifacio, a female burial carbon-dated to about 6570 BC, which is either late Mesolithic or Early Neolithic, and the second belongs to the Megalithic Culture and is dated to the Middle Neolithic. The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The alignment of the two and the extensive use of chert from Monte Arci in Sardinia shows that the Bay of Bonifacio was a route to inland Corsica from the earliest times. Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily)
Roman period
The only record of southernmost Corsica in Roman times comes from the geographer Ptolemy. Claudius Ptolemaeus ( Greek: Klaúdios Ptolemaîos; after 83 &ndash ca He reports[4] the coordinates of Marianum Promontory and town, which, plotted on a map, turn out to be the farthest south of Corsica. After listing the peoples of the east coast he states that the Subasani (ancient Greek Soubasanoi) were "more to the south. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c "
The people do not appear subsequently and the town and promontory have not been identified, nor do any Roman roads point to it. The only official road, the Via Corsica, ran between the Roman castra of Mariana and Aleria on the east coast and further south to Pallas, according to the Antonine Itinerary. The Latin word castra, with its singular castrum, was used by the ancient Romans to mean buildings or plots of land reserved to or constructed for use as a military Aléria ( Ancient Greek, Alaliē and Latin Aleria) is a commune in the Haute-Corse The Antonine Itinerary (in Latin: Antonini Itinerarium) is a register of the stations and distances along the various roads of the Roman empire, containing [5] Ptolemy places Pallas unequivocally on the east coast north of Marianum. Although unrecorded tracks and paths to the far south are possible, it is unlikely they would have carried any significant Roman traffic.
Maritime traffic through the strait however was significant and it could hardly have neglected the fine harbor at Bonifacio. The most popular choice for Marianum Promontory therefore is Cape Pertusato, southernmost point of Corsica island, about 9 km (6 mi) east of the harbor, with Bonifacio itself as Marianum town. The kilometre ( American spelling: kilometer) symbol km is a unit of Length in the Metric system, equal to one thousand A mile is a unit of Length, usually used to measure Distance, in a number of different systems including Imperial units United States [6] A second possibility would be the first century AD Roman ruins adjoining Piantarella Beach near the village of Ciappili and next to the grounds of Sperone golf course, a recreational suburb to the west of Bonifacio, but those ruins appear to represent a Roman villa and the beach though eminently suitable for recreation is of little value as a port. A villa was originally an Upper-class Country house, though since its origins in Roman times the idea and function of a villa has evolved considerably More likely the villa belonged to a citizen of Bonifacio as Marianum.
Tuscan period
Corsica was taken from the Roman Empire in 469 AD by Genseric, king of the Vandals, and recovered by the Eastern Empire in 534. The Roman Empire was the post-Republican phase of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial Geiseric the Lame (c 389 &ndash January 25, 477) also spelled as Gaiseric or Genseric, was the King of the Vandals The Lombards having taken it again in 725, Charlemagne (Defender of the Faith) cleared them out by 774 and handed the island over to the Papacy, which had been the most powerful complainant of the island's devastation by Germanics. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from Charlemagne (ˈʃɑrlɨmeɪn Carolus Magnus or Karolus Magnus meaning Charles the Great) (747 – 28 January 814 was King of the Franks from 768 to his History See also History of the Papacy Catholics recognize the Pope as a successor to Saint Peter, who Jesus named as the "shepherd" and Starting in 806 the Moors of Spain began to contend for the island and held it for a short time but in 828 the Papacy assigned its defense to the margrave of Tuscany, a powerful state of the Holy Roman Empire nominally under the Kingdom of Italy. The description Moors has referred to several historic and modern populations of Muslim (and earlier non-Muslim people of Berber and Arab descent Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 The Holy Roman Empire ( HRE; German Heiliges Römisches Reich (HRR, Latin Sacrum Romanum Imperium (SRI was a union of territories in There have been several distinct entities known as the Kingdom of Italy. [7]
The city in evidence today was founded as a fortress by and subsequently named after Boniface II of Tuscany in 828. Boniface II (or I, died circa 838 was the count and duke of Lucca (from 5 October 823) and first Margrave of Tuscany from about 828 He had led a naval expedition to suppress the Saracens of North Africa and returned to build an unassailable fortress and naval base from which the domains of Tuscany could be defended at the outermost frontier. Saracen was a term used by Europeans in the Middle Ages for Fatimids at first then later for all who professed the religion of Islam. Tuscany (Toscana is a region in Italy. It has an area of 22990 km² and a population of about 3 Most of the citadel postdates the 9th century or is of uncertain date but Il Torrione, a round tower, was certainly part of the original citadel.
Sights
The town's charm and proximity to idyllic beaches makes it a popular tourist destination in the summer, predominantly for residents of mainland France.
Transportation
The town is served by Figari airport (car or taxi required), and ferry service to Sardinia is available multiple times daily. Figari Sud-Corse Airport or Figari South Corsica Airport (Aéroport Figari Sud-Corse is an Airport located 3 km northwest of Figari Sardinia (sɑrˈdɪnɪə Sardegna Sardigna or Sardinnya is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea (after Sicily)
Famous citizens
The following persons of note were born in Bonifacio:
- Tommaso Maria Zigliara (1833-1893), Roman Catholic cardinal, theologian, and philosopher. Tommaso Maria Zigliara (baptismal name Francesco (end of October 1833 - 11 May, 1893) was a Roman Catholic cardinal, Theologian Year 1833 ( MDCCCXXXIII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian Calendar (or a Common Year 1893 ( MDCCCXCIII) was a Common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described A cardinal is a senior ecclesiastical official usually a bishop, of the Catholic Church. Theology is the study of a god or the gods from a religious perspective Philosophy is the study of general problems concerning matters such as existence knowledge truth beauty justice validity mind and language
- The film star, Marie-José Nat. Marie-José Nat (born June 22, 1940) is a French film and television actress.
Miscellanea
- Bonifacio is the setting of Guy de Maupassant's short story, Vendetta. Guy de Maupassant (gi də mopasɑ̃ (5 August 1850 &ndash 6 July 1893 was a popular 19th-century French Writer and considered one of the fathers of the modern
Notes
- ^ France, le trésor des régions: Département: Corse-du-Sud (html). Retrieved on 2008-05-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. (French).
- ^ le Parc international marin des bouches de Bonifacio.
- ^ Décret du 23 septembre 1999 portant création de la réserve naturelle des Bouches de Bonifacio (département de la Corse-du-Sud) (html). Retrieved on 2008-05-06. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 1527 - Spanish and German troops sack Rome; some consider this the end of the Renaissance. (French)
- ^ Book III Chapter II.
- ^ Parthey, Gustav; Moritz Pinder (1848). Itinerarium Antonini Augusti et Hierosolymitanum. Berolini: impensis Frederici Nicolai, pages 39-40.
- ^ Price, Gillian (2004). Walking on Corsica. Milnthorpe: Cicerone Press Limited, pages 149-150. ISBN 185284387X.
- ^ "Corsica". Encyclopedia Britannica. (1911).
External links
- Official website (English/French/German/Italian/Spanish)
- Scotto, Régis. Bonifacio.com (html). Retrieved on 2008-05-05. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 553 - The Second Council of Constantinople begins 1215 - Rebel Barons renounce their allegiance to King John (French)
Dapyx Software network: MP3 Explorer | Ebook Manager | Zenithic