Q 01/05

Corsica ranks where in size among the islands of the Mediterranean?

A) Sixth

B) Fourth

C) Third

D) Second

Answer · why

B) Fourth

Only Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus are larger. Two-thirds of the island is a single mountain chain, hence its nickname 'mountain in the sea'.

Q 02/05

Which city is the regional capital of Corsica?

A) Ajaccio

B) Bonifacio

C) Bastia

D) Calvi

Answer · why

A) Ajaccio

Bastia, in the north, is the island's second-largest town and its busiest ferry port.

Q 03/05

Which future emperor was born in Corsica's capital in 1769?

A) Robespierre

B) Napoleon

C) Charlemagne

D) Louis XIV

Answer · why

B) Napoleon

He was born just one year after Genoa ceded the island to France; his birthplace, Maison Bonaparte, is now a museum.

Q 04/05

Which republic ruled Corsica from 1284 until the island broke away in 1755?

A) Genoa

B) Florence

C) Pisa

D) Venice

Answer · why

A) Genoa

Genoese rule began after the naval Battle of Meloria in 1284 ended Pisan control of the island.

Q 05/05

Which island lies immediately south of Corsica, across the Strait of Bonifacio?

A) Sicily

B) Elba

C) Sardinia

D) Malta

Answer · why

C) Sardinia

The strait is only about 11 km wide at its narrowest point, and Sardinia was joined to Corsica for much of the Pleistocene.