Calvi, Haute-Corse
Calvi (/ˈkælviː/, French: [kalvi], Corsican: [ˈkalvi]) is a commune in the Haute-Corse department of France on the island of Corsica.
Calvi | |
---|---|
Subprefecture and commune | |
View of the citadel | |
Flag Coat of arms | |
Location of Calvi | |
Calvi Calvi | |
Coordinates: 42°34′07″N 8°45′25″E | |
Country | France |
Region | Corsica |
Department | Haute-Corse |
Arrondissement | Calvi |
Canton | Calvi |
Intercommunality | Calvi Balagne |
Government | |
• Mayor (2014–2020) | Ange Santini |
Area 1 | 31.20 km2 (12.05 sq mi) |
Population (2017-01-01)[1] | 5,559 |
• Density | 180/km2 (460/sq mi) |
Time zone | UTC+01:00 (CET) |
• Summer (DST) | UTC+02:00 (CEST) |
INSEE/Postal code | 2B050 /20260 |
Elevation | 0–700 m (0–2,297 ft) (avg. 81 m or 266 ft) |
1 French Land Register data, which excludes lakes, ponds, glaciers > 1 km2 (0.386 sq mi or 247 acres) and river estuaries. |
It is the seat of the Canton of Calvi, which contains Calvi and one other commune, Lumio. Calvi is also the capital of the Arrondissement of Calvi, which contains, besides the Canton of Calvi, three other cantons: L'Île-Rousse, Belgodère, and Calenzana.[2]
The 2nd Foreign Parachute Regiment (2ème REP) of the French Foreign Legion is based in the citadel of Calvi.[3]
According to legend, Christopher Columbus supposedly came from Calvi, which at the time was part of the Genoese Empire. Because the often subversive elements of the island gave its inhabitants a bad reputation, he would have been expected to mask his exact birthplace.
Geography
Calvi is located on the northwest coast of the island of Corsica, 95 km (59 mi) from Bastia and 24 km (15 mi) from L'Île-Rousse. It is the fifth-largest commune in Corsica; however, the arrondissement is the smallest.
Climate
Climate data for Calvi, Haute-Corse (1981–2010 averages, extremes 1960–present) | |||||||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
Record high °C (°F) | 23.3 (73.9) |
22.5 (72.5) |
28.8 (83.8) |
32.1 (89.8) |
36.0 (96.8) |
39.2 (102.6) |
42.1 (107.8) |
40.6 (105.1) |
37.4 (99.3) |
32.9 (91.2) |
29.8 (85.6) |
25.4 (77.7) |
42.1 (107.8) |
Average high °C (°F) | 13.6 (56.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.4 (65.1) |
22.7 (72.9) |
26.5 (79.7) |
29.8 (85.6) |
29.7 (85.5) |
26.1 (79.0) |
22.2 (72.0) |
17.5 (63.5) |
14.6 (58.3) |
20.9 (69.6) |
Daily mean °C (°F) | 9.2 (48.6) |
9.2 (48.6) |
11.2 (52.2) |
13.5 (56.3) |
17.4 (63.3) |
21.2 (70.2) |
24.2 (75.6) |
24.3 (75.7) |
21.0 (69.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
13.2 (55.8) |
10.3 (50.5) |
16.1 (61.0) |
Average low °C (°F) | 4.8 (40.6) |
4.6 (40.3) |
6.5 (43.7) |
8.6 (47.5) |
12.2 (54.0) |
15.9 (60.6) |
18.6 (65.5) |
18.9 (66.0) |
16.0 (60.8) |
12.9 (55.2) |
8.9 (48.0) |
6.1 (43.0) |
11.2 (52.2) |
Record low °C (°F) | −5.6 (21.9) |
−3.9 (25.0) |
−4.6 (23.7) |
−0.4 (31.3) |
3.7 (38.7) |
7.5 (45.5) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.3 (54.1) |
7.9 (46.2) |
2.6 (36.7) |
−2.3 (27.9) |
−4.2 (24.4) |
−5.6 (21.9) |
Average precipitation mm (inches) | 56.2 (2.21) |
44.5 (1.75) |
57.2 (2.25) |
69.4 (2.73) |
41.2 (1.62) |
35.5 (1.40) |
8.4 (0.33) |
27.1 (1.07) |
61.2 (2.41) |
79.8 (3.14) |
109.9 (4.33) |
77.9 (3.07) |
668.3 (26.31) |
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm) | 6.0 | 5.5 | 6.2 | 7.2 | 5.1 | 3.2 | 1.0 | 1.9 | 5.3 | 7.1 | 8.6 | 8.1 | 65.1 |
Average snowy days | 0.5 | 0.6 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 | 0.1 | 0.2 | 1.6 |
Mean monthly sunshine hours | 135.6 | 155.5 | 206.5 | 233.0 | 290.0 | 324.5 | 370.1 | 323.2 | 243.7 | 182.5 | 130.6 | 118.3 | 2,713.4 |
Source: Meteo France[4] |
History
The motto, "Calvi semper fidelis" ("Calvi Always Faithful"), referred originally to its loyalty to the Republic of Genoa. The republic instated there a closed city center (préside) in 1278, and built a new castle in 1491 to face new artillery technologies.[5]
During the war with Revolutionary France, British forces under Admiral Nelson and Lieutenant-General Charles Stuart captured the city in the Siege of Calvi. It was during the bombardment of Calvi that Nelson sustained the injury that cost him his eye.
Population
Year | Pop. | ±% |
---|---|---|
1800 | 1,162 | — |
1806 | 1,083 | −6.8% |
1821 | 1,175 | +8.5% |
1831 | 1,382 | +17.6% |
1836 | 1,457 | +5.4% |
1841 | 1,746 | +19.8% |
1846 | 1,502 | −14.0% |
1851 | 1,837 | +22.3% |
1856 | 1,412 | −23.1% |
1861 | 2,069 | +46.5% |
1866 | 1,884 | −8.9% |
1872 | 2,175 | +15.4% |
1876 | 1,998 | −8.1% |
1881 | 2,023 | +1.3% |
1886 | 1,987 | −1.8% |
1891 | 2,162 | +8.8% |
1896 | 2,132 | −1.4% |
1901 | 1,998 | −6.3% |
1906 | 2,077 | +4.0% |
1911 | 2,269 | +9.2% |
1921 | 2,387 | +5.2% |
1926 | 2,586 | +8.3% |
1931 | 2,827 | +9.3% |
1936 | 2,824 | −0.1% |
1946 | 2,053 | −27.3% |
1954 | 2,035 | −0.9% |
1962 | 2,258 | +11.0% |
1968 | 2,767 | +22.5% |
1975 | 3,530 | +27.6% |
1982 | 3,579 | +1.4% |
1990 | 4,815 | +34.5% |
1999 | 5,177 | +7.5% |
2006 | 5,409 | +4.5% |
2016 | 5,524 | +2.1% |
Economy
The economy of Calvi is essentially based on summer tourism, which started in 1950 due to the pioneering efforts of Vladimir Raitz. Calvi is served by the international Calvi - Sainte-Catherine Airport, the Xavier Colonna Port, and a railway line to L'Île-Rousse and Ponte-Leccia, where it connects with the main line Ajaccio - Bastia.
Monuments
- Tour du Sel and the citadel
- Église Sainte-Marie de Calvi
References
- "Populations légales 2017". INSEE. Retrieved 6 January 2020.
- "France, le trésor des régions: Département: Haute-Corse" (in French). Retrieved 2008-05-06..
- Herrgott, C. (2013). Les citadelles urbaines en Corse : patrimonialisatin d'un territoire particulier. Revue Etudes Caribéennes, n°26,
- "Calvi (20)" (PDF). Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1981–2010 et records (in French). Meteo France. Archived from the original (PDF) on 20 October 2019. Retrieved 20 October 2019.
- Catherine Herrgott (2013-12-15). "Les citadelles urbaines en Corse : patrimonialisation d'un territoire particulier". Études caribéennes (in French) (26). doi:10.4000/etudescaribeennes.6714. Retrieved 2017-05-16.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Calvi. |
Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Calvi. |
- Official website (in French)
- The port citadel viewed from the port
- The port, panoramic view from the Citadel
- Calvi panorama
- Calvi viewed from the sea