France
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
8,741km²
Area
648km
Coastline
measured on a simplified outline
2,706m
Highest point
Monte Cinto
355,486
People
25°C
Warmest sea
August
75km
To the mainland
When to go to Corsica
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (25 °C) and coolest in February (13 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to September.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island
Corsica is an island in France. It covers 8,741 km², with 648 km of coastline. Its highest point, Monte Cinto, rises to 2,706 m. About 355,486 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 75 km away.
Getting there
- Bastia-Poretta International airport (BIA)main airport (4 on the island with scheduled flights)Car hire at BIA airport (Bastia)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesBonifacio - Santa Teresa di Gallura, Saint Florent Loto, Marseille - Porto Vecchio, Ajaccio-Porticcio
- 75 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Corsica.
- 402beachesTahiti Beach, Marina d'Arje, Plage du Grand Capo and 399 more
- 372viewpointsBelvédère d'a Penna, Promontoire d'Arghjova, col de Cannicciu / a bocca di u Cannicciu and 369 more
- 8lighthousesPhare de Senetosa, Pointe de l'Arenella, Punta Vecchiaia and 5 more
- 5ferry terminalsPromenade en mer, Le Popeye, Port de Vignola and 2 more
- 44marinasPort de plaisance, Port de Figari, Port de Gurgazu and 41 more
- 1,005named peaksMonte Cinto, Monte Rotondo, Capo al Berdato and 1,002 more
- 66waterfallsCascade d'Undella, Piscia di Ghjaddu, Cascade du Voile de la Mariée and 63 more
- 37castles and fortsFort Charley, Castello San Colombano, Château de Tuda and 34 more
- 369ruins and archaeological sitesBergerie en ruine, L´Ambiu, Bergerie Ruinée Casa Infurcata and 366 more
- 10dive centresDiving Calvi a piaghja, Subtortue, Algajola Sport & Nature and 7 more
- 310waymarked walking routesMare à Mare Nord Variante, Mare è Monti Nord Principal, Variante Alpine via les Aiguilles de Bavella and 307 more
- 242campsitesU Moru, Camping Campita, Camping U Stazzu and 239 more
- 752hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,588restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Corsica in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Corsica, each with its own numbers.
79beaches and covesCoastya
398mountainsPeakyas
13lakesLakeyas
6waterfallsCascadyas
Highest point
2,706m
prominence 2,706 m · according to Peakyas
Largest lake
6.9km²
Etang d'Urbino
9 m deep · according to Lakeyas
Deepest lake
23m
Lac de Codole
according to Lakeyas
Warmest lake
30.4°C
Lac de Padula
surface water, warmest month · according to Lakeyas
Beach with the warmest sea
25.6°C
Plage de Vignale
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
79 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Plage du Ricanto24.7°C
- Plage de Purraja24.7°C
- Plage de Baraci24.7°C
- Banda Bianca25.4°C
- Plage de Bodri24.5°C
- Plage de Palombaggia25.2°C
- Plage d'Agliu24.7°C
- Plage de Pargan24.9°C
71 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
398 mountains
on Peakyas, the mountain atlas
- Monte Cintoprominence 2,706 m2,706m
- Monte Cinto massif2,706m
- Mount Rotondoprominence 1,170 m2,625m
- Monte Rotondo massif2,622m
- Capo al Berdato2,583m
- Capo Bianco2,562m
- Punta Minuta2,556m
- Paglia Orbaprominence 530 m2,525m
390 more on PeakyasOpen Peakyas ↗
13 lakes
on Lakeyas, the lake atlas
- Etang d'Urbino9 m deep6.9km²
- Lac de Calacuccia0.86km²
- Lac de Codole23 m deep0.75km²
- Lac de Tolla0.70km²
- Teppe Rosse Reservoir0.61km²
- Alesani Reservoir0.28km²
- Lac de l'Ospedale0.26km²
- Lac de Padula15 m deep0.17km²
5 more on LakeyasLakeyas is coming soonOpen Lakeyas ↗
6 waterfalls
on Cascadyas, the waterfall atlas
- Piscia di Gallo
- cascades de Polischellu
- Voile de la Mariée
- Piscia di Ghjaddu
- Cascades de Purcaraccia
- Cascade des Anglais
Cascadyas is coming soonOpen Cascadyas ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 566 m above the sea. 29 % of it is below 200 m.
- 11 %0–50 m
- 18 %50–200 m
- 25 %200–500 m
- 28 %500–1,000 m
- 18 %1,000–2,000 m
- <1 %> 2,000 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
100 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- Bastia41,001 people
- Porto-Vecchio11,820 people
- Corte7,217 people
- Biguglia5,552 people
- Borgo5,538 people
- Calvi5,477 people
- Furiani4,337 people
- Lucciana3,713 people
- Sartène3,674 people
- Ghisonaccia3,515 people
- Propriano3,312 people
- Prunelli-di-Fiumorbo2,988 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 9 | 10 | 12 | 15 | 20 | 25 | 29 | 29 | 23 | 19 | 14 | 10 |
| Night low (°C) | 5 | 5 | 7 | 9 | 13 | 18 | 21 | 21 | 17 | 14 | 10 | 6 |
| Sea (°C) | 14 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 21 | 24 | 25 | 23 | 20 | 18 | 15 |
| Rain (mm) | 73 | 66 | 64 | 50 | 52 | 22 | 9 | 16 | 51 | 82 | 107 | 77 |
| Wet days | 9 | 8 | 8 | 8 | 6 | 4 | 2 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 13 | 11 |
| Sun h/day | 3.9 | 5.1 | 6.2 | 7.8 | 9.2 | 11.0 | 11.6 | 10.2 | 8.0 | 5.9 | 4.1 | 3.8 |
| Wind (km/h) | 19 | 18 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 12 | 12 | 12 | 14 | 15 | 18 | 19 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +1.1 | +0.9 | +0.5 | +0.8 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +1.2 | +1.2 | +1.9 | −0.2 | +0.2 | +0.7 |
| 2021 | +0.3 | +0.5 | +0.7 | ±0.0 | −1.0 | +1.4 | +0.6 | +0.3 | +1.4 | +1.4 | +1.2 | +0.4 |
| 2022 | +0.7 | +0.8 | ±0.0 | −0.3 | +1.2 | +2.4 | +2.7 | +2.4 | +2.2 | +1.7 | +2.5 | +1.6 |
| 2023 | +1.3 | +0.6 | +0.6 | +0.2 | +0.2 | +1.9 | +1.8 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +2.8 | +1.3 | +0.6 |
| 2024 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.5 | +0.4 | +1.5 | +2.6 | +0.8 | +0.2 | +1.6 | +1.4 |
| 2025 | +1.2 | +1.1 | +1.0 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +2.4 | +2.0 | +1.4 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +1.6 | +1.6 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Nearby
More islands nearby.
Italy
About these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q22011067) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | Natural Earth · public domain |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas, Cascadyas — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST; HydroLAKES (Messager et al. 2016) · CC BY 4.0, LakeTEMP (Korver et al. 2024) · CC BY 4.0 |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
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