Ajac'cio

Ajac'cio, since 1811 the capital of Corsica, on the west side of the island, at the head of the Gulf of Ajaccio. Transferred to its present site in 1435, it has a fine cathedral, completed in 1585, and a spacious harbour, protected by a citadel; but its special interest is as the birthplace of Napoleon. There is a statue of him as First Consul (1850), and a monument of the emperor on horseback, surrounded by his four brothers (1865). The house of the Bonapartes, the 'Casa Bonaparte,' is now national property. The chief employments are the anchovy and pearl fisheries, and the trade in wine and olive-oil, which the neighbourhood produces in abundance, and of good quality. Of late years, Ajaccio has become a winter-resort for consumptive patients. Pop. (1872) 15,901; (1891) 18,846.