Bastia

Related Category: French Political Geography

(bästē´ä), city (1990 pop. 38,728), Haute-Corse dept., NE Corsica, France, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. It is the island's largest city and chief commercial center. Famous for its wines, it has a thriving export industry and a variety of light manufactures. Founded (14th cent.) as a fort by the Genoese, it was the capital of Corsica until 1791. Its citadel (16th–17th cent.) and its many 18th-century buildings are tourist attractions.