Ajaccio

Ajaccio (äyät'chō) [key], town (1990 pop. 59,952), capital of Corse-du-Sud dept., France, on the Isle of Corsica. A year-round tourist attraction, Ajaccio also has manufacturing, fishing, timbering, shipping, and fruit-growing industries. Its present site was established by Genoese colonists in 1492. Ajaccio was the birthplace of Napoleon I; the house where he was born is preserved. In World War II, Ajaccio was occupied by the Italians until the people successfully revolted (Sept., 1943) with the aid of Free French troops.

The Columbia Electronic Encyclopedia, 6th ed. Copyright © 2007, Columbia University Press. All rights reserved.

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