Short answers, pulled from the story.
Corsica lies in the Mediterranean Sea, southeast of the French mainland, west of the Italian Peninsula, and immediately north of Sardinia. It is separated from Sardinia by the Strait of Bonifacio, which is just 11 km wide at its narrowest point, and sits 90 km from Tuscany and 170 km from the Cote d'Azur.
Yes, Napoleon Bonaparte was born in Ajaccio, Corsica, in 1769, the same year France formally annexed the island from Genoa. His ancestral home in Ajaccio, Maison Bonaparte, is now a visitor attraction and museum.
The National Liberation Front of Corsica, or FLNC, launched 21 simultaneous attacks across the island on the 5th of May 1976, which is considered the beginning of the Corsican conflict. Modeled after the Algerian National Liberation Front, the group sought separation from France and carried out bombings, ambushes, and assassinations for decades. The largest factions signed truces in 2014 and 2016, but resumed armed conflict in 2023 following the killing of jailed nationalist Yvan Colonna in 2022.
Corsican, or Corsu, is an Italo-Dalmatian language closely related to medieval Tuscan. It was recognized as one of France's regional languages, but UNESCO classifies it as currently endangered. Only an estimated 10% of the island's population speak it natively, and around 50% have some degree of proficiency.
Corsica is the most mountainous island in the Mediterranean. Mountains make up two-thirds of its surface area, with Monte Cinto reaching 2,706 metres and roughly 120 other summits above 2,000 metres. The island is 183 km long and 83 km wide, with 1,000 km of coastline.
Corsica is a territorial collectivity of France, with a status more extensive than other French regional collectivities. Its two former departments, Haute-Corse and Corse-du-Sud, were merged on the 1st of January 2018 into a single territorial collectivity. The Corsican Assembly holds limited executive powers, and the island is expected to achieve a form of autonomy in the near future.