Ajaccio

Ajaccio, French city, capital of Corse-du-Sud Department, a seaport on the west coast of the island of Corsica. The city is located at the head of the Gulf of Ajaccio. The chief industries are tourism, fishing, diving for coral, shipbuilding, and the manufacture of macaroni and cigars. Considerable trade is carried on in wine, olive oil, hides, oranges, and timber. Napoleon was born in Ajaccio in 1769, and the house in which he lived is now a museum. The city was founded by Genoese colonists in 1492. Population 52,880 (1999).