Covering an area of 3,400 square miles, Corsica, one of the three largest islands in the Mediterraneean, lies 100 miles South of the French Riviera, 50 miles from the Italian coastline and 8 miles from its nearby neighbour, Sardinia. Half of the 220,000 population are concentrated in the two principal towns of Ajaccio and Bastia while the rest are scattered throughout the island, leaving wide stretches of uninhabited terrain and large open spaces among the moutains, the forests and along the coastal area. Trees like laricio pine, chestnut, oak and beech cover nearly half the countryside where moutain peaks reach to the height of 8,900 feet - all encircled by 600 miles of an enchanting coastline. Apart from wonderful sunshine, the quality that makes Corsica so special is its rich variety of people, scenery, traditions and dialects.