Bastia (French & Corsican: Bastia), is a town and commune of northern Corsica, in France. It is the préfecture (capital) of the Haute-Corse département and has a population of approximately 40,000 inhabitants. Bastia is also an important Corsican port and is famous for its wines.**************Situated in the northeast of Corsica, at the base of Cap Corse, Bastia is the principal port of the island and its principal commercial town. The average annual temperature is about 15.3 °C, and there are usually five days of freezing weather per year. The wind in Bastia is frequent and violent, and the annual rainfall is copious (more than 700 mm). However, there are about 340 days of sunshine per year.***************Before the occupation of Corsica by the Genoese, Cardo was a large city. Around the city were little villages where the fishermen of Cardo lived. This little port was called Porto Cardo, which means "the port of Cardo." The Genoese felt the need for shelter from the sea storms and began to construct, in the time of governor Leonello Lomellini, in 1380, a bastiglia, also known as a stronghold or citadel. With time, the bastiglia (Bastia) became more prosperous and important than Cardo. Bastia was the capital of Corsica until 1791.********************The census of 1999 gives the figure of 39,016 inhabitants, an increase of .01% since 1990. Ten percent of the population consists of foreigners. The unemployment rate is very high, 20% in 2004.**************Famous people Bastia was the birthplace of: * Vincent de Moro Giafferi (1878–1956): lawyer, nicknamed the "Grand Moro" * César Campinchi (1882–1941): lawyer and French politician * César Vezzani (1888–1951): opera singer * John Bernard (1893–1983): American politician, representing Minnesota in the House of Representatives * Angelo Rinaldi (1940— ): French writer and member of the Académie française * Yves Simonpaoli, a.k.a. Paoli (1928— ): painter and professor of dentistry