Editing Ajaccio (section)

==Geography==

===Location===
Ajaccio is located on the west coast of the island of Corsica, {{convert|210|nmi|km|-1}} southeast of [[Marseille]]. The commune occupies a sheltered position at the foot of wooded hills on the northern shore of the Gulf of Ajaccio<ref name="EB1911"/> between Gravona and the ''pointe de la Parata'' and includes the ''[[îles Sanguinaires]]'' (Bloody Islands). The harbour lies to the east of the original citadel below a hill overlooking a peninsula which protects the harbour in the south where the Quai de la Citadelle and the Jettée de la Citadelle are. The modern city not only encloses the entire harbour but takes up the better part of the Gulf of Ajaccio and in suburban form extends for some miles up the valley of the river [[Gravona]]. The flow from that river is nearly entirely consumed as the city's water supply. Many beaches and coves border its territory and the terrain is particularly rugged in the west where the highest point is {{convert|790|m|0|abbr=on}}.

<gallery mode=packed heights=75px>
File:Porto Ajacio.JPG|Ajaccio Marina
File:Baie_Ajaccio_voilier.jpg|The Bay
File:Ajaccio_phare_citadelle.jpg|The lighthouse of the citadel of Ajaccio overlooking the bay
File:Ajaccio Sanguinaires 1.jpg|''Îles Sanguinaires''
Port Ajaccio.JPG|The market 
Ajaccio bay.jpg|A satellite image of the city and surrounding water.
</gallery>

===Urbanism===
[[File:2016 Ajaccio (1).jpg|thumb|left|300px|Port]]
Although the commune of Ajaccio has a large area (82.03&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>), only a small portion of this is urbanized. Therefore, the [[urban area]] of Ajaccio is located in the east of the commune on a narrow coastal strip forming a densely populated arc. The rest of the territory is natural with habitation of little importance and spread thinly. Suburbanization occurs north and east of the main urban area.

The original urban core, close to the old marshy plain of ''Cannes'' was abandoned in favour of the current city which was built near the ''Punta della Lechia''. It has undergone various improvements, particularly under Napoleon, who originated the two current major structural arteries (the ''Cours Napoleon'' oriented north–south and the ''Cours Grandval'' oriented east–west).

Ajaccio experienced a demographic boom in the 1960s, which explains why 85% of dwellings are post-1949.<ref>''The Cities of France'', by Fabriès-Verfaillie et Stragiotti, 2000 {{in lang|fr}}</ref> This is reflected in the layout of the city which is marked by very large areas of low-rise buildings and concrete towers, especially on the heights (''[[Les Jardins de l'Empereur]]'') and in the north of the city - e.g. the waterfront, ''Les Cannes'', and ''Les Salines''. A dichotomy appears in the landscape between the old city and the imposing modern buildings. Ajaccio gives the image of a city built on two different levels.

===Climate===
The city has a [[Mediterranean climate]] which is ''Csa'' in the [[Köppen climate classification]]. The average annual sunshine is 2,726 hours.

There are important local climatic variations, especially with wind exposure and total precipitation, between the city centre, the airport, and the  ''îles Sanguinaires''. The annual average rainfall is {{convert|645.6|mm|1|abbr=on}} at the ''Campo dell'Oro'' weather station (as per the chart) and {{convert|523.9|mm|1|abbr=on}} at the ''Parata'': the third-driest place in metropolitan France.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteofrance.com|title=PREVISIONS METEO FRANCE - Site Officiel de Météo-France - Prévisions gratuites à 15 jours sur la France et à 10 jours sur le monde|first=Meteo|last=France|website=www.meteofrance.com|access-date=31 May 2017}}</ref> The heat and dryness of summer are somewhat tempered by the proximity of the [[Mediterranean Sea]] except when the [[sirocco]] is blowing. In autumn and spring, heavy rain-storm episodes may occur. Winters are mild and snow is rare. Ajaccio is the French city which holds the record for the number of thunderstorms in the reference period 1971–2000 with an average of 39 thunderstorm days per year.<ref>[http://france.meteofrance.com/france/actu/actu?portlet_id=67195&document_id=22824 MétéoFrance].</ref>

On 14 September 2009, the city was hit by a [[tornado]] with an intensity of F1 on the [[Fujita scale]]. There was little damage except torn billboards, flying tiles, overturned cars, and broken windows but no casualties.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.corsematin.com/article/quand-les-tornades-%C2%ABrafalent%C2%BB-lile|title=Quand les tornades "rafalent" l'île|website=www.corsematin.com|language=fr|access-date=2019-07-11}}</ref>

{{Meteo France
|Town=Ajaccio
|Sunshine=2,735
|Rain=616
|Snow=2
|Storm=39
|Fog=3<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lameteo.org/index.php/climatologie/1560-normales-climatiques-1981-2010-ajaccio|title=Normales climatiques 1981-2010 : Ajaccio|website=www.lameteo.org|access-date=31 May 2017}}</ref>
}}

'''Weather Data for Ajaccio'''
{{Weather box
|location = Ajaccio ([[Ajaccio Napoleon Bonaparte Airport|AJA]]), elevation: {{convert|5|m|ft|0|abbr=on}}, 1991–2020 normals, extremes 1949–present
|collapsed =
|metric first = Y
|single line = Y
|Jan record high C = 22.4
|Feb record high C = 25.3
|Mar record high C = 29.6
|Apr record high C = 32.2
|May record high C = 34.6
|Jun record high C = 41.6
|Jul record high C = 40.3
|Aug record high C = 39.5
|Sep record high C = 40.0
|Oct record high C = 35.0
|Nov record high C = 29.4
|Dec record high C = 22.7
|Jan high C = 14.0
|Feb high C = 14.2
|Mar high C = 16.0
|Apr high C = 18.5
|May high C = 22.1
|Jun high C = 25.9
|Jul high C = 28.6
|Aug high C = 29.2
|Sep high C = 26.1
|Oct high C = 22.8
|Nov high C = 18.3
|Dec high C = 15.1
|year high C = 20.9
|Jan mean C = 9.4
|Feb mean C = 9.2
|Mar mean C = 11.0
|Apr mean C = 13.4
|May mean C = 17.0
|Jun mean C = 20.7
|Jul mean C = 23.2
|Aug mean C = 23.7
|Sep mean C = 20.8
|Oct mean C = 17.7
|Nov mean C = 13.6
|Dec mean C = 10.5
|year mean C = 15.8
|Jan low C = 4.7
|Feb low C = 4.3
|Mar low C = 5.9
|Apr low C = 8.4
|May low C = 11.8
|Jun low C = 15.4
|Jul low C = 17.7
|Aug low C = 18.1
|Sep low C = 15.4
|Oct low C = 12.6
|Nov low C = 9.0
|Dec low C = 5.8
|year low C = 10.8
|Jan record low C = -7.0
|Feb record low C = -8.1
|Mar record low C = -5.6
|Apr record low C = -1.7
|May record low C = 3.0
|Jun record low C = 6.8
|Jul record low C = 9.2
|Aug record low C = 9.1
|Sep record low C = 7.6
|Oct record low C = 1.6
|Nov record low C = -3.2
|Dec record low C = -4.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 54.1
|Feb precipitation mm = 48.1
|Mar precipitation mm = 50.4
|Apr precipitation mm = 53.1
|May precipitation mm = 49.8
|Jun precipitation mm = 25.9
|Jul precipitation mm = 8.6
|Aug precipitation mm = 15.8
|Sep precipitation mm = 57.8
|Oct precipitation mm = 85.7
|Nov precipitation mm = 111.8
|Dec precipitation mm = 73.9
|year precipitation mm = 635.0
|unit precipitation days = 1.0 mm
|Jan precipitation days = 7.0
|Feb precipitation days = 6.7
|Mar precipitation days = 6.3
|Apr precipitation days = 7.2
|May precipitation days = 5.0
|Jun precipitation days = 2.8
|Jul precipitation days = 1.2
|Aug precipitation days = 1.4
|Sep precipitation days = 5.1
|Oct precipitation days = 7.4
|Nov precipitation days = 9.3
|Dec precipitation days = 8.6
|year precipitation days = 68.0
|Jan snow days = 0.8
|Feb snow days = 0.6
|Mar snow days = 0.3
|Apr snow days = 0.0
|May snow days = 0.0
|Jun snow days = 0.0
|Jul snow days = 0.0
|Aug snow days = 0.0
|Sep snow days = 0.0
|Oct snow days = 0.0
|Nov snow days = 0.1
|Dec snow days = 0.3
|year snow days = 2.1
|Jan humidity = 81
|Feb humidity = 80
|Mar humidity = 80
|Apr humidity = 80
|May humidity = 80
|Jun humidity = 78
|Jul humidity = 76
|Aug humidity = 76
|Sep humidity = 78
|Oct humidity = 80
|Nov humidity = 81
|Dec humidity = 82
|Jan sun = 135.8
|Feb sun = 155.6
|Mar sun = 210.8
|Apr sun = 230.4
|May sun = 288.3
|Jun sun = 332.3
|Jul sun = 373.6
|Aug sun = 343.3
|Sep sun = 260.6
|Oct sun = 206.9
|Nov sun = 140.2
|Dec sun = 124.0
|year sun = 2801.7
|source 1 = [[Meteo France]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/ajaccio/20004002/normales|title=Climatological Information for Strasbourg, France|publisher=Meteo France|date=7 August 2019|access-date=31 December 2021|archive-date=25 July 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200725010321/http://www.meteofrance.com/climat/france/ajaccio/20004002/normales|url-status=dead}}</ref><ref>
{{cite web
| url = https://donneespubliques.meteofrance.fr/FichesClim/FICHECLIM_20004002.pdf
| title = AJACCIO (20)
| work = Fiche Climatologique: Statistiques 1991–2020 et records
| publisher = Meteo France
| language = fr
| access-date = 7 September 2022}}</ref>
| source 2 = Infoclimat.fr (relative humidity 1961–1990)<ref name=Infoclimat>{{cite web
| url = http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07761-ajaccio-campo-dell-oro.html
| title = Normes et records 1961–1990: Ajaccio - Campo dell'Oro (20) – altitude 4m
| language = fr
| publisher = Infoclimat
| access-date = 7 August 2019
| archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160315040604/http://www.infoclimat.fr/climatologie-07190-strasbourg-entzheim.html
| archive-date = 15 March 2016}}</ref>

}}
{| class="wikitable collapsible plainrowheaders" style="text-align:center;"
|+ Climatological normals for Ajaccio (period 1961–1990)<ref>{{cite web |title=Ajaccio normals for 1961-1990 |url=https://www.ncei.noaa.gov/pub/data/normals/WMO/1961-1990/RA-VI/FR/07761.TXT |website=ncei.noaa.gov |publisher=[[NOAA]] |access-date=11 April 2024}}</ref>
|- style="vertical-align:middle;"
! Parameter
! Jan
! Feb
! Mar
! Apr
! May
! Jun
! Jul
! Aug
! Sep
! Oct
! Nov
! Dec
|-
! Average number of days with [[thunder]]
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.1
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.7 
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.9
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|3.1 
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.6
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|3.1
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.7 
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|3.1 
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|3.8 
| style="background-color: #C0FFA0; color: black;"|4.3 
| style="background-color: #C0FFA0; color: black;"|4.3
| style="background-color: #E0FFC0; color: black;"|2.0
|-
! Mean number of days with [[hail]]
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.7
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.9
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.9
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.5 
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.2
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.2 
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.2
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0 
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.5 
| style="background-color: #E5E5FF; color: black;"|0.6
|-
! Number Days with air [[frost]]
| style="background-color: #E0FFFF; color: black;"|3.8
| style="background-color: #E0FFFF; color: black;"|3
| style="background-color: #E5FFFF; color: black;"|1.4
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #F0F8FF; color: black;"|0.4
| style="background-color: #E0FFFF; color: black;"|2.6
|-
! Number Days with no Sunshine
| style="background-color: #E5E5E5; color: black;"|3.7
| style="background-color: #F1E9D2; color: black;"|2.5
| style="background-color: #F1E9D2; color: black;"|2.4
| style="background-color: #F9F6EE; color: black;"|1.3
| style="background-color: #F9F6EE; color: black;"|1
| style="background-color: #FFFAFA; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #FFFAFA; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFAFA; color: black;"|0.3
| style="background-color: #F9F6EE; color: black;"|1
| style="background-color: #F1E9D2; color: black;"|2.5
| style="background-color: #E5E5E5; color: black;"|4.3
|-
! No. of days with mean temperature > {{Convert|18.0|C|F|abbr=on}}
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFE5CC; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #FFE5CC; color: black;"|0.6
| style="background-color: #FFCC99; color: black;"|4.8
| style="background-color: #FF8000; color: black;"|20.5
| style="background-color: #994C00; color: white;"|30.0
| style="background-color: #994C00; color: white;"|30.6
| style="background-color: #CC6600; color: black;"|25.1
| style="background-color: #FFB266; color: black;"|9.8
| style="background-color: #FFE5CC; color: black;"|0.7
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
|-
! No. of days with max temperature > {{Convert|30.0|C|F|abbr=on}}
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FAEBD7; color: black;"|0.1
| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; color: black;"|1.1
| style="background-color: #FF9999; color: black;"|4.7
| style="background-color: #FF9999; color: black;"|4.5
| style="background-color: #FFCCCC; color: black;"|1.1
| style="background-color: #FAEBD7; color: black;"|0.5
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0
| style="background-color: #FFFFFF; color: black;"|0.0

|}

===Heraldry===
{{Blazon-arms
|img1=Blason ville fr Ajaccio.svg
|legend1=Arms of Ajaccio 
|text=In 1575, the Senate of Genoa granted to the city of Ajaccio Arms of blue with a silver column sumounted by the Arms of Genoa between two white greyhounds. This is not the current Arms.

'''Blazon:'''<br/>
''Supported by two golden lions, a silver column stands on a green base beneath an azure sky.''
}}