Corsica is an island.
Corsica ( [ ˈkɔrsɪkə ] Corse [ kɔʁs ] Corsican and Italian : Corsica [ ˈkɔrsika ] ) is an island in the Mediterranean Sea and one of the 13 regions of France . It is located west of the Italian Peninsula , southeast of the French mainland , and north of the Italian island of Sardinia . A single chain of mountains makes up two-thirds of the island . Due to Corsica 's historical ties with the Italian peninsula , the island retains to this day many elements of the culture of Italy . This Mediterranean island was ruled by various nations over the course of history but had several brief periods of independence .