town, Haute-Corse département, Corsica région, France, in the mountains of north-central Corsica, 52 miles (84 km) northeast of Ajaccio, and 44 miles (70 km) southwest of Bastia. At an elevation of more than 1,200 feet (365 metres) the upper town is situated on a precipitous rock overhanging the confluence of the Tavignano and Restonica rivers. The early 15th-century citadel, built by the Aragonese viceroy Vincentello d'Istria, is on the summit of the rock. Corte was the seat of the government of Pasquale Paoli, the Corsican patriot, from 1755 to 1769. It is an administrative and service centre in the middle of the island; since 1981 it also has been the seat of the university. Pop. (1999) 6,329; (2008 prelim.) 6,747.