Corsica is a French Mediterranean island west of Italy, north of Sardinia and southeast of the French mainland. The distance to Sardinia from the Strait of Bonifacio in the south is only 12 km. Corsica has an area of 8680 km ² and apart from Sicily, Sardinia and Cyprus, is the fourth largest island in the Mediterranean. The island has a 1200 km long coastline, which is made up of beaches and rocky coasts with many bays. Corsica is very mountainous and consists largley of high mountains. The island has an average altitude of 568 meters. The highest mountain is Monte Cinto at 2706 meters. Ajaccio is the capital of Corsica and lies on the south west coast. Other major cities are the port cities of Bastia, Bonifacio, the southernmost city (Bunifaziu), the northwestern port town of Calvi, the ancient capital of Corte (Corti) and Sart (SART), which is considered the most typically Corsican of Corsican towns. Along the 1200 km long coastline, the island offers a reasonable number of ports and marinas. Yachtcharter Corsica, on the southeast coast, and there are many beautiful bays to drop anchor. However, on the west side there are fewer ports and bays with little protection. In Corsica, the charter bases are small with a modest range of yachts. Alternatives can be found in the charter bases on the islands of Elba, Sardinia and the Italian mainland.