a fortified town and seaport on the eastern coast of the island of Corsica, and capital of an arrondissement of the same name. It occupies a very picturesque situation, rising from the sea in the form of an amphitheatre; but the town itself is ill built, and the streets narrow and crooked. The harbour, which is defended by a citadel, is only fit for small craft, and its entrance is narrow and difficult. Bastia is the seat of a royal court for the island, and of tribunals of commerce and primary jurisdiction; and has a communal college, a model school, and a museum. Its principal manufactures are soap, leather, liqueurs, and wax; and it exports oil, wine, coral, &c. Lat. 42° 41' 36", N. Long. 9° 27' 22", E. Pop. (1851) 14,523. Bastia was at one time the capital of Corsica. It was taken by the English in 1745, and again in 1794. The arrondissement of the same name contains 20 cantons and 94 communes. Pop. in 1851, 70,288.