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Geography The Maltese archipelago consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. The largest island of the group is Malta, from where the archipelago takes its name. Malta lies in a most strategic position in the Mediterranean Sea. Located just south of Sicily, with the coordinates 36o00'N and 14o36'E, Malta has historically always been an important trading post. The Malta Freeport is one of the Mediterranean's leading ports for container transhipments, and the island is also a well established financial services and maritime centre. Due to the mild sunny climate Malta is also an attractive tourist destination in the centre of the Mediterranean. In fact, the total annual rainfall is about 50cm and the average winter temperature is 12°C. There are really only two seasons in Malta: the dry summer season, and the mild winter season. Rain rarely, if ever, falls during the summer months. |
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Geography (cont...) The Maltese Islands are very small with a total area of 316km2. They are also densely populated and the total population in 2000 was 382, 525. Valletta, the capital, is the cultural, administrative and commercial centre of the archipelago. Malta is well served with harbours, chief of which is the Valletta Grand Harbour. Malta's international airport is situated five kilometres from the capital. History The islands have often been a bone of contention between the Arabs, the French, the Italians and the British. The island’s history however goes much further back. The first inhabitants arrived in the islands during the Neolithic period, around 7,000 years ago. Colonised by almost every Mediterranean power including the Phoenicians, |
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History (cont...) the Knights of St. John, the Carthaginians and the British, the Maltese have enriched themselves by absorbing into their culture various influences. A look at the local traditions, cuisine and indeed the language will reveal this. The Knights of the Order of St. John, also known as the Knights of Malta, did a lot to improve the quality of life of the Maltese of their time. In the two centuries following the Great Siege by Ottoman Turks in 1565, the new city of Valletta was built and provided with the necessary amenities such as a state of the art water supply, a hospital, law courts, theatre, a library and a customs house; the coastal fortifications were strengthened with the construction of a number of forts and towers including thirteen coastal towers; a large number of churches were erected in the towns and villages inspired by the designs of Maltese architects such as Gerolamo Cassar and his son Vittorio, Tommaso Dingli and Lorenzo Gafa'; |
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History (cont...) Grand Master Emmanuel Pinto established a University; a Diocesan Seminary was also established while several colleges were set up by various Religious Orders. During the Order's rule, the population of the Maltese Islands increased considerably from approximately 25,000 in 1530 to 91,27. Moreover, during this time, serious studies in the Maltese Language, until then only a spoken language, were undertaken by two scholars, De Soldanis (1712-1770) and Mikiel Anton Vassalli (1764-1829). Malta passed from under the rule of the Knights to that of the Napoleon’s French Empire and in 1814 it willingly accepted to come under British rule. Malta became an independent nation in 1964. A decade later Malta became a Republic. |
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History (cont...) Over the last 15 years, the island has worked on strengthening its economy by attracting foreign investors and tourism. The labour force is distributed as follows: 24% in industry, 5% in agriculture and 71% in services. Malta's accession to the European Union on the 1st of May 2004 makes it a key member of this important group. |