Malta

Malta is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago 80 km south of Italy, 300 kilometres east of Tunisia,and 333 km north of Libya. The two official languages are Maltese and English. The country’s capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the EU by both area and population. With a population of about 542,000over an area of 316 square kilometres Malta is the world’s tenth-smallest country by area and the ninth most densely populated. Various sources consider the country to consist of a single urban region,for which it is often described as a city-state.

A small but strategically important group of islands, the archipelago has through its long and turbulent history played a vital role in the struggles of a succession of powers for domination of the Mediterranean and in the interplay between emerging Europeand the older cultures of Africa and the Middle East. As a result, Maltese society has been molded by centuries of foreign rule by various powers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Swabians, Aragonese, Hospitallers, French, and British.

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Malta’s long history of foreign rule and close proximity to both Europe and North Africa have influenced its art, music, cuisine, and architecture. Malta has close historical and cultural ties to Italy and especially Sicily; between 62 and 66 percent of Maltese people speak or have significant knowledge of the Italian language, which had official status from 1530 to 1934.

Malta was an early centre of Christianity, and Catholicism is the state religion, although the country’s constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship.

The island of Malta specifically played a vital strategic role in World War II as a base for the Allied Powers. It was heavily bombarded by German and Italian aircraft, and by the end of the war Malta was devastated. In 1942 the island of Malta was presented with the George Cross, a British award for great gallantry, in recognition of the wartime bravery of the Maltese people.

After the war, the movement for self-governance became stronger. The country of Malta became independent from Britain and joined the Commonwealth in 1964 and was declared a republic on December 13, 1974. It was admitted to the European Union (EU) in 2004. A European atmosphere predominates in Malta as a result of close association with the Continent, particularly with southern Europe. The Maltese are renowned for their warmth, hospitality, and generosity to strangers, a trait that was noted in the Acts of the Apostles, with respect to the experience of St. Paul, the Apostle, who was said to have been shipwrecked off Malta in 60 CE.

Roman Catholicism is a major influence on Maltese culture. Various traditions have evolved around religious celebrations, notably those honouring the patron saints of towns and villages. The eight-pointed, or Maltese, cross, adopted by the Hospitallers of St. John of Jerusalem in 1126, is commonly linked with Malta’s identity and is printed on the country’s euro coin.

The Knights of St John trace their roots to medieval Crusader nights which after being forced out of the Holyland and then the island of Rhodes , took refuge on Malta .