MALTA
Feb 2005
t's such a small place.
It is just an archipelago of islands about
halfway between the coasts of Sicily and North
Africa. Set in the clear blue Mediterranean Sea,
the Maltese islands are the most southerly
European country. The archipelago consists of
five islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino, together
with two other uninhabited islands Cominetto and
Filfla. The total area is approximately 316 sq
kms (Malta 246 sq km, Gozo 67 sq km, Comino 2.7
sq km). The longest distance in Malta from North
West to South East is about 27 km, with 14.5 kms
width in an East - West direction. The Islands
are only 90 km south of Sicily and 290 km from
the northern coast of Africa.
HISTORY The strategic
position of Malta, Gozo and Comino has made these
Mediterranean islands a crossroad of history and
a bone of contention. The powers of Europe's past
knew it well as a stepping-stone between Europe
and North Africa. Involved in Malta's history are
the Stone-Age and Bronze-Age people, Romans and
Phoenicians, Arabs, Normans and Carthaginians,
Castilians, French and British; from whom Malta
became independent in 1964. Napoleon Bonaparte
did unutterable damage in an only six-day
occupation; and Malta stood firm against Hitler
despite massive bombing during World War II,
deservedly earning the nation the George Cross
medal from King George VI (April 1942) and
depicting it on the left hand corner of the flag.
THE KNIGHTS The Knights
of the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, a
religious and multinational order of soldiers and
hospitallers, have had a significant influence in
the history of Malta. You might recognise the
Maltese Cross, which is the insignia of the
Knights of Malta. And you've heard of the Maltese
falcon—the Mediterranean peregrine
falcon—which was the annual rent required by
Roman Emperor Charles V when he donated the
Island to the Knights in 1530. The Knights were
not altogether pleased with the gift of these
little islands, which were no kind of natural
paradise. The Knight found the land is rugged,
dry and rocky, though these days barely in
evidence in its natural form because Malta is one
of the world's most densely populated countries
in the world (population - 366 000). It takes no
more than approximately an hour to drive between
any two points on the main island and that is
achieved without ever breaking out into wide-open
spaces; the island is virtually solid with
jumbles of buildings built of native white
limestone. The Knights of St John of Jerusalem,
however, left the most physical mark on Malta,
after successfully defended it from the
power-hungry Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1565. The
Knights were in charge of the island for 270
years, building magnificent churches and lavish
monuments to themselves—each nationality had
its own palace (AUBERGES) —before losing
power to the Napoleon Bonaparte and the French
empire in 1889.
MALTESE LANGUAGE The
two official languages are Maltese and English.
The English language is a leftover of about 160
years of British colonisation of Malta. Maltese,
whose closest languages are Lebanese, Hebrew and
classic Arabic, is the only Semitic language
which is written in Roman alphabet. Italian, too,
is widely spoken among the younger generation,
particularly due to the television programs which
are transmitted from nearby Italy. It is easy to
get a language guide and Maltese is interesting
enough to make a little effort very worthwhile a
few words taken back with you are a very
beautiful 'souvenir' of your visit.
About
Malta
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