It's not unusual to get a sort of a puzzled expression on many faces
when you mention the word Malta. You expect some people to say - "I've heard of
Malta or I have met a Maltese but I don't exactly know where or what it is." If
you ask them to have a guess, they might place Malta in Africa, or maybe in the
Middle East.GEOGRAPHY
It'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.
Tourism is the most lucrative industry, and the Maltese people have a
friendly and welcoming way about them. At celebrations for the feast of St. Paul
on the 10th of February, the locals proudly relate their immortal history to
visitors as a procession with the statute of St Paul passes by.
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