About Malta
Situated in
the Central Mediterranean Sea, Malta is a small archipelago of five
islands - Malta (the largest), Gozo, Comino, Comminotto (Maltese,
Kemmunett), and Filfla. The latter two are uninhabited. The distance
between Malta and the nearest point in Sicily is 93 km while the distance
from the nearest point on the North African mainland (Tunisia) is
288 km. Gibraltar lies at 1,826 km to the west while Alexandria is
1,510 km to the east. The capital city of Malta is Valletta.
The climate
is a typically Mediterranean one with hot, dry summers, warm autumns
and short, cool winters with adequate rainfall. Temperatures are stable,
the annual mean being 18°C and monthly averages ranging from 12°C
to 31°C. Winds are strong and frequent, the most common being
the cool northwesterly known locally as the majjistral, the dry northeasterly
known as the grigal, and the hot, humid southeasterly known as the
xlokk.
Malta attained independence in 1964. Under the 1964 Independence Constitution,
Malta was a constitutional monarchy and parliamentary state. This
constitution was amended in 1974 to make Malta a republic within the
Commonwealth. Its head of state is a president appointed by the Maltese
Parliament which, in its turn, is elected by Universal Suffrage for
a term of five years.
Maltese culture stems
largely from the Islands' history of domination by Arab, Norman, European
and English influences, as well as from the widespread prevalence
of the Roman Catholic Church. Folk traditions have grown mainly around
the festas, held in honour of the patron saints of towns and villages;
these are marked by religious ceremonies, processions and celebrations
of a more mondaine nature. The Easter period also gives rise to a
spate of Good Friday biblical character pageants in several parts
of the Islands, these being colourful and devotional at the same time.
Folk festivals are also popular. The principal one is l-lmnarja, an
agrarian feast held on June 29, the joint feastday of St. Peter and
St. Paul, and highlighted by I-ghana, a type of folksinging peculiar
to the Maltese Islands.
Carnival in Malta
dates back to at least the middle of the 15th Century. Balls and dance
competitions featuring the Maltija, the national dance, the Parata,
a sword dance, as well as contemporary dances and defile`of floats,
satirical and other, are the order of this 3-day festival.
Malta is a country
of bastions and belfries. No other country in the world has so many
walled cities, churches and chapels in so small an area. The walled
cities are Valletta, Mdina, Furjana (Floriana), Bormla (Cospicua),
lsla (Senglea), and Birgu (Vittoriosa). Mdina, Malta's old capital
city, ranks amongst the world's oldest mediaeval cities. St. John's
Co-Cathedral, in the heart of Valletta, is hung with beautiful Flemish
tapestries and houses many famous paintings by Caravaggio and Mattia
Preti. Another church of distinction is the Mosta Rotunda, noted worldwide
for its immense dome.
Malta owes its rich
architectural heritage to the rule of the Knights of the Order of
St. John (1530-1798). Under the Knights, the Maltese discomfited the
Turks of the Ottoman Empire in the Siege of 1565. They also built
their capital city Valletta, a jewel of Baroque architecture.
Fact File (updated
2010)
Official Name: Republic
of Malta
Area: 316 sq km
Geographic Coordinates: Latitude 35° 50'N, Longitude 14° 35'E
Capital City: Valletta
Population: 403,342 (2004)
Local time: GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 in summer)
Government: Republic
Head of State: President Edward Fenech Adami
Head of Government: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi
Official Languages: Maltese, English
Official Currency: Maltese Lira
Major Banks in Malta: Bank of Valletta, HSBC, APS
Main Religion: Roman Catholic
GDP: US$6.81 billion
GDP per capita: US$17,700
Annual Growth: 4%
Inflation: 2.8%
Land: Mostly low, rocky land with rugged, steep coastal cliffs. Major
Industries: tourism; electronics, ship building and repair, construction;
food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco
Major Trading Partners: Italy, Germany, UK
Member of EU: Yes
International telephone code: 356
Internet domain: mt
