Malta
Section: travel Author: Angela
“Malta” is the official name of the Republic of Malta, which is an insular state of the Southern Europe. Malta is in the Mediterranean Sea, 90 Km in the south of Sicily and the Maltese archipelago is constituted from the isles of Malta, Gozo and Comino, and also from the small isles without inhabitants of Cominotto and Filala. The archipelago is 316 km large and Malta is the biggest isle, with 246 Km. Gozo is 67 Km large and Comino 3 Km. Coasts are 197 Km long.
Malta is an independent Republic of Commonwealth and it’s a member of UE. The capital is La Valletta. The land is constituted expecially by sedimentary rocks and in the east of the state the deepest bays are Mellieha, Saint Paul’s, Saint Julian’s, Marsamxett and Grand Harbour; in the south there is the Marsaxlokks’bay.
The ground is rocky and poor, but it’s cultivated. The biggest mountain is Nadur Tower, but it’s not very high (258 m.).
The total population is 401.880 inhabitants (2007) and many people live in urban areas. Life’s quality is good and life expectation is 79,2 years (2007).
Malta has a good ethnic homogeneity and only 4% of inhabitants are English, Italian, Franch and Spanish. Official languages are Maltese and English, but also Italian is known. People are Cathlic and school is free and compulsory for students from 5 to 16 years. The university is in the capital and it was created in 1769. Here there is also the National Archeological Museum.
La Valletta is a “World Heritage Site” from 1980 and also the best port in the zone. Maltese economy is based in particulary from industry and from tourism because there are many beautiful monuments. Agricolture constitutes only 2% of population. Malta has not big woods and not big quantities of energy. Malta is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea and the isle became a Phoenician colony in the IX century. Then, it was dominated by Greeks who called it “Melita” and by Romans in 58-60. Malta was then conquered by Bizantines, Arabs and Normans. It was united with Sicily and it was given to “Knights of Malta” in the XIX century. With the Paris Treaty, in 1814, the isle was united to Britain like a colony.
Malta became a Republic in 1974 and in 1995 it entered into negotiations with UE. Malta entered in UE in 2004.