An island in the middle of the Mediterranean sea which is located between the foot of Sicily and North Africa. The size of Malta is 316 sq. km whereas the population of the island is around 410,000 habitants.
Maltese is the National language of Malta while Maltese and English are both official languages. The Maltese language developed from Arabic, absorbing words and expressions from Sicilian, Italian and English over centuries. This intriguing blend of languages gives modern Maltese its unique character. Most Maltese are bilingual.
In 2008, the Euro became Malta’s official currency following the island’s accession into the EU in 2004. Malta is predominantly Roman Catholic country. It has over 360 churches – that is roughly one for every 1, residents. Malta’s capital city, Valletta, is named after Jean Parisot de LaValette, a Grand Master of the Order of Knights of St. John.
The flag of Malta is a simple red and white design with the George Cross in the top left hand corner.
Malta’s Grand Harbour boasts of being one of the best natural deep-water harbours in the world. Malta was previously known as Melita by the ancient Greeks and Romans. They called it ‘island of honey’
The two main symbols synonymous with Malta and its people are the Maltese Cross and the Maltese boat (known as ‘luzzu’). The Maltese cross was used by the Knights of Malta.
In 1942 Malta was awarded with the George Cross by King George VI of England for bravery shown during the second world war.