Malt

Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta; English: Republic of Malta), is one of the twenty-seven sovereign states that make up the European Union. Its capital is Valletta and the most populous city is Birkirkara. It is one of the most densely populated states, made up of an archipelago and located in the center of the Mediterranean, south of Italy, east of Tunisia and north of Libya. Due to its strategic situation, it has been governed and disputed by various powers over the centuries. Since 1964 it has been independent and in 2004 it joined the European Union.

Malta is a popular tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta, and seven megalithic temples that are some of the oldest freestanding structures in the world. In 2018 it had a population of 475,700 inhabitants with a distribution of 1,457 inhab./km², the highest demographic density among the countries of the European Union. This archipelago is considered one of the six micro-states of the European continent and is also among the 10 smallest countries in the world in terms of area.

Etymology

The origin of the word "Malta" is uncertain. The most accepted etymology is that according to which it comes from the Greek word μέλι (meli, 'honey'). The Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melite), which meant 'sweet as honey', probably due to the quality of the honey produced by the bees of the archipelago. In fact, in Malta there are endemic species of these insects, which is why it is called the "land of honey". The Romans continued to call it Melita, a Latinization of Μελίτη.

Another etymology refers to the Phoenician word Maleth, which means 'refuge', due to the large number of bays and inlets on the island's coastline.

History

Prehistory and Antiquity

Megalytic temple of gantija, on the island of Gozo. He rose in the Neolithic and is a World Heritage Site.

Malta's first settlers were Stone Age farmers who arrived in the archipelago in 5200 BC. C., probably Sicans from neighboring Sicily, since to date they are the only known inhabitants of the island at that time. For 3,500 years this people built some of the oldest autonomous structures, among which those of religious character, in Ġgantija on the island of Gozo. Also in Hagar Qim and in Mnadjra there are other megalithic temples with the same characteristics.

In 1000 B.C. Phoenician merchants occupied the islands and used them as a base for their explorations in the western Mediterranean on their way to Cornwall. Around 700 BC. C., the Greeks reached the islands and settled near Valletta.

The islands later passed under the control of Carthage (in 400 BC) and then Rome in 218 BC. During this period Malta was considered a municipium and a foederata civitas. Many vestiges of the Roman presence are still preserved, attesting to the close relationship between the two peoples. In 60 AD C., the islands were visited by Paul of Tarsus, who is said to have been shipwrecked on the shores of what is now known as Saint Paul's Bay Malta in Roman imperial times was part of administratively from Sicily.

Medieval Sicilian

After a brief Byzantine rule in 533 and a probable sack by the Vandals, Malta was conquered in 870 by the Arabs, who almost completely changed the Romanized population of the island. The Arabic influence can now be recognized in the modern Maltese language, which originally derives in part from heavily romanized vernacular Arabic (although some linguists believe it has Phoenician origins). In 1090, following the Norman invasion of Malta, the Arabs were replaced by the Normans and the island found itself under Christian rule and again linked to nearby Sicily. Many Sicilian settlers moved to Malta. It was then that the Maltese nobility was created, all of Italian origin, which is still in force; It currently has thirty-two titles, the oldest being that of the Barons of Djar il Bniet and Buqana.

Walls of the city of Mdina, Malta

Aragonese period and assignment to the Knights Hospitallers

From 1282 Malta passed to the Crown of Aragon along with Sicily, with which it had very close ties, after it was conquered by Roger de Lauria's Almogavars. It continued under the control of the Crown of Aragon for two and a half centuries. In 1530, King Charles I of Spain left the islands under permanent lease to the Knights Hospitallers, then known as the Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, as Suleiman the Magnificent had expelled them from Rhodes in 1522. a falcon as payment of the annual rent. The Knights Hospitallers (now known as the Order of Malta) thanks to the intervention of Pope Clement VII, in addition to Malta, obtained Tripoli on condition of remaining neutral in conflicts between Christian nations. The Knights Hospitallers declared Italian the official language of Malta, favoring the immigration to the island of colonies of Sicilians and Neapolitans to strengthen the Christian character of Malta.

The Siege of Malta and the Battle of Lepanto

The Malta Site of 1565

The siege of Malta began on May 18, 1565. Knights of the Order of Malta, under the command of Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Valette, faced more than 160 galleys and 30,000 Ottoman soldiers. Since Muslims dominated North Africa at the time, the fall of Malta would have allowed Turkish access to strategic control of the western Mediterranean, as well as protection of their merchant ships. The Order managed to defend the island largely thanks to the help of the Spanish army.

To the Turkish failure was added, six years later, the defeat in the battle of Lepanto against the Holy League, made up of Spain, Venice, Genoa and the Holy See, which meant the neutralization of their Mediterranean expansion project. To protect the island from future landings, a fortified city was built on the peninsula of Mount Sceberras, named Valletta, after Grand Master Jean Parisot de La Valette.

Napoleon and the French occupation

The dominance of the Knights Hospitallers ended after the French conquest of Malta led by Napoleon Bonaparte in 1798 as he headed towards Egypt. To occupy the archipelago, the then French general requested permission to dock in his port and, once there, the knights surrendered and took over the city. He abolished all feudal rights, reformed the monasteries, and guaranteed equal rights for Christians, Jews, and Muslims. He also plundered its coffers, before the passivity of the hospital knights who had promised not to take up arms against any Christian prince.

The French occupation was unpopular^{[citation needed]}, so the Maltese revolted and the French were forced to take refuge in the fortifications. Britain and the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies sent ammunition and aid. The British also sent their fleet, under the command of Admiral Nelson, which effected the blockade of the islands. Isolated French forces surrendered in 1800, and the British took control of the archipelago, making it their protectorate.

British rule and World War II

During the Malta site of 1940, in the Second World War, the island was very damaged.

In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became part of the British Empire. Due to its proximity to the Suez Canal it was used as a port of call to India and was the headquarters of the British fleet in the Mediterranean Sea until the mid-1930s.

In the 19th century Malta was the scene of a process of «anglicisation» by the British authorities, in the which highlighted by contrast the political attempt to unite Malta to the Kingdom of Italy (particularly favored in the Mussolini decades) and successively the development of Maltese independence in the 20th century. The culminating event was the abolition of Italian as an official language in 1936, strongly contested by many Maltese citizens who considered themselves irredentists (such as Carmelo Borg Pisani).

Malta played an important role during World War II due to its proximity to Axis shipping lines, and was again besieged. The courage of his people motivated George VI to award Malta, on April 15, 1945, the George Cross, which today can be seen on the country's flag.

Independence

Typical architecture built in recent years in Malta

Although Malta became independent on September 21, 1964, the British remained in their territory and maintained full control of ports, airports, post offices, and radio and television stations. Under the 1964 Constitution, Queen Elizabeth II of the United Kingdom remained the sovereign of Malta, with a Governor General exercising executive authority on her behalf. On December 13, 1974, however, Malta became a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations (Commonwealth), with the president as head of state.

On March 31, 1979, the departure of the British became effective, as their government refused to pay the fee demanded by the Maltese government to allow their stay^{[citation required]}. At that time Malta found itself without foreign military bases for the first time in its history. This event is celebrated as Freedom Day.

Malta joined the European Union on May 1, 2004 and joined the Eurozone on January 1, 2008.

Government and politics

House of Parliament

Malta's unicameral system is centered on a House of Representatives, known in Maltese as Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti, which is elected by direct universal suffrage using a simple transferable vote every five years, unless the House is dissolved by the president in consultation with the prime minister. The House of Representatives has sixty-five seats. However, when a party wins an absolute majority of the votes but not the seats, it can win as many as it needs to achieve a parliamentary majority.

The President of the Republic is elected every five years by the House of Representatives.

The main political parties are the Maltese Nationalist Party, which is a Christian Democrat and part of the European People's Party, and the Maltese Labor Party, which is a Social Democrat and part of the European Socialist Party. There is a green party (Alternattiva Demokratika) and a far-right party (Imperium Europa) that have no seats. The Malta Labor Party has ruled, with Prime Minister Robert Abela, since January 13, 2020.

Defense

Beechcraft Super King Air AS1126 of the Air Squadron of the Armed Forces of MaltaL-Iskwadra such-Ajru such-FAM)

The objectives of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are to maintain a military organization with the primary objective of defending the integrity of the islands in accordance with the defense functions established by the government in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This is achieved by emphasizing the maintenance of Maltese territorial waters and the integrity of Malta's airspace.

The AFM is also involved in the so-called fight against terrorism, the fight against illicit drug trafficking, the conduct of operations and patrols against illegal immigrants and illegal fishing operations, the operation of search and rescue services (SAR), and physical or electronic security and surveillance of sensitive places. The Maltese search and rescue zone stretches from eastern Tunisia to western Crete, covering an area of about 250,000 km².

As a military organisation, the AFM provides support to the Malta Police Force (MPF) and other government departments/agencies in situations that require an organized and disciplined manner in the event of national emergencies (such as natural disasters) or security internal and bomb disposal.

In 2020, Malta signed and ratified the UN treaty on the prohibition of nuclear weapons

Foreign Policy

Greek Embassy in Malta

Malta applied for membership of the European Community (EC) for the first time on 16 July 1990. The application was accompanied by the hope that Italy would support Malta's accession at the next enlargement. However, the influence of Italy in the Council was greatly weakened due to the political convulsions that occurred as a result of the Manipulite from 1992. For this reason, the result of the Lisbon Summit of 1992 did not favor Malta. Although the opinion on Malta's application published by the Commission in 1993 was perceived by the Maltese government as quite positive for Malta, it also identified a number of political, economic and institutional problems that Malta's accession would have for the Union. Some of these issues were, for example, Malta's political neutrality or the need for a thorough review of its market regulation system.

Despite the overwhelmingly positive assessment of Malta, the European Council decided to defer a decision on possible membership until the intergovernmental conference of member states scheduled for 1996.

Following the electoral defeat of the Nationalist Party in 1996, Malta postponed EU membership for two years. Efforts to join the EU were halted prematurely as the Socialists pursued the goal of establishing Malta as a "Switzerland in the Mediterranean". As the party in power, they not only withdrew their application for EU membership, but also withdrew from the NATO Partnership for Peace. Malta had joined it only a year earlier to signal to the EU that it could maintain its neutrality and yet associate itself with a military organization. In lieu of membership of the European Union, the new government requested an association, which the European Commission rejected. As a result of internal party disputes, new elections were held in 1998, after only two years as the party in power.

Villa Macedonia, residence of the Ambassador of Spain in Malta

The Nationalist Party emerged victorious, renewing its application for membership in the EU. But not only Malta saw some changes; the European Union had also evolved in the meantime With the Treaty of Amsterdam, the advancement of monetary union and other milestones, the EU was a different institution than it had been in 1990, when Malta first applied. The standards that had to be met for accession had also changed. For example, before joining the EU, candidate countries had to adopt the acquis communautaire and meet the Copenhagen criteria. It was about checking and evaluating their competence in applying EU law to their own.

Following the reinstatement of its application, Malta asked the Commission for an update of the opinion published in 1993. The most important part of this report was the recommendation to start the selection process for Malta so that actual accession negotiations could begin. Following this process, which took place between May 1999 and January 2000, negotiations could begin in February. In September of the same year, the Maltese government published its first version of the National Program for the Adaptation of the Acquis, which served as a guide for the revision of the legislative and administrative system.

Malta was admitted to the European Union on May 1, 2004, along with eight Central and Eastern European states and Cyprus, following the decision taken at the EU summit in Copenhagen on December 13, 2002, as part of the enlargement of the EU. Despite this, Malta was able to maintain its neutral status, enshrined in its Constitution since 1987, as it was also in the Accession Treaty.

But before admission, the Maltese held a referendum on March 8, 2003. The Nationalist Party was in favor of joining the EU, while the Socialists and trade unions announced against it. The participation of the 390,000 Maltese was 91%, with 53.65% voting in favour, slightly above forecasts. Malta replaced Luxembourg as the smallest country in the EU.

Malta can send six MEPs to the European Parliament, from the ruling and opposition parties, depending on the country's election results. In the first half of 2017, Malta took over the Presidency of the Council of the EU. Preparation for this arduous task was done through a joint work program in a trio presidency with the Netherlands and Slovakia, which held the presidency in 2016.

Malta Police Vehicle (Pulizija)

Legislation

The Constitution is the highest source of state law. All laws can be prepared by expert commissions and, if necessary, given to the public in advance in a White Paper. Finally, Parliament passes them as laws. However, the legislative power can also be delegated to other bodies, such as ministries, authorities or public companies. Associated with this is the preparation and promulgation of implementing regulations ("secondary legislation, regulations of the town halls"). Existing foreign policy treaties are always incorporated directly into existing Maltese law. All laws are published in the Official Gazette. The House of Representatives may, upon motion, approve amendments or changes to the text of existing laws.

Justice

Court of Justice Building (La Valeta)

The courts are the civil and criminal courts under the Ministry of Justice, Culture and Local Administration. Civil courts include the Court of Appeal, the Civil Court with three chambers, the Magistrates' Court, the Gozo Magistrates' Court and the Small Claims Court. The criminal jurisdictions are the Court of Criminal Appeal, the Criminal Court, the Magistrates Court, the Gozo Magistrates Court and the Juvenile Court.

The members of the courts interpret the law established in the different laws. The magistrates abide by this jurisprudence only.

In the municipalities and cities there are some 2,000 private lawyers.

Human Rights

In terms of human rights, regarding membership of the seven bodies of the International Bill of Human Rights, which include the Human Rights Committee (HRC), Malta has signed or ratified:

Status of major international human rights instruments

Malta	International treaties
	CESCR		CCPR			CERD	CED	CEDAW		CAT		CRC			MWC	CRPD
	CESCR	CESCR-OP	CCPR	CCPR-OP1	CCPR-OP2-DP			CEDAW	CEDAW-OP	CAT	CAT-OP	CRC	CRC-OP-AC	CRC-OP-SC		CRPD	CRPD-OP
Pertenence
Signed and ratified, signed, but not ratified, neither signed nor ratified, without information, it has agreed to sign and ratify the body concerned, but also recognizes the competence to receive and process individual communications from the competent bodies.

Political-administrative division

Since 1993, Malta has been subdivided into 68 localities or local councils (Kunsilli Lokali in Maltese), which are the sole administrative entities, as there is no other type of intermediary unit between them and the government national.

List of Local Councils

Municipalities of Malta

Flamenco in the natural reserve of G deadira

Geography

The Maltese archipelago is located on the edge of the African plate, very close to the Eurasian plate. It is made up of the inhabited islands of Malta (the largest in size and importance), Gozo and Comino (Malta, Għawdex and Kemmuna, respectively in Maltese). On its coasts there are a large number of bays that provide good ports. It also has other smaller islands, among which the Filfla and Cominotto islets, or the San Pablo Islands stand out.

The local climate is temperate Mediterranean with rainy but slightly marked winters (~14 °C) and dry and hot summers (~25 °C). In fact, there are only two stations, which attracts many tourists, especially during the summer months.

From a phytogeographical point of view, the archipelago belongs to the Liguro-Tyrrhenian province of the Mediterranean basin, within the Holarctic Kingdom. The World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF) includes it in the Mediterranean forest ecoregion called Tyrrhenian-Adriatic mixed and sclerophyll forest.

The main island of Malta is 246 square kilometres, facing south-east and reaching a length of 28 km and a maximum width of 13 km. Between its northwestern tip and the second main island, Gozo (Maltese Għawdex), lies the 4.4 km wide Gozo Channel, which contains the 2.7 km square island of Comino (Maltese Kemmuna) and the uninhabited rocky islet of Cominotto (Kemmunett Maltese). Gozo, at 67 square kilometers, measures 14.3 km long and up to 7.25 km wide from east to west.

Ta' Qali National Park

The other islands of the state - all of them uninhabited - are Filfla, 4.4 km south of Malta, and the Saint Paul Islands (Gżejjer ta' San Pawl, in Maltese), at the northern tip of the bay of San Pablo, which are 83 meters from the coast and are actually connected, although their joining piece can be washed away by the tide. In the west of Gozo, in the Black Lagoon, near the tip of Dwejra, the Mushroom Rock (Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral, in Maltese) rises from the sea, 60 meters high, a large limestone rock. The island of Manoel (in Maltese Il-Gżira Manwel), located in the port of Marsamxett, between Valletta and Sliema, is no longer commonly considered an island, as it is connected to the mainland by a causeway and a road.

Malta's most distinctive geographical feature is the diversity of its coastlines, which is especially evident on the main island. If the eastern and northeastern sides are characterized by flat beaches and wide bays such as Marsaxlokk Bay, Marsamxett Harbour, Grand Harbour, Mellieħa Bay and Saint Paul Bay, the southwest and north have well-defined stretches of coastline. with rock formations and cave-shaped coves. On this side, Malta rises very ruggedly from the sea, forming elongated cliffs that culminate in the Dingli Cliffs at Ta' Dmejrek, the highest elevation in the country with 253 meters. Other karst ridges are found in the northwest with the Mellieħa Ridge, the Bajda Ridge and the Marfa Ridge, up to 122 meters high. The highest peaks in Gozo measure 127 metres.

Due to extreme water scarcity there are no permanent rivers in Malta, Gozo and Comino. After heavy winter rains, some dry riverbeds may temporarily fill with rainwater. These mostly small streams merge into narrow rocky valleys, the wieds, where they do not evaporate as quickly. The longest intermittent stream can be observed in the Wied il-Għasri, which empties into a fjord-like sea bay on the north coast of Gozo. The only major lake in the archipelago is man-made and lies within the Għadira Nature Reserve, on the isthmus of the Marfa Ridge, just under two kilometers northwest of Mellieħa. It measures 350m by 220m and has numerous interior islands.

St. Paul Islands, Malta

Islands

The main islands and the only inhabited ones in the country are Malta, Gozo (Għawdex) and Comino (Kemmuna). Other islands that are part of the archipelago are: Cominotto (Kemmunett, uninhabited), Filfla, Roca Fungus (in Maltese Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral), Manoel Island (which it is connected by a bridge to the city of Gżira), and the Islands of São Paulo; none have permanent inhabitants. The islands of Malta have been an independent republic since 1964. The center of government, commerce and culture is the capital, Valletta, located in the eastern part of Malta.

The islands of Malta are as follows:

• Comino
• Cominotto
• Delmarva
• Filfla
• Gozo
• Halfa
• Saint Paul Islands
• Malta
• Manoel
• Tac-Cawl
• Ta`Fraben

Malta also has the following rocks: Barbaganni Rock, Fessej Rock, Fungus Rock, Għallis Rock, Blue Lagoon (Great and Little) Rocks, Sala Rock and Xrob Rock l-Għaġin.

Climate

Malta has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa), with mild winters and hot summers, hotter inland. Rain occurs mainly in autumn and winter, and summer is generally dry.

Cominotto and Laguna Azul

The average annual temperature is around 73 °F (23 °C) during the day and 59.9 °F (15.5 °C) at night. In the coldest month, January, the typical maximum temperature ranges between 12 and 18 °C during the day and the minimum of 6 to 12 °C at night. In the warmest month - August - the typical maximum temperature ranges from 28 to 34 °C during the day and the minimum from 20 to 24 °C at night. Among all the capitals on the European continent, Valletta - the capital of Malta - has the warmest winters, with average temperatures around 15 to 16 °C (59 to 61 °F) during the day and 9 to 10 °C (48 to 50 °F) at night in the period January-February. In March and December average temperatures are around 17 °C (63 °F) during the day and 11 °C (52 °F) at night. Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. Snow is very rare on the island, although several snowfalls have been recorded in the last century, the last recorded at various locations in Malta in 2014.

The average annual sea temperature is 20 °C (68 °F), from 15-16 °C (59-61 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August. In the 6 months, from June to November, the average sea temperature exceeds 20 °C (68 °F).

Mean annual relative humidity is high, averaging 75%, ranging from 65% in July (morning: 78% afternoon: 53%) to 80% in December (morning: 83% afternoon: 73 %).

Sunshine hours total about 3,000 per year, from an average of 5.2 hours of sunshine per day in December to an average of more than 12 hours in July. This is about twice that of cities in the northern half of Europe, for comparison: London - 1,461; however, in winter it has up to four times more sun; for comparison: in December, London has 37 hours of sunshine while Malta has more than 160.

Average climate parameters of Malta (International Airport of Malta)
Month	Ene.	Feb.	Mar.	Open up.	May.	Jun.	Jul.	Ago.	Sep.	Oct.	Nov.	Dec.	Annual
Temp. max. abs. (°C)	22.2	26.7	33.5	30.7	35.3	40.1	42.7	43.8	37.4	34.5	28.2	24.3	43.8
Average temperature (°C)	15.2	15.5	16.7	19.1	23.3	27.5	30.7	30.7	28.0	24.2	20.1	16.7	22.3
Average temperature (°C)	12.2	12.4	13.4	15.4	19.1	23.0	25.9	26.3	24.1	20.7	17.0	13.9	18.6
Temp. medium (°C)	9.2	9.3	10.1	11.9	14.9	18.4	21.0	21.8	20.1	17.1	13.9	11.0	14.9
Temp. min. abs. (°C)	1.4	1.7	2.2	4.4	8.0	12.6	15.5	15.9	13.2	8.0	5.0	3.6	1.4
Total precipitation (mm)	89.0	61.3	40.9	22.5	6.6	3.2	0.4	7.0	40.4	89.7	80.0	112.3	553.3
Precipitation days (≥ 0.1 mm)	13.7	10.9	8.9	6.4	2.8	1.1	0.4	1.0	3.9	10.2	10.6	14.2	84.1
Hours of sun	169.0	178.0	227.0	253.0	309.0	336.0	376.7	352.0	270.0	223.0	195.0	161.0	3049.7
Relative humidity (%)	79	79	79	77	74	71	69	73	77	78	77	79	76
Source No. 1: World Meteorological Organization, NOAA (sol, 1961-1990)
Source No. 2: Malta International Airport Meteorological Office (extreme 1947-2010)

Geology

Natural arch northwest of Gozo Island

Malta's geological history began in the late Tertiary period, when a land bridge existed between southern Sicily and northern Africa, dividing the early Mediterranean into two basins. After sea level rise inundated them, coral limestone sediments and shells were deposited at the site of the present-day archipelago during the Paleocene, about 60 million years ago. Over the course of geologic ages, deposits of globigerine limestone and blue clay followed, and in the Oligocene, sandstone and other coral layer. Finally, in the Pliocene, the islands slowly rose out of the sea. During the Würm Ice Age, the sinking water level re-formed the land bridge, but it finally broke with the end of the Ice Age around 13,000 years ago. The Maltese islands lie in the zone between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates, but for centuries Malta was considered a North African island.

After the appearance of the islands, the surface of the main island tilted to the northeast over the course of several centuries due to the still unstable foundation, so that the southwest coast rose and the cliffs with the Cliffs were formed Dingli. Malta is crossed by several tectonic faults that, although small compared to the rest of the world, make up the geological relief of the islands. Two fault systems predominate: the older Great Fault, which extends in many individual stretches over five kilometers from the southwest coast to the northeast, and the younger Magħlaq Fault. This runs from northwest to southeast and was responsible, among other things, for the formation of the plateau on the small island of Filfla, off the coast of Malta.

Sediments found on the Maltese islands are blue clay, globigerine limestone (divisible into upper, middle and lower) and upper green sand, a division of the Cretaceous formation. The upper green sand is very clayey and sandy, rich in chlorite, its upper layers are calcareous and can become chloristic chalk. On Gozo there is a mixture of these different soil components, while on Malta the boundary is more clearly drawn. Coral limestone and green sand predominate in the northwest, but Globigerine limestone predominates in most of the rest of the island. This beige colored natural material is Malta's only natural resource and is intensively mined and used by the population.

San Blas Bay

Flora

With nearly 800 indigenous plant species, the Maltese islands boast a great diversity of plants for an area of this size. This is all the more remarkable as Malta has no significant differences in altitude, there is little diversity of sites, and it has already been strongly affected by human influence over thousands of years. The spectrum of species is typically Mediterranean; Malta's flora is closely related to that of Sicily, but also shows strong North African influences.

As far back as Neolithic times, people began clearing the forests on the islands to build ships and other purposes, so now the islands are devoid of forests. An exception is the artificial forest area of the Buskett Gardens, 900 meters long and up to 200 meters wide, located 1.1 kilometers east of Dingli and the same distance south of Rabat.

The predominant types of vegetation are maquis, garrigue and steppe; the important special places are above all those on the flat and steep coasts, but also the few fresh waters. Disturbed site formations are widespread.

The most common plant species are carob, olive, thyme, mastic, multifloral heather, Teucrium fruticans and Euphorbia melitensis. In addition, various spurge and allium plants grow, as well as species of beach lilac and almost 15 species of orchids. The common sorrel (Oxalis pes-caprae) is widespread. Endemic species are Cremnophyton lanfrancoi, Darniella melitensis, Euphorbia melitensis, Limonium melitense, Limonium zeraphae, Cheirolophus crassifolius, Jasonia bocconei, Helichrysum melitense, Hyoseris frutescens, Zannichellia melitensis, Allium lojaconoi, Allium melitensis and Ophrys melitensis.

Trees in Mellieaa

Since the late 20th century, nature conservation issues have gradually drawn public attention Maltese, especially with accession to the European Union in 2004, when the first protected areas were designated under the Natura 2000 programme. Despite this, some Maltese plants are considered critically endangered or endangered; the IUCN lists three plants found only in Malta among its 50 endangered Mediterranean island plants, including, in addition to Cremnophyton lanfrancoi and Helichrysum melitense, Cheirolophus crassifolius, which was declared the national plant of the island state in 1971.

The Maltese national tree, the sandarac, is also considered highly threatened. On the other hand, the Maltese sponge, which is of mainly historical importance and is found at Mushroom Rock, is protected there, as entry to Mushroom Rock is only allowed for scientific purposes. Native to South Africa and introduced in the 19th century, wood sorrel is a problematic invasive species. From Malta it has conquered the coasts of the entire Mediterranean and the Atlantic to Great Britain. So far, the only problem in Malta is the Chilean Aster squamatus, which has become one of the most common weeds on the island since the 1930s. Also important as an invasive neophyte is the marigold tree, introduced as a ornamental plant, which is displacing native species in the few wetlands on the islands. On the fragile coasts, the edible noon, the Agave americana and the Opuntia ficus-indica spread.

Serpent cat (Telescopus fallax) in Malta

Wildlife

The Għar Dalam (mt.: Cave of Darkness) is a karst cave located in the southeast of the island of Malta, near the town of Birżebbuġa and only about 500 m from St. George's Bay. It has a maximum width of 18 m, a height of up to 8 m, and plunges about 145 m into the limestone cliffs. The lowest fossil-free layer has a presumed age of about 180,000 years, while the hippo layer of the upper part belongs to the last warm period (Eemian warm period, 126,000 to 115,000 years ago). It represents a compact bone gap.

The researchers found numerous Pleistocene faunal bones in the layer, such as the hippopotamus that gave it its name, which comes in two size variants with the Hippopotamus pentlandi (somewhat smaller than the current hippopotamus) and the Hippopotamus melitensis (very small pygmy hippopotamus). Also important are the pygmy elephants, which also exist in two species of different sizes. Elephas mnaidriensis, for example, reached a height of 1.9-2 m and weighed around 2.5 t. In contrast, its relative Elephas falconeri was only 0.9–1.1 m tall and had a reconstructed weight of 170 kg. In addition, remains of other animal species such as dormouse (Leithie cartei), several bats and a rich birdlife were found.

A luminescent or carnal jellyfish (Pelagia noctiluca) in the waters of the island of Gozo

In general, Malta's current fauna is considered relatively species-poor. Animals living on the islands include mice, rats, the long-winged bat, rabbits, hedgehogs, weasels, lizards, geckos, chameleons and various populations of non-venomous snakes, such as the leopard snake.

Several families of birds are native to the islands, including larks, finches, swallows, and thrushes. The turtle dove, the oriole and various species of birds of prey are also part of Malta's fauna. The common blue thrush is the national bird of the island state. In the spring of 2008, the Government registered 27 protected areas for fauna and flora as part of Natura 2000. Among these areas are the limestone cliffs of Rdumijiet ta' Malta, which serve as a nesting ground for many seabirds, such as the Levant shearwater (Puffinus yelkouan). To the north of the main island is the Għadira Ornithological Reserve. Also, in spring and autumn, Malta is one of the few stops for migratory birds on their way from Europe to Africa and vice versa.

Endemic animal species

• Crocidura sicula ssp. calypso (subspecies of Sicilian musara)
• Phragmatobia fuliginosa ssp. melitensis (subspecies of the ice bear)
• Eukoenenia christiani
  

  Maltese lizard (Podarcis filfolensis) on Gozo Island
• Papilio machaon ssp. melitensis (subspecies of the tail of swallow)
• Maltese freshwater crab (Potamon fluviatile lanfrancoi)
• Pimelia roulosa ssp. melitana
• Ogcodes schembrii
• Several subspecies of the lizard of Malta (Podarcis filfolensis)

Hunting and protection of birds

Bird hunting is considered a traditional popular sport in Malta. With some 18,000 official hunting licences, Malta has the highest density of hunters in Europe. One of the largest hunting grounds is that of Marfa Ridge. Until its accession to the EU in 2004, Maltese regulations even allowed the hunting of protected species such as snipe, pygmy snipe, heron and birds of prey. Estimates of the total number of birds killed vary between 200,000 and 1,000,000 per year. Most animals are stuffed and sold as trophies or, if captured live, also sold illegally as caged birds. This hunting of birds was, and still is, mostly a matter of men and has been "inherited" throughout generations.

Since 2004, Malta has been subject to European regulations such as the Birds Directive and the Habitats Directive. However, the Maltese government was able to negotiate a transitional compromise. Spring hunting was limited to turtle doves and quail and seven species of finches were allowed to be taken until 2008 to establish a breeding system. To supervise the application of this commitment, the Judicial Police was created, made up of 23 people, which is also in charge of controlling prostitution and gambling.

A purple sparrowPasser hispaniolensis) in Malta

Since 2004, NABU and BirdLife Malta have been calling for an end to the hunting of migratory birds on the Mediterranean island. In autumn 2007, bird conservationists recorded not only the migration of birds, but also extensive hunting in the south of the island. A total of 209 violations were documented and reported to the local police. Most of the cases concerned the illegal hunting of birds of prey. Among them, the honey buzzard, especially rare in Central Europe, ranked first. On January 31, 2008, the European Commission initiated legal proceedings against Malta before the Court of Justice of the European Communities, focused on putting an end to the spring hunting, especially harmful, of quail and turtle doves.

Despite all the protests and proceedings, in 2012 the government once again granted an exemption to shoot thousands of endangered migratory birds across Europe.

Following initial steps to curb bird hunting in 2014, the Maltese government again allowed the hunting of seven species of finches, golden plovers and song thrushes with huge collapsible nets in autumn 2014. The Committee Against the Killing of Aves reported extensively on this matter and accurately documents this offense against applicable Community law.

Economy

Industrial maritime area of La Valeta

Malta's greatest resources are limestone, its strategic geographical location and its small size.

Malta only produces 20% of the food it consumes, has a limited supply of fresh water and has no energy sources of its own. The economy depends on foreign trade (serving as a transshipment port for ships), manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles) and to a large extent from tourism.

Film production is a growth factor in the Maltese economy, with several big-budget foreign films being shot annually. The country has increased exports of many other types of services such as banking and finance.

Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between the two countries, particularly oil resources.

In order to enter the European Union, some companies that were under state control were privatized and markets were liberalized. On January 1, 2008, together with Cyprus, it joined the euro zone.

The two largest Commercial Banks are Bank of Valletta and HSBC Bank Malta.

The Central Bank of Malta has two key areas: the formulation and execution of monetary policy and the promotion of a sound and efficient financial system.

FinanceMalta is the government organization charged with marketing and educating business leaders in reaching out to Malta and runs seminars and events around the world highlighting Malta's emerging strength as a jurisdiction for banking, finance and business. insurance

Industry

Manufacture of Boats in the Palumbo Shipyard in Malta

Malta's industry accounts for 23% of the gross domestic product. According to the Malta County Report, target industries in Malta are the financial, maritime, aviation, film, tourism, manufacturing, educational and medical technology sectors. Manufacturing strengths are pharmaceuticals/chemicals, medical technology, precision engineering, electrical engineering, food and printing. Electrical engineering is by far the most important.

Malta's manufacturing industry is modest, with the exception of a few large manufacturing companies such as Playmobil and ST Microelectronics. 15% of the active population works in industry. The German company Playmobil has been on the island since 1970 and is one of the main investors in the manufacturing industry. The toy manufacturer regularly invests in new machinery and equipment to keep production at the island's high technical level. Basically, the manufacturing industry consists of a few small production plants that mainly produce components for machinery and equipment for export. One of the few products with the Made in Malta origin mark are Playmobil figures, which are only made in Malta and are shipped to the other Playmobil factories in Europe, including the headquarters in Germany, to complete the respective sets. Nearly 100% of the domestic demand for goods in Malta has to be met by imports.

Electrical engineering manufacturing is one of Malta's most important industries. The manufacturer ST Microelectronics has a monopoly position on the island. It is the largest private employer and accounts for a large part of Maltese exports. As a result, Malta has a highly developed information and communications infrastructure which, according to the Network Readiness Index 2015, ranks 29 out of 143 countries. surveyed. Germany ranks 13th, while countries like Spain and Italy sit behind Malta, at 34th and 55th places respectively. The Network Readiness Index (NRI) provides a good overview of the development of countries in the ICT sector, which produce about 98% of global GDP. The strengths and weaknesses of the ICT sector are revealed.

A new development project is the Smart City, near Kalkara, which will become Europe's leading IT hub. This Dubai-funded project is expected to further enhance Malta's attractiveness as an industrial location and give it new impetus. Due to the advanced ICT environment, information and communication technologies, digital media, arts and crafts, online gaming as well as film production are among the growing sectors in Malta. High ICT standards and geographic size are adopted by Vodafone testing new systems or software in Malta before integrating them into Europe. Vodafone takes advantage of the small state theory, as Malta is considered an island microstate due to its small size and population, and is an ideal test market.

Fiscal and financial management

La Borsa, building that houses the Malta Chamber of Commerce, Company and Industry

Malta's Gross Domestic Product (GDP) stood at $9.8 billion in 2015 and has seen a steady increase of 3.5% to 5.4% per year over the past decade. GDP is distributed equally uneven between different sectors of the economy. The primary sector represents 1.4% of annual production, the secondary sector 15.5% and most is generated by the tertiary sector, through services. This share is 83.1%. The services with the greatest demand are in the financial sector.

Compared to the great industrial nations of Europe, Malta trades less in material goods and more in financial services. Central to the success of the Maltese financial sector are the considerable tax benefits that come with offshoring. Compared to two economically strong European nations, Germany and the UK, Malta's tax advantages initially seem small. The corporate tax rate for companies registered in Malta is 35%, compared to 15% in Germany and 21% in the UK.

Malta's top tax rates are also 35%, but those of Germany and the UK are around 47%, which initially seems inconsistent with Malta's classification as a tax haven. Through the so-called 6/7 rule, a large part of the taxes paid can be returned. Through special procedures, profits are distributed to shareholders in the form of dividends or bonuses, and then the Maltese government returns any taxes paid to the company. This reduces the effective corporate tax rate to 5%.

It remains to be mentioned that there are other ways to reduce the payment of taxes, in some cases no tax is effectively paid and the tax rate is therefore zero percent. Among the most popular methods are the so-called 6/7, 2/3, 5/7 and 100% refunds.

Tourism

The Valeta, World Heritage attracts thousands of tourists every year

Malta is an important component of international tourism and one of the main destinations for European tourists in the Mediterranean in summer. Tourism is a crucial branch of Malta's economy. April to October is the peak season in Malta, with August being the busiest month for visitors. The high occupancy rate is due to the fact that Malta's tourism policy creates alternatives to the existing tourism offer in the Mediterranean. In addition to sea vacationers, many cultural and city tourists come to the island, which means that Malta has a weaker seasonality than other Mediterranean islands.

From November to February, the number of visitors never falls below 40,000 per month, so many hotels remain in operation all year round. In high season, most visitors are beach and sea vacationers, while in the winter months forms of tourism unrelated to the climate, such as cultural and educational, come into play. An important branch is that of language trips, in which mainly English and Italian courses are offered. Malta has a capacity for about 60,000 language students. Package holidays to Malta are often more expensive than comparable holidays to Spain or Greece, so there are not many low-income tourists in Malta.

In 2014, Malta registered 149 tourism establishments with a total of 40,222 beds. The government spends approximately 11.4% of its total budget on the tourism sector each year. In 2015, the number of visitors increased by 6 % year-on-year up to a total of 1.79 million. The number of cruise tourists increased by 27.3%, to 600,156 visitors, with the Germans being the largest group of cruise tourists, with 124,285 visitors. Behind the UK and Italy, the largest number of tourists arriving in Malta each year come from Germany, with a total of 142,010 German holidaymakers registered in Malta in 2015.

Playa de la Bahía de Ramla, Gozo Island

About seven kilometers south of Valletta is Luqa International Airport. Due to its central location, the airport can be reached from anywhere in Malta in 30-40 minutes. The resorts are mainly located in the northwest and southeast of the main island. The southwest and the extreme south, on the other hand, are not particularly attractive to tourists due to the rugged coastlines. There are some exceptions, such as the sandy beaches of Golden Bay or Għajn Tuffieħa Bay. Some of the most popular tourist attractions are the Blue Grotto, the Dingli Cliffs, the old town of Valletta, the walled city of Mdina and small coastal towns such as Marsaxlokk.

The smaller islands of Gozo and Comino are mostly transit and therefore only have isolated tourist facilities. In Comino there is only one mid-range hotel. Also in Gozo there are only a few smaller hotel complexes, restaurants or pubs. Here, the few establishments are scattered throughout the island. Gozo is synonymous with traditional rural Malta and because of this, and due to the high quality of life, it is being developed by the inhabitants and the government mainly as a soft tourism destination.

Agriculture and fishing

Agricultural field in Malta

Agriculture is an important sector of the Maltese economy, despite its low importance. Agriculture accounted for 1.92% of Malta's gross domestic product in 2010. In 2003, the percentage was still 2.89 %. In 2010, around 18,500 people were employed in agriculture, which corresponds to a percentage of 10.6% of the total number of people employed in Malta. Of these, around 1,300 are employed as full-time workers. The agricultural sector is the most important in Malta.

Due to low rainfall, most agricultural land is only cultivated during the rainy winter months. About 5% of the land is irrigated artificially, but almost exclusively with collected rainwater. Crops include various vegetables and fruits such as tomatoes, potatoes, olives, peaches and strawberries. The native grape varieties are Girgentina and Ġellewża.

51.2% of Malta's total area is devoted to agriculture, which corresponds to an area of about 160 km² (the approximate size of Liechtenstein) Agriculture is particularly intensive in Gozo, as in the island there are underground water resources that can be used for irrigation. While agriculture plays a minor role in Malta as a whole, it is more important in Gozo.

Fishing boat in Malta

In 2010, there were 12,530 farms in Malta, an increase of 14% since 2003. The increase in farms is due to two factors. Firstly, there has been a systematic updating of the registers in which all Maltese holdings have been audited and, secondly, the land is distributed in inheritance. Regarding the average size of farms, the negative growth has been minimal. The average size is 0.9 ha. It should be noted that in almost all other EU Member States the opposite trend is observed. 89% of farms have farmland of less than two hectares. This trend also contrasts with that of other EU Member States.

Pigs, cattle and poultry are the main animals in Malta. Together, they represent 92% of the cattle. In the period between 2003 and 2010, the cattle herd decreased by 12.3%, and the number of cattle farms also decreased.

Fishing in Malta is an ancient tradition, but it is of little importance as fish resources are not particularly abundant. The reason is the lack of rivers, which would normally supply the coasts with important nutrients, such as plankton.

Raw materials

The Maltese islands have few natural resources compared to other countries. There are some natural gas and oil fields in Malta's territorial waters, but only a small part is exploited. In the 2010s, a more efficient extraction with greater potential was developed.

Salinas en Malta

Other prominent raw materials in Malta are the globigerine limestone. It is one of the few natural raw materials of the island state and is mainly mined on the island of Gozo. Sand-lime in Malta is of great importance to the construction industry, as it is the main building material on both islands. Thus, as in previous years, commercial, residential or church buildings were built with this material, and it was also used for laying pavements. Other natural raw materials found in Malta are sediments, mainly blue clay and upper green sand.

Since humans began deforesting Malta in the Neolithic period, there are hardly any forests on the island and therefore no wood. For this reason, artificial forest areas have been created, but they are used essentially as recreational areas.

Another rather minority raw material in Malta is sea salt, traditionally produced in salt pans. On the island of Gozo, tourists can visit this production and buy sea salt. In Qawra Bay there are extensive salt flats and a Salt Flats National Park.

Demographics

Demographic developments in Malta

In 2010, Malta had an officially registered population of 420,000, of whom 10,000 lived in Valletta (the capital has a conurbation of over 100,000), 20,350 in Birkirkara (38,000 in the conurbation), 20,300 in Qormi, and 13,500 in Sliema. By 2022, the country's population had risen to 520,971 inhabitants. Malta has the highest population density among the countries of the European Union, about 1,628 inhabitants/km², due to its small size.

However, population growth is decreasing, due to the low birth rate in the country, being 8.5% for the year 2021, decreasing each year. One of the factors that is keeping population growth up is immigrants. According to the UN, in 2019, 16.51% of the population was immigrant, the main nationalities being Italy and the United Kingdom, followed by others such as Filipinos or Serbians.

Religion

Internal view of the Concatedral of San Juan

• 95% Catholics
• 2 % Muslim
• 1 % Jewish
• 1 % other Christian confessions
• 1% hellenists

The Maltese are predominantly Catholic and the influence of the Church is present in almost all areas. Saint George Preca, Maltese priest, promoter of the laity, founder of the Society of Christian Doctrine for the apostolate of catechesis, was beatified in Malta on May 9, 2001 by then Pope John Paul II and later canonized by Benedict XVI on June 3, 2007 in Saint Peter's Square.

The Catholic Church has exerted a strong influence on Malta's politics and social life since the Middle Ages. Abortion remains a punishable offense and topless bathing is prohibited. The Catholic parishes belong to the dioceses of Malta and Gozo. Catholicism is enshrined in the Maltese Constitution as the state religion and is practiced by the majority of the population. External signs of this are home altars, colorfully decorated and carved effigies of saints, bishops and priests on building facades, and monuments to saints or popes in public places.

Church of Saint Catherine of Alexandria

According to a popular founding legend in Malta, the history of Christianity in Malta began with the arrival of the Apostle Paul. The account of his shipwreck (Acts 28:1-11 EU) off Melite is interpreted as proof of his arrival in Malta, and the Greek name Melite is equated with Malta. However, the description of Melite contained in the narrative does not correspond to the geographical and topographical nature of Malta. Nevertheless, the islands continue to be the destination of many pilgrims, also as a stopover on the journey to Palestine. People fleeing for religious reasons also often find a new home in Malta, for example with the help of the Jesuit Refugee Service Malta.

The Arab conquest in 870, as well as the introduction of the Arabic language, which gave rise to Maltese, led to the settlement of Muslims and probably also the conversion to Islam of many local Christians. In the High Middle Ages, Malta's Muslim population became fully Christianized, so that today's Islamic community is made up essentially of Libyan immigrants who run a mosque built in Valletta in the 1970s. Middle Ages have left little trace, except in the Maltese language.

The roots of Judaism in Malta go back at least to the 3rd century century, when the island was part of the Roman Empire. Under the Spanish Empire, Jews who did not allow themselves to be baptized had to leave the country from 1493. The Jewish presence is documented in numerous buildings, such as the catacombs near Rabat, the Jewish gate and the Jewish silk market in Mdina, the name from Triq ta' Lhud (Jewish street) and the Jewish gate in Valletta. The important Jewish mystic Abraham Abulafia lived on the island of Comino at the end of the 13th century.

Languages

Its official languages are Maltese and English, but two thirds of the population are able to speak and understand Italian, as it was the official language of the state until 1934. For many years the use of this language, which had a relatively large extent in the past, it diminished due to British influence and the official policy adverse to the Italian language. However, Italian television has been received in Malta since the 1960s, which has brought with it a reappearance of Italian, especially among young people; almost two thirds of them know how to speak Italian. Local festivals are similar to those in southern Italy: weddings, baptisms and, most prominently, Saints' Days as Italy is largely Catholic Christian as is Malta.

Previously, until 1934 there was no official language in Malta, the following languages were spoken: Sicilian, Italian, Maltese, North African Arabic and English.

Danger cartel written in Maltese and English in Malta

But English also has an important presence on the island. It is the language used in commercial relations and in the University. Today all Maltese are fluent in English and it is even the main language in most schools. The British influence as a former English colony led to the appearance of English schools of a British nature. The climate and more competitive prices make this island an ideal place to study this language.

Although Malta was always under foreign rule until the state's independence in 1964, the Maltese have retained their own language, which derives from the North African and Sicilian Arabic of the Middle Ages. Maltese is the state language of Malta, along with the former colonial language, English. It is also recognized by law as the sole national language of the Maltese people and, as a consequence of membership of the European Union, is an official language of the EU.

Maltese is one of the Semitic languages and developed from an Arabic dialect. Structurally, it is closely related to the North African varieties of Arabic and to the extinct Sicilian Arabic, but it also contains large parts of Italian vocabulary and smaller parts of English, French and Spanish. Maltese is the only Semitic language that uses the Latin alphabet (except for Y and C), augmented by five graphemes: ċ, ġ and ż, as well as għ and ħ, which represent some specifically Italian sibilants and Arabic gutturals, respectively.

Maltese is often the mother tongue of the Maltese; English and Italian are second languages reserved for public life. Italian (initially in its Sicilian form) was used as a language of education by Christian landowners, now immigrants, after Malta was given to Sicily by the Arabs in the XI, and also played a role as the language of the church. It was the language of the courts of Malta (until 1934) and the preferred educational and written language of the Maltese. Local merchants and artisans used French to communicate with the Order of Saint John from 1530 until the end of the Order's rule of Malta.

Arabic, which spread as a school language after independence from Great Britain in the course of the political and economic rapprochement of the Republic of Malta with Libya, hardly finds followers. Only 1% of students learn Arabic.

In high school, students can choose another language. 51% choose Italian and 38% French. German, Russian, Spanish and Arabic are also offered. On average, Maltese students learn 2.2 foreign languages in secondary school; it is the second highest figure in the European Union, after Luxembourg, and together with Finland.

Education

In 2017 it had the highest dropout rate in the European Union. Education in Malta is currently compulsory from ages 5 to 16, although 95% of children have previously spent at least two years in high school kindergarten.

The main milestones have been:

University of Malta Building

• 1946: Introduction of compulsory primary education.
• 1970: Introduction of Compulsory Secondary Education.
• 1974: The age of compulsory schooling was extended from 14 to 16 years.
• 1975: 4-year-old nurseries were opened.
• 1987: 3-year-olds are also accepted in day care.
• 1988: Review of the Education Act which established that every child, regardless of its characteristics, had the right to receive public education.
• 2000: Equal Opportunities Act 2000. It provided a legal framework to ensure accessibility to all and protect individuals against discrimination based on differences of any kind.
• 2014: Free preschool classes for children under the age of 3.
• 2014-15: All public secondary schools are co-educational.

The University of Malta, founded over 500 years ago, is the only one on the island with around 10,000 students following graduate and postgraduate programs in different disciplines and professions.

In Malta there was no compulsory education until 1946. This was only introduced in primary schools after the end of World War II. Since 1971, secondary school attendance has also been compulsory up to the age of 16. State schools are free, but in parallel there are ecclesiastical educational institutions and public schools, such as the Saint Aloysius College in Birkirkara, the Savio College in Dingli and the Saint Anton College near Mġarr. Most of the teachers in ecclesiastical schools receive their salaries from the State.

National Library of Malta

There are also two international schools, Verdala International School and QSI Malta. The adult literacy rate in Malta is 94.4% (as of 2015) In 2005, Malta spent 6.76% of GDP on education, second in the EU only to the Scandinavian countries of Denmark and Sweden, and by Cyprus. In terms of economic strength, Malta invests well above average in education, with expenditure per pupil/student compared to GDP per capita reaching the highest level in the European Union.

Spending per student compared to GDP per capita is second only to Cyprus in Europe and is higher than Japan in an international comparison. Higher education is largely financed by the State, with public spending representing around 95% of the total; funding of the higher education sector by organisations, associations, foundations and companies is virtually unheard of in Malta. About 75% of spending on tertiary education goes directly to the university, while 25.2% is disbursed in the form of scholarships and grants.

In 2007, 98.8% of four-year-olds attended an educational center with a preschool function. Thus, Malta ranks fourth within the European Union, after Belgium, France and Italy, along with the Netherlands.

The multi-level Maltese school system is run by the Ministry of Education. It is modeled on that of Great Britain and has a six-year primary school. At eleven years old, students have to pass an exam to enter secondary school and are then free to choose their provider. In public schools, sixteen-year-olds sit for the Secondary School Leaving Examination, usually in English, Maltese and Mathematics.

American University of Malta (formerly a British naval base)

These exams mark the end of official compulsory schooling, but students can decide if they want to extend and intensify their schooling. There are two ways to do this: Attend a two-year Senior Secondary School - offered at Junior College and at St Edward's College, St Aloysius' College and De La Salle College- or enroll at the Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology (MCAST). At the end of upper secondary, students sit the university entrance exam. Depending on the result, graduates receive their diploma or a certificate of admission to the University of Malta at Msida, the highest educational institution in the archipelago.

The proportion of the population aged 25-64 with at least an upper secondary degree increased from 27.8% to 43.5% between 2008 and 2015, but remains the lowest in the EU. The proportion of female students was 57.4% in 2007, higher than the EU average (55.2%). In engineering, manufacturing and construction, 29.2% of students are women, higher than the EU average (24.7%). The proportion of students studying abroad has more than doubled, from from 0.4% (in 1998) to 1.0% (in 2007), although Maltese students are by far the least mobile within the European Union. The bilingualism of Maltese students is a key factor for the economic development of the country.

Reflecting Malta's bilingualism (Maltese is considered the national language and English a second language), primary and secondary education is taught in both languages. This takes into account that Maltese is the mother tongue that is usually spoken by all students, while English must be learned as a foreign language. Both languages are compulsory subjects for students and are treated equally. On the other hand, most public schools prefer to teach in English; likewise, most university courses are also offered exclusively in English. However, students also communicate with their teachers in Maltese.

Hospital Mater Dei, Malta

Health

Malta has a long history of publicly funded healthcare. The first recorded hospital was already in operation in 1372. The first hospital exclusively for women was inaugurated in 1625 by Caterina Scappi, known as "La Senese".

Malta currently has both a public healthcare system, known as a government healthcare service, where healthcare is free at the point of delivery, and a private healthcare system. Malta has a strong care base Primary care is provided by general practitioners and public hospitals offer secondary and tertiary care. The Maltese Ministry of Health advises foreign residents to take out private health insurance.

Malta also has voluntary organizations such as Alpha Medical (Advanced Care), Emergency Fire and Rescue Unit (E.F.R.U.), St John Ambulance and Malta Red Cross who provide first aid/nursing services during events in where crowds occur, Malta's main hospital, opened in 2007. It has one of the largest medical buildings in Europe

The University of Malta has a medical school and a Faculty of Health Sciences, offering diploma, BSc and postgraduate courses in various health disciplines.

The LazaretoLazzarett) of Manoel Island, an old quarantine center and hospital

The Maltese Medical Association represents medical professionals. The Malta Medical Students Association (MMSA) is an independent body representing Maltese medical students and is a member of EMSA and IFMSA.

MIME, the Maltese Institute for Medical Education, is a newly created institute to provide CME to Maltese doctors as well as medical students. In Malta the Foundation Program has been introduced which is followed in the United Kingdom to stop the "brain drain" of newly graduated doctors to the British Isles. The Malta Association of Dental Students (MADS) is a student association set up to promote the rights of dental students studying at the University of Malta's Faculty of Dentistry. It is affiliated with IADS, the International Association of Dental Students.

Infrastructure

Energy

Delimara Electric Power Station

Two power plants with a total capacity of 571 megawatts burn oil and gas imported from Italy and the United Kingdom. In 2010, for the first time, 5% of electricity in Malta was generated from renewable energy sources (in 2009: 0%).

The Maltese electricity grid worked as an island grid until 2015 (today it still works like this in: Iceland or Cyprus). The highest voltage level is 132 kV and it only has 87 km of underground cables. At the next voltage level, 33 kV, there are also 13 km of submarine cables. Under a 2010 contract, Nexans built the Malta-Sicily Interconnector (Qalet-Marku, Malta to Marina di Ragusa), a submarine cable of 100 km with a voltage of 220 kV AC, which came into operation in April 2015, can transmit 200 MW of power and allows the transport of energy in both directions. The cable has three copper conductors and contains two fiber optic bundles of 36 lines each.

Although there is only one electricity provider in Malta (Enemalta) and therefore the electricity market is not exposed to any competition, the price of electricity for households was 9.4 pence per kWh in 2007, very below the EU average (15.28 cents).

In the absence of sufficient waste management, Malta has had a significant waste problem for years.

Media

Rediffusion House hosts the public services of Radio and Television of Malta.

Malta has a tight-knit media network, modeled after the former colonial power, Great Britain. This is also seen in the name of the largest daily, published by Allied Newspapers Ltd, referring to London's The Times, The Times of Malta. The centre-right newspaper has been published since 1930 and is therefore the most traditional in the country, with a circulation of 37,000 copies and a market share of 27%. Until 1935, The Times of Malta was published weekly, from then on daily. The Sunday Times has a market share of 51.6%. Another major newspaper is The Malta Independent. Since 1999, the liberal Malta Today has been published in tabloid format on Wednesdays and Sundays. The tabloid newspaper with the largest circulation is The People. The Malta Star is the only newspaper in Malta that is published exclusively on the Internet.

Due to Malta's bilingualism, about half of the newspapers are published in English and half in Maltese. Among the Maltese-language print media, the Sunday newspaper It-Torċa ("The Torch") has the largest reach. There are also numerous Maltese-language weeklies and party, church and union newspapers. The most important in this segment is In-Nazzjon ("The Nation"), close to the Partit Nazzjonalista (Nationalist Party).

In 2004, daily newspaper readership was 12.7% of the population. Relative to this relatively low figure, Malta's newspaper density is very high, with one newspaper for every 28,000 inhabitants. Newspapers are mainly financed by advertising and subsidies.

Giornale di Malta page published in Italian in 1813

Radio and television are the most important sources of information for the Maltese population. They are largely in the hands of public broadcasting services (PBS). They broadcast the radio programs Radju Malta, Radju Malta 2 and Magic Malta. The latter, with its low word content and modern music programmes, is especially popular among the young population, but also among foreign tourists. The largest private station is Bay Radio. There is also the Catholic station RTK and Radio 101, which belongs to the Partit Nazzjonalista. There are a total of 14 national radio stations, as well as 19 regional stations in Malta and eleven regional stations in Gozo. From 1971 to 1996, Deutsche Welle operated the Cyclops repeater station.

With TV Malta (TVM), PBS, which has been a member of the European Broadcasting Union since 1975, also offers the largest nationwide television channel. Seven other stations can be received across the country: One Television, NET Television, Smash Television, Favorite Channel, ITV, Education22 and Family TV. Most of the channels are financed by the State. One Television, controlled by One Productions Ltd, is the mouthpiece of the Partit Laburista, while NET Television, broadcast by Media Link Communications Ltd, is linked to the Partit Nazzjonalista. For its part, Smash Communications Ltd (Smash Television) is a private company.

The State Broadcasting Authority supervises all television stations and, in addition to ensuring compliance with legal and licensing obligations, also guarantees compliance with the principle of objectivity in political information. In addition, check that local stations broadcast public, private and community programs, thus offering a wide and diverse programming that covers the largest possible number of interests. The reception of television programs is possible both by cable and by land. As of February 2006, 124,000 Maltese were using the first method, so almost 80% of Maltese households have a cable connection. A still small but constantly increasing percentage of the population uses satellite dishes to receive other European television channels, such as the British BBC or Italian RAI.

In 2019, 86% of Maltese used the internet. In 2017, the Maltese population was fully covered by an internet connection of at least 30 Mbit.

Transportation

As a former British colony, driving in Malta is on the left. The number of cars in Malta is very high, considering the small size of the islands; it is the fourth highest in the European Union. The number of registered cars in 1990 was 182,254, giving a car density of 577/km² (1,494/sq mi).

Buses at Victoria Station on Gozo Island

Malta has 2,254 km of roads, of which 1,972 km (87.5%) are paved and 282 km (175 mi) were unpaved (as of December 2003). Malta's main roads, from the southernmost to northernmost point, are as follows Triq Birżebbuġa in Birżebbuġa, Għar Dalam road and Tal-Barrani road in Żejtun, Santa Luċija avenue in Paola, Aldo Moro street (trunk road), December 13th street and Ħamrun-Marsa bypass in Marsa, regional road in Santa Venera/Msida/Gżira/San Ġwann, St Andrew's road in Swieqi/Pembroke, Malta, coastal road in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Salina road, Kennedy Drive, St. Paul's Bypass and Xemxija Hill in San Pawl il-Baħar, Mistra Hill, Wettinger Street (Mellieħa Bypass) and Marfa Road in Mellieħa.

Buses (xarabank or karozza tal-linja) are the main method of public transport, established in 1905. Maltese vintage buses operated on the Maltese islands until 2011 and became popular tourist attractions in their own right. To this day they appear in many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism, as well as gifts and merchandise for tourists.

The bus service underwent an extensive reform in July 2011. The management structure changed from self-employed drivers driving their own vehicles to a service offered by a single company through public tender (in Gozo, being considered a small network, the service was provided through a direct order).

International Airport of Malta

The public tender was won by Arriva Malta, a member of the Arriva group, which introduced a fleet of entirely new buses, built by King Long especially for the Arriva Malta service, including a smaller fleet of articulated buses brought in from Arriva London. It also operated two smaller buses for one intra-Valletta route only and 61 9-meter buses, which were used to relieve congestion on high-density routes. In total, Arriva Malta operated 264 buses. On 1 January 2014 Arriva ceased operations in Malta due to financial difficulties, having been nationalized as Malta Public Transport by the Maltese government, with a new bus operator scheduled to take over its operations in the near future.

The government chose Autobuses Urbanos de León (ALSA subsidiary) as its preferred bus operator for the country in October 2014. The company took over the bus service on January 8, 2015, keeping the name of Malta Public Transport. He introduced the "tallinja card" prepaid. With lower fares than public transport, you can top up online. The card was not well received at first, as reported by various local news sites. During the first week of August 2015, another 40 buses of the Turkish brand Otokar arrived and were put into service.

From 1883 to 1931, Malta was served by a railway linking Valletta with the army headquarters at Mtarfa via Mdina and a series of towns and villages. The railway fell into disuse and was eventually closed down entirely, following the introduction of electric trams and buses. In the midst of the bombardment of Malta during World War II, Mussolini announced that his forces had destroyed the railway system, but when war broke out, the railway had been stopped for more than nine years.

Port of La Valeta

The Grand Harbor (or Port il-Kbir), located on the eastern side of the capital Valletta, has been a port since Roman times. It has several extensive piers and piers, as well as a cruise terminal. A terminal at the Grand Port services ferries connecting Malta with Pozzallo and Catania in Sicily.

• The port of Marsamxett, located in the western part of La Valeta, has several marinas.
• The port of Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), in Birżebbu Studya, in the southeast of Malta, is the main cargo terminal of the island. Malta Freeport is the eleventh most active container port in the European continent and the 46th of the world, with a volume of trade of 2.3 million TEU in 2008.

There are also two man-made ports that offer a passenger and car ferry service connecting the port of Ċirkewwa in Malta and Mġarr in Gozo. The ferry makes many trips a day.

Malta International Airport (Ajruport Internazzjonali ta' Malta) is the only one serving the Maltese islands. It is built on the land formerly occupied by the RAF airbase at Luqa. It also has a heliport, but regular service to Gozo ceased in 2006. Gozo's heliport is at Xewkija.

Culture

The decapitation of Saint John the Baptist, from Caravaggio, is found in the Concatedral of Saint John.

Malta's culture reflects the influence of the countries that ruled it until 1964, particularly Italy and the United Kingdom. Maltese customs, legends and folklore are slowly studied and categorized, like any other European tradition.

In the Cathedral of San Juan, built in 1577, you can see the canvas of The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist, by Caravaggio, who lived on the island for a few months but was expelled on homicide charges. At the headquarters of the Government, located in the old Palace of the Grand Master the Armory, you can see more than 5000 armor of the Order of Malta. In Valletta you will find the Museum of Fine Arts, the Museum of Archaeology, Fort Saint Elmo and the Museum of the Inquisition. The Maritime and the Great Siege of 1565 museums reveal the troubled past of the small islands. The National War Museum and World War II Refuge present information on more recent conflicts.

In Gozo, you can see most of the Prehistoric Temples in Malta, considered a World Heritage Site by Unesco.

Discotheques, restaurants, and nightclubs in the town of San Ġiljan are open until the wee hours of the morning.

La Rotonda de Mosta, built between 1833 and 1860

Architecture

Maltese architecture has its origins in prehistoric times, and Malta is home to some of the oldest free-standing structures on Earth: a series of megalithic temples. The islands were settled by the Phoenicians and later by the Romans, who they established the cities of Melite and Gaulos. Although these settlements were important and are known to have numerous temples, churches, and palaces, little remains, apart from a few architectural fragments.

After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, Malta became part of the Byzantine Empire, before falling to the Arabs in 870. Virtually no examples of Byzantine or Moorish architecture have survived, although the Moors left a significant influence in Maltese vernacular architecture, which remained popular in subsequent centuries. Malta became part of the county and later the kingdom of Sicily in 1091, and Norman architecture and other European styles were introduced to the island. Relatively few examples of medieval architecture have survived, including some buildings in Mdina and the Cittadella, as well as several chapels in the Maltese countryside.

The Turkish Military Cemetery (Iicu-pensimiterju tat-Torok) completed in 1874 houses the remains of the caides on the Grand Site of Malta of 1565

Maltese architecture flourished while the islands were under the rule of the Order of St John, from 1530 to 1798. The Hospitallers introduced Renaissance architecture to Malta in the mid-century XVI, and the Baroque style became popular about a century later. During the two and a half centuries of Hospitaller rule, new settlements were established (particularly the capital, Valletta) and many churches, palaces and public buildings were built. The Order also built bastioned fortifications around the major cities, as well as a series of coastal and inland defenses.

After Malta became part of the British Empire in the 1800s, neoclassical and neo-Gothic architecture were introduced, which were the predominant styles of the 18th century XIX. Several styles left their influence on Maltese architecture in the first half of the XX century, such as Art Nouveau, Art Déco, Italian Futurism, Rationalism and Modernism. Malta experienced a building boom after World War II, which picked up after independence in 1964. The Art Nouveau style remained popular., but new styles such as critical regionalism were also introduced.

Customs

A 2010 Charities Aid Foundation study found Maltese to be the most generous people in the world, with 83% contributing to charity.

Maltese folktales include various stories about mysterious creatures and supernatural events. These were collected more comprehensively by scholar (and pioneer in Maltese archaeology) Manwel Magri in his central critique Ħrejjef Missirijietna ("Fables of Our Ancestors"). This collection of material inspired subsequent researchers and scholars to gather traditional tales, fables and legends from across the archipelago.

Manoel Theatre, Malta

Magri's work also inspired a series of comics (published by Klabb Kotba Maltin in 1984): titles included Bin is-Sultán Jiźźewweġ x-Xebba tat-Tronġiet Mewwija and Ir-Rjieħ. Many of these stories have been popularly rewritten as children's literature by authors writing in Maltese, such as Trevor Żahra. While giants, witches, and dragons feature in many of the stories, some contain fully Maltese creatures such as the Kaw kaw, Il-Belliegħa, and L-Imħalla among others. The traditional Maltese obsession with maintaining spiritual (or ritual) purity means that many of these creatures are tasked with guarding off-limits or restricted areas and attacking individuals who violated the strict codes of conduct that characterized pre-industrial Maltese society. island.

Museums and Theaters

There are a total of 16 state museums in Valletta, the most important being the National Museum of Archaeology, the War Museum, the Malta Post Office Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Grand Master's Palace. In the town of Qawra are the Malta National Aquarium and the Malta Classic Car Collection Museum. Other interesting collections are Fort Rinella, in Kalkara, with historical military equipment (including a 100-ton cannon), Palazzo Falson Historical House Museum (in Mdina) and the Malta Aviation Museum (in Ta' Qali)..

The capital is home to the Manoel Theater, the Santiago Caballero Creativity Center, and the Mediterranean Conference Center. In the preserved remains of the Royal Opera House, destroyed by the bombings of the Second World War, an open-air concert center has been created.

Cinema

The Fort Manoel is a popular movie theater

On the two inhabited islands there are six multiplexes, and some movie theaters in other buildings.

Initially, Malta's film industry was boosted by the favorable situation of the Maltese archipelago, both in the Mediterranean and in the British Empire. Some British productions used Malta as a filming location. Only after its state independence (1964), countries outside the United Kingdom have recognized the advantages that Malta offers to filmmakers. For this reason, the islands have become a popular film and television set thanks to its diversity of landscapes and architectural.

The attractiveness of the place was further enhanced by the support of the State Film Commission and the infrastructure of the Mediterranean Film Studios. The latter exploit the two largest water basins in the world suitable for filming (surface basin: 122 m × 92 m with 22 million liters, deep water basin: 108 m × 49 m with 43.2 million liters) and have participated in film and television productions such as El Gustloff, Marco W. - 247 days in Turkish jail, The sinking of the Pamir, Kon-Tiki, Asterix and Obelix - On Her Majesty's mission, The men from Emden and Vicky and the strong men.

The Fuerte Ricasoli was used in the filming of the film Gladiador of the year 2000

Among the best-known motion pictures shot partly in Malta are U-571, Monte Cristo, Troy, Alexander, Gladiator, 12 at Night - The Midnight Express, The Da Vinci Code - The Sacrilege and Munich; among the television productions made there, Game of Thrones stands out. The feature film Gladiator helped to revitalize Malta's offer of cinema services and to promote it as a film set. Malta's buildings and streets, for example, served to represent the Ancient Rome, the 19th century lowercase port city of Marseille and Beirut in the 1960s.

The film industry is interesting for the economy of the Republic of Malta from two points of view. On the one hand, it is an important field of the rapidly growing service sector, and on the other, it contributes to tourism (for example, Popeye Village). The economic performance of the film industry varies from year to year depending on the order situation. 2015 was considered a record year, with more than €100 million entering the Maltese economy through the film industry. In 2014, by contrast, investment was only €29 million.

World Heritage Site

Malta currently has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites:

Malta on the UNESCO World Heritage List
Image	Name	Location	Comments	Year of Proclamation	Type
	Hal Saflieni's Hipogeo	Island of Malta	Hipogeo of Hal Saflieni is the only prehistoric underground temple	1980	Cultural
	Maltese megalithic temples	Island of Malta and Gozo Island	Temples of the megalithic period	1980, 1992	Cultural
	The Valeta	Island of Malta	Old Town of La Valeta	1980	Cultural

Gastronomy

Maltese Timpana

Maltese cuisine shows strong Italian influences, as well as influences from English, Spanish, Maghrebian and Provençal (French) cuisines. Some regional variations are observed, especially with regard to Gozo, as well as seasonal variations associated with the availability of seasonal products and Christian holidays (such as Lent, Easter and Christmas). Food has historically been important in the development of a national identity, particularly the traditional fenkata (ie eating stewed or fried rabbit). Potatoes are also a staple of the Maltese diet.

Several grapes are endemic to Malta, such as Girgentina and Ġellewża. There is a strong wine industry in Malta, with a significant production of wines made from these indigenous grapes, as well as locally grown grapes of other more common varieties, such as Chardonnay and Syrah. A number of wines have been granted Protected Designation of Origin, with wines produced from grapes grown in Malta and Gozo designated as 'DOK' wines, i.e. Denominazzjoni ta'. l-Oriġini Kontrollata.

Malta's history and geography have had a major influence on its cuisine. Having to import most of its food products, being located along important trade routes, and having to cater to the resident foreign powers that ruled the islands, opened Maltese cuisine to outside influences early on.. Foreign dishes and flavors were absorbed, transformed and adapted. Italian (particularly Sicilian), Middle Eastern and Arabic food exerted a strong influence, but the presence in Malta of the Knights of St John and, more recently, of the British, brought elements from further afield.

Figolla - the traditional Easter sweet

The Knights came from many European countries, especially France, Italy and Spain. They brought influences from these countries. Aljotta, for example, a fish broth with lots of garlic, herbs and tomatoes, is the Maltese adaptation of bouillabaisse. The Knights' contacts and wealth also brought food from the New World; it has been suggested that Malta may have been one of the first countries in Europe (after Spain) where chocolate was tasted.

The British military presence provided a market for a garrison and their families and, later, massive tourism from the UK. British foodstuffs, seasonings and sauces such as English mustard, Bovril, HP sauce and Worcestershire sauce remain a subtle but ubiquitous presence in Maltese cuisine. The rest of the imports were only nominal.

Although it is likely that the Maltese word "aljoli" Borrowing, the Maltese version of the sauce does not include any eggs as in the aioli, instead relying on herbs, olives, anchovies and olive oil. Similarly, although the Maltese word "taġen" It is related to "tajine", in Maltese the word refers exclusively to a metal pan.

Festivals and Events

Local festivals, similar to those in southern Italy, are common in Malta and Gozo, and include weddings, baptisms and, above all, saints' festivals, in honor of the local parish patron. In the morning, the party reaches its climax with the celebration of a mass that includes a sermon on the life and achievements of the patron saint. In the afternoon, a statue of the religious patron is carried in a solemn procession through the streets of the town, followed by the faithful in respectful prayer. The atmosphere of religious devotion is preceded by several days of celebration and revelry: parades of bands, fireworks and night parties.

Procession of Good Friday in Malta

Carnival (Maltese: il-karnival ta' Malta) has held an important place in the cultural calendar since Grand Master Piero de Ponte introduced it to the islands in 1535. It is celebrated during the week preceding the Ash Wednesday, and often includes masquerade balls, grotesque costume and mask contests, lavish evening parties, a colorful parade of allegorical floats presided over by the King of Carnival (Maltese: ir-Re tal-Karnival), marching bands and revelers disguised.

Holy Week (Maltese: il-Ġimgħa Mqaddsa) begins on Palm Sunday (Ħadd il-Palm) and ends on Easter Sunday (Ħadd il-Għid). Numerous religious traditions, most of them handed down from one generation to the next, form part of the Holy Week celebrations in the Maltese Islands, honoring the death and resurrection of Jesus.

Mnarja, or l-Imnarja (pronounced lim-nar-ya) is one of the most important dates in the Maltese cultural calendar. Officially, it is a national holiday dedicated to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Its roots go back to the Roman festival of the Luminaria (literally, "illumination"), in which torches and bonfires lit up the early summer night of June 29.

Sports

In the 1990s, organized sport in Malta was reborn with the creation of several athletic facilities, including a national stadium and a basketball arena at Ta' Qali, as well as an athletic track suitable for archery, rugby and baseball. In international sporting competitions, most Maltese tend to support the English and Italian teams.

In 1993 and in 2003 Malta hosted the Games of the Small States of Europe.

National Stadium of Malta (Ta' Qali)

Football is the most popular sport in Malta. The national stadium is called Ta' Qali. The national soccer team has won several games against big opponents that reached the final stages of the World Cups, such as Belgium and Hungary. Recently a large number of soccer fields have been built all over the island. Malta's top soccer league is called the Maltese Premier League, and it consists of 14 teams. Futsal is also very popular.

Rugby is also practiced on the Island. As of October 2018, the men's national team was ranked 39th in the world. They have recently achieved success, beating teams like Sweden, Croatia and Latvia. In 2018, Malta achieved its biggest victory against Andorra, that of 89-3. In 2016 the Malta Rugby Union had 2,480 registered players.

Rugby is also played, mainly due to the return migration of Maltese Australians who bring it with them. In July 2018, the men's national team was ranked 18th in the world. The national team is known as the Knights of Malta, and features players currently playing in the English Super League such as Jarrod Sammut, Jake Mamo, or the most famous player to come from Malta Mario Fenech. In 2016 the Malta Rugby League had 285 players, the vast majority of them from Australia.