MALTA

This article is about the Mediterranean country. For other uses, see Malta (disambiguation).
Repubblika ta' Malta
Republic of Malta
Flag of Malta Coat of arms of Malta
Flag Coat of arms
Anthem: L-Innu Malti
("The Maltese Anthem")
Location of Malta
Location of Malta (dark green)
– on the European continent (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green)
Capital Valletta (de facto)
[show location on an interactive map] 35°53′N 14°30′E / 35.883, 14.5
Largest city Birkirkara
Official languages Maltese, English
Demonym Maltese
Government Parliamentary Republic
- President Edward Fenech Adami
- Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi
Independence
- from the United Kingdom September 21, 1964
- Republic December 13, 1974
EU accession May 1, 2004
Area
- Total 316 km² (185th)
121 sq mi
- Water (%) 0.001
Population
- 2007 estimate 419,285 (174th)
- 2005 census 404,5001
- Density 1,282/km² (7th)
3,339/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2007 estimate
- Total $9.396 billion (140th)
- Per capita $22,907 (38th)
GDP (nominal) 2006 estimate
- Total $5.39 billion (120th)
- Per capita $13,408 (35th)
HDI (2007) ▲0.878 (high) (34th)
Currency Euro (€)2Banks (EUR)
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Internet TLD .mt 3
Calling code +356
1 Total population includes foreign residents. Maltese residents population estimate at end 2004 was 389,769. All official population data provided by the NSO.[1]
2Before 2008: Maltese lira
3 Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states.

Malta [ˈmɔːltə] (help·info), officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a small and densely populated European microstate, comprising an archipelago of seven islands, making it an island nation. Situated in Southern Europe, 93 km (58 mi) off the coast of Sicily (Italy), it is located in the Mediterranean Sea, giving the country a warm, Mediterranean climate, while a further 288 km (179 mi) to the island's south is Libya.[2][3] The nation's de facto capital city is the historic Valletta.

Throughout much of its history, Malta has been considered a crucial strategic location due in large part to its position in the Mediterranean Sea.[4] It was held by several ancient cultures including Sicilians, Romans, Phoenicians, Byzantines and others. The island is commonly associated with the Knights Hospitaller who ruled it. This, along with the historic Biblical shipwreck of St. Paul on the island, ingrained the strong Roman Catholic legacy which is still the official and most practiced religion in Malta today.

The country's official languages are Maltese and English, although there are strong historical ties to the Italian language on the islands. Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964 and is currently a member of the European Union which it joined in 2004, in addition to being part of the Commonwealth of Nations and the UN.

Ancient Civilizations

See also: Magna Graecia, Phoenicia, Ancient Rome, Sicilia (Roman province), and Byzantine Empire

Ancient Mnajdra temples.
Ancient Mnajdra temples.

The Maltese islands were first settled ca. 5200 BCE by stone age farmers who had arrived from the nearby larger island of Sicily.[8][9] About 3500 BCE these people built the oldest free-standing structures and oldest religious structures in the world, in the form of the megalithic Ġgantija temples on Gozo,[10] other early temples include those at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.[11] Around 700 BCE, there was Ancient Greek culture on Malta, especially around the area of Valletta.[6] A century later the natives were joined on the island by Phoenician traders,[6] who used the islands as an outpost for their trade route explorations from the east Mediterranean Sea across to Cornwall.[12]

After the fall of Phoenicia, the area came under the control of people from a former Phoenician colony in 400 BCE; the Carthaginians.[13] During this time Malta was mainly used as a place to cultivate olives, carobs and produce textiles.[13]

During 218 BCE in the Punic Wars tensions arose and the Maltese people rebelled against the rule of Carthage, turning over control of their garrison to Roman Republic consul Sempronius.[14] During the Syracusan revolt
Roman mosaic from Rabat, Malta.
Roman mosaic from Rabat, Malta.

Malta remained loyal to Rome and was rewarded accordingly with the title Foederata Civitas; a designation which meant a level of autonomy within the jurisdiction of Sicilia province while being allied to Rome.[14] The island known then as Melita had its capital located in the centre, this carried the same name, though today it is known as Mdina.[14]

In 117 BCE the Maltese Islands were thriving as part of the Roman Empire and were promoted to the level of Municipium under Hadrian.[14] During 60 AD in the north of the island at Saint Paul's Bay, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ named Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the shores.[14] Tradition holds he stayed in Malta for three months introducing Christianity and performing various miracles.[14] This is documented in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles.[14] When the Roman Empire split into the east and west divisions, Malta fell under the control of the Greek speaking Byzantine Empire which was ruled from Constantinople.[15] Although Malta was under Byzantine rule for four centuries, not a lot is known about this period. There is evidence that Germanic tribes the Goths and the Vandals briefly took control of the islands before the Byzantines launched a counter attack and retook Malta, keeping a military presence there.[15]

[edit] Middle Ages

See also: Byzantine-Arab Wars, Emirate of Sicily, Kingdom of Sicily, and Crown of Aragon

Roger I of Sicily returned Malta to Christian rule.
Roger I of Sicily returned Malta to Christian rule.

Malta was involved in the Byzantine-Arab Wars, and the conquest of Malta is closely linked with that of Sicily due to admiral Euphemius betraying his fellow Byzantines and asking the Aghlabid dynasty to invade the area.[16] As part of the Emirate of Sicily rule switched to the Fatimids in 909.[17] The Arabs introduced new irrigation, some fruits and cotton, as well as from the island of Sicily the Siculo-Arabic language which would eventually become Maltese.[18] The native Christians were allowed freedom of religion but had to pay an extra tax to their rulers.[17] After the Normans from the Duchy of Normandy had seized Sicily, they did the same on the Maltese Islands by 1091.[14] Roger I of Sicily was according to Maltese tradition warmly welcomed by the native Christians.[14] The Maltese offered to fight for him and Roger reportedly tore off a portion of his flag, half-red, half-white presenting it to the Maltese to fight under; the basis of the flag of Malta.[14]

The Norman period was productive; Malta became part of the newly formed Kingdom of Sicily which also covered the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula.[14] The Catholic Church was re-insated as the state religion, with Malta under the See of Palermo and much Norman architecture sprung up around Malta.[14] Tancred of Sicily the last Norman monarch made Malta and Gozo a feudal lordship or fief within the kingdom with a Count of Malta instated. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, during this time the men of Malta were militarised to fend off capture attempts; the early counts were skilled Genoese corsairs.[14] The kingdom passed on to the Hohenstaufens from 1194 until 1266. It was under Frederick I that any remaining Muslims were expelled from Malta in 1224[19] and the entire Christian male population of Celano in Abruzzo was exported to Malta.[14]
Aragonese flag of the Kingdom of Sicily.
Aragonese flag of the Kingdom of Sicily.

For a brief period the kingdom passed onto the Capetian House of Anjou, however high taxes made the dynasty unpopular in Malta, due to Charles of Anjou's war against the Republic of Genoa the island of Gozo was sacked in 1275.[14] Following this there was a large revolt on Sicily known as the Sicilian Vespers, this saw the Peninsula part of the kingdom separating into the Kingdom of Naples; the Kingdom of Sicily including Malta instead fell under the rule of the Aragonese.[20] The kingdom was ruled by relatives of the kings of Aragon until 1409 and then as part of the Crown of Aragon.[20] Early on in the Aragonese reign, the Count of Malta title was given to sons of the monarchy; it was also during this time that much of the Maltese nobility sprung up.[21] By 1397 however, the Count title was back to a feudal basis with two families fighting over it causing the Maltese distress, thus the king confiscated it.[22] This was a familiar theme when the title was reinstated a few years later, the Maltese led by the nobility rose up against Count Gonsalvo Monroy.[14] However, the Maltese voiced that they were loyal to the Sicilian Crown, which impressed Alfonso IV greatly who did not punish the people for their rebellion but instead promised never to grant it to a third party, incorporating it back into the crown. The city of Mdina was nicknamed Città Notabile as a result.[14]

[edit] Knights of Malta and Napoleon
St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina designed in the Baroque style.
St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina designed in the Baroque style.

In 1530 Charles I of Spain gave the islands to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in perpetual lease. The Crown of Aragon had owned the islands as part of its Mediterranean empire for some time. These knights, a military religious order now known as the "Knights of Malta", had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire in 1522. They withstood a full-blown siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, at the time the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean sea. After this they decided to increase the fortifications, particularly in the inner-harbour area, where the new city of Valletta, named after Grand Master Jean de la Valette, was built.

Their reign ended when Malta was captured by Napoleon en route to his expedition of Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798. As a ruse, Napoleon asked for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and then turned his guns against his hosts once safely inside Valletta. Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim capitulated, and Napoleon stayed in Malta for a few days, during which time he systematically looted the movable assets of the Order, and established an administration controlled by his nominees. He then sailed for Egypt, leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.

The occupying French forces were unpopular, however, due particularly to their negative attitude towards religion. Their financial and religious reforms did not go down well with the citizens. The Maltese rebelled against them, and the French were forced behind the fortifications.

Great Britain, along with the Kingdom of the Two Sicilies, sent ammunition and aid to the rebels, and Britain also sent her navy, which instigated a blockade of the islands. The isolated French forces, under General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois, surrendered in 1800, and the island became a British Dominion, being presented by several Maltese leaders to Sir Alexander Ball.

[edit] British rule and World War II

Main article: Siege of Malta (World War II)

A heavily bomb-damaged street in Valletta during the Siege of Malta, 1942.
A heavily bomb-damaged street in Valletta during the Siege of Malta, 1942.

In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became a part of the British Empire, and was used as a shipping way-station and fleet headquarters. Malta's position half-way between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal proved to be its main asset during these years, and it was considered to be an important stop on the way to India.

In the early 1930s, the British Mediterranean Fleet, which was at the time the main contributor for the commerce on the island, was moved to Alexandria as an economic measure. Malta played an important role during World War II, owing to its proximity to Axis shipping lanes. The bravery of the Maltese people in their long struggle against enemy attack moved HM King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta on a collective basis on April 15, 1942 "to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history". Some historians argue that the award caused Britain to incur disproportionate losses in defending Malta, as British credibility would have suffered if Malta was surrendered, as Singapore had been.[23] A replica of the George Cross now appears in the upper hoist corner of the Flag of Malta. The collective award remained unique until April 1999, when the Royal Ulster Constabulary became the second – and, to date, the only other – recipient of the collective George Cross.
Aerial view of Valletta.
Aerial view of Valletta.

[edit] Independence

After the war, and after the Malta Labour Party's unsuccessful attempt at "Integration with Britain", Malta was granted independence on September 21, 1964 (Independence Day). Under its 1964 constitution, Malta initially retained Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta, with a Governor-General exercising executive authority on her behalf. On December 13, 1974 (Republic Day) it became a republic within the Commonwealth, with the President as head of state. A defence agreement signed soon after independence (and re-negotiated in 1972) expired on March 31, 1979 (Freedom Day) when the British military forces were withdrawn. Malta adopted an official policy of neutrality in 1980 and for a brief period was a member of the Movement of Non-Aligned Countries. In 1989 Malta was the venue of an important summit between US President Bush and Soviet leader Gorbachev, their first face-to-face encounter, which signaled the end of the Cold War.

Malta joined the European Union on May 1, 2004.[24] Following the European Council of 21 June to 22 June 2007 it joined the Eurozone on January 1, 2008.[25]