Malta officially Republic of Malta , Maltese Malta , or Repubblika Ta’ Malta
Profile
| Official name | Repubblikka ta’ Malta (Maltese); Republic of Malta (English) |
|---|---|
| Form of government | unitary multiparty republic with one legislative house (House of Representatives [65]) |
| Chief of state | President |
| Head of government | Prime Minister |
| Capital | Valletta |
| Official languages | Maltese; English |
| Official religion | Roman Catholicism |
| Monetary unit | Maltese lira1 (Lm; plural liri) |
| Population estimate | (2007) 409,000 |
| Total area (sq mi) | 122 |
| Total area (sq km) | 316 |
Main
country located in the central Mediterranean Sea. It is a small archipelago but a strategically important group of islands. Throughout a long and turbulent history, the archipelago has played a vital role in the struggles of a succession of powers for domination of the Mediterranean and in the interplay between emerging Europe and the older cultures of Africa and the Middle East. As a result, Maltese society was molded by centuries of foreign rule, with influences ranging from Arab to Norman to English.
There are five islands—Malta (the largest), Gozo, Comino, and uninhabited Kemmunett (Comminotto) and Filfla—lying some 58 miles (93 kilometres) south of Sicily, 180 miles (290 kilometres) north of Libya, and about 180 miles east of Tunisia, at the eastern end of that constricted portion of the Mediterranean Sea separating Italy from the African coast. Valletta is the capital, although Birkirkara is the largest city.
The land » Relief
Malta Island measures about 17 miles at its longest distance from southeast to northwest and about 9 miles at its widest distance from east to west. The main physical characteristic of Malta is a well-defined escarpment that bisects it along the Victoria Lines Fault running along the whole breadth of the island from Point ir-Raħeb (west of Nadur Tower) to the coast northeast of Għargħur. The highest areas are coralline limestone uplands that constitute a triangular plateau, Ta’ Żuta (829 feet [253 metres]), to the west. The uplands are separated from the surrounding areas by blue clay slopes, while undercliff areas are found where the coralline plateau has fallen and forms a subordinate surface between the sea and the original shore. The total shoreline is 85 miles.
To the north the escarpment is occasionally abrupt and broken by deep embayments. To the south, however, the plateaus gradually descend from about 600–800 feet into undulating areas of globigerina (derived from marine protozoa) limestone less than 400 feet high. On the west are deeply incised valleys and undercliff areas, while on the east are several valleys that descend to the central plains.
![The Dockyard complex in Grand Harbour, Malta, showing (from foreground) French Creek, Senglea, …[Credits : Financial Times, London—Robert Harding Picture Library]](https://web.archive.org/web/20080427181703im_/http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/88/2288-003.gif "The Dockyard complex in Grand Harbour, Malta, showing (from foreground) French Creek, Senglea, …[Credits : Financial Times, London—Robert Harding Picture Library]"){kind=small}
The west coast of Malta presents a high, bold, and generally harbourless face. On the east, however, a tongue of high ground known as Mount Sceberras separates the bays of Marsamxett and Grand Harbour. These deepwater harbours contribute to the strategic importance of Malta. They are associated with nine seasonal creeks that include those of Sliema, Lazzaretto, Msida, and Newport. The northern shore is again bare and craggy, characterized by its coves and hills, which are separated by fertile lowlands.
![Coastline of Gozo island, Malta.[Credits : © Goodshoot/Jupiterimages]](https://web.archive.org/web/20080427181703im_/http://media-2.web.britannica.com/eb-media/99/99599-003.gif "Coastline of Gozo island, Malta.[Credits : © Goodshoot/Jupiterimages]")
In Gozo the landscape is characterized by a broken coralline plateau to the north and by low-lying globigerina limestone plains and hills to the south. The highest point, in the west, is 578 feet. The total shoreline is 27 miles.
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Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
Assorted References
- Bronze Age architecture ( in architecture, Western: Malta )
- climate and weather ( in gregale )
- coinage ( in coin: Colonies and Commonwealth )
- flag history ( in Malta, flag of )
- history ( in Malta, history of )
- physical geography ( in Malta: Relief )
- population ( in Malta: The people )
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town, west-central Malta, adjoining Mdina, west of Valletta. In Roman times the site of Mdina and Rabat was occupied by Melita, the island’s capital. The modern names date from the Arab occupation of Malta, when Mdina was fortified and what remained outside the walls was called rabat (“suburb”). There are many Roman ruins, including a partially restored villa housing a museum. Extensive early Christian catacombs are beneath the town, and there are several cave churches and medieval churches and monasteries. The nearby Verdala Palace (1586) was built as a summer residence for the grand masters of the Hospitalers (Knights of St. John of Jerusalem) and was used by the governors of the islands.
Situated within an agricultural region, modern Rabat produces wine and a variety of handcrafted textiles. Pop. (1985 prelim.) 12,920.
Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
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education in Malta Malta
The University of Malta, founded as a Jesuit college in 1592 and established as a state institution in 1769, was refounded in 1988. It offers courses in most disciplines and has a prestigious medical school. Its modern campus at Tal-Qroqq also houses the International Maritime Law Institute and the Mediterranean Academy of Diplomatic Studies. The historic Old University building in Valletta is...
Aspects of this topic are discussed in the following places at Britannica.
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Malta Malta
There are five islands—Malta (the largest), Gozo, Comino, and uninhabited Kemmunett (Comminotto) and Filfla—lying some 58 miles (93 kilometres) south of Sicily, 180 miles (290 kilometres) north of Libya, and about 180 miles east of Tunisia, at the eastern...
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recipient of George Cross George Cross
The island of Malta received the George Cross in recognition of its inhabitants’ gallantry in World War II. Recipients of this award may add G.C. after their names; the cross ranks second only to the Victoria Cross (the highest British military decoration). The cross is silver, with one side depicting St. George slaying the dragon and with the inscription “For Gallantry;” the other...
town, eastern Malta, one of the Three Cities (the others being Senglea and Vittoriosa), at the head of Dockyard Creek, just south of Valletta across Grand Harbour. It developed as a suburb of Vittoriosa in the mid-16th century and was a thriving settlement (known as Bormla) before it was severely damaged by the Turks in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It was rebuilt and refortified after 1565 and benefitted economically from the shipping activities of the Hospitalers (Knights of Malta). Although many old buildings and most residential sections were destroyed in World War II, the Galley Houses of the knights, the parish church (1637), and a nearby oratory (1731) survived. There are ship-repair yards. Pop. (1990 est.) 7,838.
town, eastern Malta, situated on a headland between Marsamxett (Marsamuscetto) Harbour to the east and St. Julian’s Bay to the west. It is a suburb of the capital, Valletta, which it faces southward across the harbour, with Fort Tigné dominating the entrance. A modern residential community with a concentration of hotels and villas, Sliema is the most English part of Malta. St. Julian’s Watchtower, a medieval watchtower that was once used to spot corsairs, still stands on the northern Mediterranean seafront. Pop. (1990 est.) 13,541.
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Media
- The Dockyard complex in Grand Harbour, Malta, showing (from foreground) French Creek, Senglea, …[Credits : Financial Times, London—Robert Harding Picture Library]
- Coastline of Gozo island, Malta.[Credits : © Goodshoot/Jupiterimages]
- Boats at harbour, Malta.[Credits : © Goodshoot/Jupiterimages]
- Aerial view of seaport in Valletta, Malta.[Credits : © Goodshoot/Jupiterimages]