Located in the Mediterranean Sea, 93 Km south
of Sicily, the Maltese archipelago consists of three islands:
Malta (237 sq.kms), Gozo (68 sq. kms) and Comino (2 sq.kms).
The total population is around 400,000.
Valletta, the capital city, is the cultural, administrative
and commercial centre of Malta. Malta is well served with
harbours and yacht marinas. The international airport is
situated five kilometers from the capital.
Because of their
strategic position, the islands of Malta have been inhabited
for the past 7,000 years. One can still admire
vestiges of Neolithic, Copper and Bronze age civilizations
in form of impressive stone temples, a unique hypogeum and
remains
of handicrafts.
The first known settlers in Malta were the Phoenicians,
who reached these shores in the 9th century BC. These were
succeeded
by the Carthaginians, who were conquered by the Romans in the
3rd century BC. The Maltese islands eventually formed part
of the Byzantine empire, and were occupied by the Arabs from
the
9th to the 13th century. After the Arabs, the islands were
ruled by the Normans, Swabians and Angevins, and at the beginning
of
the 14th century fell under Aragonese domination. In 1530,
the King of Spain, Emperor Charles V, granted the islands
on fief
to the Order of the Knights of St John of Jerusalem. |
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