Malta
Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world,
with about 3,000 inhabitants per square mile (1,160 per square
kilometer). This compares with about 55 per square mile (21 per
square kilometer) for the United States. Inhabited since prehistoric
times, Malta was first colonized by the Phoenicians. Subsequently,
Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Knights Hospitallers of St. John of
Jerusalem, and the British have influenced Maltese life and culture
to varying degrees. Most of the foreign community in Malta,
predominantly active or retired British nationals and their
dependents, centers around Sliema and surrounding suburbs. There is
also a growing North African community of about 4,000 (2007). The
Constitution establishes Roman Catholicism as the religion of Malta;
however, it also guarantees full liberty of conscience and freedom
of worship and a number of faiths have places of worship on the
island. Malta has two official languages--Maltese (a Semitic
language with much vocabulary borrowed from Sicilian Italian) and
English. The literacy rate has reached 93%, compared to 63% in 1946.
Schooling is compulsory until age 16. |
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Malta was an important cultic center for earth-mother
worship in the 4th millennium B.C. Archeological work
shows a developed religious center there, including the
world's oldest free-standing architecture, predating
that of Sumer and Egypt. Malta's written history began
well before the Christian era. The Phoenicians, and
later the Carthaginians, established ports and trading
settlements on the island. During the second Punic War
(218 B.C.), Malta became part of the Roman Empire.
During Roman rule, in A.D. 60, Saint Paul was
shipwrecked on Malta.
In 533 A.D. Malta became part of the Byzantine Empire
and in 870 came under Arab control. Arab occupation and
rule left a strong imprint on Maltese life, customs, and
language. The Arabs were driven out in 1090 by a band of
Norman adventurers under Count Roger of Normandy, who
had established a kingdom in southern Italy and Sicily.
Malta thus became an appendage of Sicily for 440 years.
During this period, Malta was sold and resold to various
feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively
by the rulers of Swabia (now part of Germany), Aquitaine
(now part of France), Aragon (now part of Spain),
Castile (now part of Spain), and Spain.
In 1522, Suleiman II drove the Knights of St. John out
of Rhodes, where they had established themselves after
being driven out of Jerusalem. They dispersed to their
commanderies in Europe, and in 1530 Charles V granted
them sovereignty over the Maltese islands. For the next
275 years, these famous "Knights of Malta" made the
island their domain. They built towns, palaces,
churches, gardens, and fortifications and embellished
the island with numerous works of art. In 1565, Suleiman
the Magnificent laid siege to Malta. After several
months, the Knights and the Maltese population prevailed
and the Turks withdrew. Over the years, the power of the
Knights declined, and their rule of Malta ended with
their peaceful surrender to Napoleon in 1798.
The people of Malta rose against French rule, which
lasted two years, and with the help of the British
evicted them in 1800. In 1814, Malta voluntarily became
part of the British Empire. Under the United Kingdom,
the island became a military and naval fortress, the
headquarters of the British Mediterranean fleet. During
World War II, Malta survived relentless raids from
German and Italian military forces (1940-43). A crucial
moment in Maltese history was August 15, 1942, when five
out of the 14 vessels that formed part of "Operation
Pedestal", including the American tanker SS Ohio, broke
through the Nazi blockade of Malta to deliver fuel and
food to the starving population. The arrival of the
vessels was the turning point in the Maltese islands'
fate during World War II, and became known locally as
the Santa Marija Convoy, in honor of the August 15 Feast
of the Assumption, referred to locally as "Santa Marija."
In recognition, King George VI in 1942 awarded the
George Cross "to the island fortress of Malta--its
people and defenders." President Franklin Roosevelt,
describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny
bright flame in the darkness--a beacon of hope for the
clearer days which have come." In September 1943, the
Italian fleet's surrender was signed in Malta by U.S.
General Dwight Eisenhower and Italian Marshal Pietro
Badoglio. Victory Day, celebrated on September 8,
commemorates victory in the 1565 Great Siege, and the
end of the World War II attacks in Malta. Malta obtained
independence on September 21, 1964, became a Republic on
December 13, 1974, and a member of the European Union on
May 1, 2004. The last British forces left in March 1979. |
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