Category: Malta

Malta is a small country in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, formed by five islands, three inhabited: Gozo, Comino and the Island of Malta, the largest and most important. In antiquity, Malta was colonized by Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans. In the Middle Ages, it was occupied by Arabs and later by the French. In 1530, the King of France ceded the islands to the Order of Hospitallers, originally founded in Jerusalem in the 11th century, to care for pilgrims to the Holy Land. In 1814, Malta was annexed to the British Empire. In 1964, the country became autonomous, but with the British monarch as head of state. In 1974, it became an independent republic. Malta is an international financial center and a major European tourist destination. The capital is Valletta. The population is 417 thousand residents (2016).