rctic
Circ
le
Di spatche s | MI CRO STAT E S
Baltic Sea
Henry M. Trotter
North Sea
Malta’s 408,000 residents, 6,000 of whom live in the capital of Valletta, pictured here, import most of their food and energy.
T
7. Malta
Malta
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he attractions of this island chain include a Mediterranean climate that produces hot, dry summers and mild, rainy winters; rugged, if not dramatic, coastlines that have had several supporting turns in Hollywood blockbusters; and countless historical sites that span the breadth of human history, from the Neolithic through the classical GrecoItaly Roman era to modernity. Yes, Malta offers much to recommend itself to anyone who seeks a break from the ordinary. Its strategic location in the middle of the Mediterranean, between Sicily and the North African coast, has certainly made the archipelago a prized possession over the centuries. Its historical functions varied wildly: as the forward fortress of the Christian Knights of Malta against the expanding Muslim Ottoman Mediterranean Seaduring the 16th Century, as an Empire unsinkable British aircraft carrier during the Second World War or as a major shipping centre today. This trade supplies a significant share of the country’s GDP, along with tourism, agriculture, fishing and financial services. Granted, Malta is neither as rich nor as influential as Luxembourg, the other microstate that holds membership in the
European Union and the Euro-zone. Its 408,000 residents (most of whom live on the eponymous main island, a rock of Black Sea kilometres) import most of 246 square their food and energy from the outside. Malta also possesses limited fresh water supplies. And if these infrastructure challenges are not demanding enough, Malta has become a call of port for illegal immigrants crossing the Mediterranean from North Africa in rickety boats. Yet if the history of this former British colony is any indication, its resourceful people will likely survive for a long time in a place that is as unique as their culture, forged through countless influences.
WINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR