MALTESE Infographic
Interesting facts
ABOUT MALTA 01
A predominantly Roman Catholic country, Malta has over 360 churches – that’s roughly one for every 1,000 residents.
02
316
03
sq km Size of Malta
04 A traditional form of Maltese music is known as Għana. It is comprised of folk guitar music, usually played by men who take it in turns to debate in a sing-song voice. The lyrics are improvised and the result is usually friendly-yet-challenging.
05 The earliest evidence of human habitation in Malta was found in the Għar Dalam Cave.
06
Malta's capital city, Valletta, is named after Jean Parisot de La Valette, a Grand Master of the Order of Knights of St John.
The beautiful and elegant Pharaoh Hound is Malta's national dog. In Maltese, the breed is called Kelb tal-Fenek.
09 The temples at Gġantija can be traced to an era even older than that of the Pyramids of Egypt.
The flag of Malta is a simple red and white design with the George Cross in the top left hand corner.
11
Malta's Grand Harbour boasts of being one of the best natural deep-water harbours in the world.
13
In 1942 Malta was awarded with the George Cross by King George VI (UK) for bravery.
14
Malta was previously known as Melita by the Ancient Greeks and Romans. They called it ‘island of honey’. 10
08 In 2008, the Euro became Malta's official currency, following the Island's accession into the EU in 2004.
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12 10
If you're looking for some interesting books with the Maltese Islands as a backdrop, consider reading the following... - The Kappillan of Malta by Nicholas Monsarrat - The Sword and the Scimitar by David Ball - The Jew of Malta by Christopher Marlowe.
The two main symbols synonymous with Malta and its people are the Maltese Cross and the Maltese boat (known as 'luzzu'). The Maltese cross was used by the Knights of Malta.
15 Maltese is the National Language of Malta while Maltese and English are both official languages. The Maltese language developed from Arabic, absorbing words and expressions from Sicilian, Italian and English over the centuries. This intriguing blend of languages gives modern Maltese its unique character. Most Maltese are bilingual.