The Malta Portal
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a small island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands (Malta, Gozo (Għawdex) Comino (Kemmuna) Filfla, Cominotto (Kemmunett) Manoel, Selmunett (St.Paul's Islands)) in the Mediterranean Sea. A country of Southern Europe, Malta lies south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The country's official languages are Maltese and English. Roman Catholicism is the most practised religion. The islands constituting the Maltese nation have been ruled by various powers and fought over by many states for centuries. Malta has been a member state of the European Union (EU) since 2004 and it is currently the smallest EU country both in population and in area.
Selected ArticleAir Malta is the national airline of Malta. It operates services to around 50 destinations in Europe and North Africa. The airline is based at Malta International Airport, Luqa, with hubs at Birmingham International Airport and Bristol International Airport, England. In July 2002, Air Malta announced that its new fleet of aircraft would be from the European aeroplane manufacturers Airbus. The new fleet comprises A319s and A320s and deliveries have already begun.[when?] The last plane will be delivered in 2007,[needs update] thus reducing the average age of fleet to around 2.5 years. Air Malta has concluded over 191 interline ticketing agreements with other IATA airlines. It also has a codeshare agreement with Qantas from Sydney–Singapore–London–Malta. According to the Association of European Airlines quarterly review of May 2006, Air Malta is the airline that loses the least amount of passenger baggage. The amount of baggage lost in the first quarter of 2006 was 4.1 bags missing per 1000 passengers. Air Malta is owned by the Maltese government (98%) and private investors (2%). Air Malta also has a 25% shareholding in Medavia. The airline employs 1,547 staff. (more...) Selected LocalityBirgu (also called Il-Birgu or Vittoriosa) is a small city in Malta that played a vital role in the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. It is one of the three best-known cities on this small island nation. Its current population is of 2,691. The city was established in 1530 - 1535 on the Great Harbour of Malta around Fort St. Angelo, and served as Malta's principal harbour with Cospicua and Senglea. When the Knights of St. John arrived in 1530, they made Birgu the capital city of Malta, since the former capital, Mdina, was inland and did not suit their naval requirements. (more...) Selected Picture![]() Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist
St John's Co-Cathedral contains eight rich chapels, each of which was dedicated to the patron saint of the eightlangues (or sections) of the Knights. The inside of the Cathedral is in sharp contrast to the facade as the extremely ornate interior decorated in the height of the Baroque period. The inside was largely decorated by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist and Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. Did you know
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