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Let’s get one thing straight from the off – Malta is an absolutely fabulous little country. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in terms of things to do, places to see and experiences to, er, experience.
For those of you who know little about this group of islands, here is a little background. Firstly Malta is compact. The entire country has a surface area of just 316 km². But rather than work against it, this small size just serves to make visiting Malta a more intense experience with everything accessible to everyone from everywhere.
The country is made up of three islands with Malta the largest, Gozo second and the tiny island of Comino wedged in between its two larger neighbours.
In terms of history, Malta has plenty of it with 7,000-year-old temples which outdate the pyramids and Stonehenge. There are also numerous fortified cities around the island, a legacy of the country’s long association with the knights.
Due to its geographical location at the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta has always been popular with the bigger European countries – a popularity that often involved people invading and occupying it.
Today, however, Malta is a totally independent country and fiercely proud of it. A member of the European Union, Malta’s economy is increasingly based on the service industry boasting, as it does, a fine pool of human resources. Information Technology is playing an increasing role in the Maltese economy as are industries like language teaching and call centres.
In terms of climate, Malta is what you would describe as typically Mediterranean. Hot, Long sunny days make up more than half the year with a summer that lasts for anything up to six months. And winters aren’t exactly cold either although they can be a bit on the damp side.
The local currency is the Euro, which was introduced in January 2008 replacing the Maltese lira. The time zone is central European – in other words GMT+1 and the official languages are Maltese and English.
Malta is also a very religious country with the vast majority of inhabitants Roman Catholic. So no great surprise then that there are enough churches scattered around to allow you to visit one every day for a year without ever going to the same one twice.
Being so close to Italy, the Maltese have built a culinary repertoire that is as diverse and refined as ever. Pasta, most of which is imported from Italy, is proudly cooked to high Italian standards, while fresh fish and seafood, caught in the wonderful Mediterranean Sea surrounding the islands, is cooked to perfection.
Blue grottos abound in the Mediterranean. You may even be tempted to think that once you’ve seen one, you’ve seen them all. Not really. Malta’s Blue Grotto is a unique work of art, the masterpiece of nature gone wild in its own embellishment. Reached easiest from the fjord-like tiny harbour of Wied iz-Zurrieq, the Blue Grotto is where one would not uncommonly expect to find the fabled sirens, singing and horsing around, in the crystal-blue water inside the huge cave.
More than anything else though, Malta has one superb unique selling point – its people. You have to go a long way to find a more kind, warm and welcoming collection of individuals. |
