Explore Malta in 5 minutes
An eclectic universe, a mixture of cultures, languages and ethnic elements, today we invite you to explore Malta in 5 minutes in fun facts and simple history.
Malta is in fact an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea comprised of the Malta, Gozo, Comino, Cominotto, and Fifla. Its neighbours are Sicily and Tunisia – quite different cultures, which have both left their mark!
The language spoken is Maltese, the only language in Europe that comes from the Afro-Asiatic family (which also includes Arabic, Berber, Hausa and Hebrew). The Maltese may be Europeans, but their language sounds a lot like Arabic mixed with the Sicilian dialect. It is a surprising combination and the alphabet has 29 letters. All native citizens understand the official language, but educated people speak English fluently and understand Italian as well.
A staggering number of influences can be traced down in the present Maltese cultural structure, the people acknowledging the contribution of Greeks, Normans, Romans, Phoenicians, Sicilians, Castilian, Arogonese and the famous Knights Hospitaller (popularly known as the Knights of Malta). However, Malta is somewhat ambivalent or reluctant to acknowledge the African contribution to the language.
Malta gained its independence in 1964.
Did you know…?
The Maltese people are into three things, basically: religion (98% of people are Roman Catholics), politics and… the Eurovision song contest.
They are also very much into fireworks, which has earned them a place in the Guinness Book of World Records for the largest Catherine wheel (measuring 32 meters). They have another record for the 2011 largest group of storybook characters (or well, people dressed as such, at least).
There are apparently more Maltese people living in Melbourne than in Malta today. (How they come to arrive there is another story altogether).
Forget about the controversy around driving on the right versus left side of the road: in Malta, everybody drives in the shade.
There is a wide variety of transport options in Malta, one of the most popular being private transfers.
