MALTA
Malta, an independent republic in the Commonwealth of Nations, consists of a small group of islands-Malta, Gozo, Kemmuna, Kemmunett, and Filfla - is located in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily. The area of the largest island, Malta, is 246 sq km (95 sq mi). The total area of the islands is 316 sq km (122 sq mi).
The capital and leading port of the country is Valletta . The overall population density of the islands is 1192 persons per sq km (3088 per sq mi).
ECONOMY
Manufacturing for export, ship construction and repair, and tourism are Malta's main industries. Tourism is increasingly important; the country has a turnover of 1.1 million visitors annually. Shipping-related industries are vital to Malta's economy. These industries include shipbuilding facilities, naval construction and repair facilities, and transshipment centers.
Malta's chief trading partners are Italy, the United Kingdom, the United States, and Germany. The currency of Malta is the Maltese lira, consisting of 100 cents (1 lira equals U.S. $2.5).
HISTORY
The many ancient monuments and remains on Malta attest to the great age of its civilization. Remains from Stone Age and Bronze Age peoples have been found in subterranean burial chambers. The islands became a Phoenician colony about 1000BC. In 736BC they were occupied by the Greeks, who called the colony Melita, and later the islands passed successively into the possession of Carthage and Rome. At the division of the Roman Empire in AD395, Malta was awarded to the Eastern Roman Empire. The islands were occupied by Arabs in 870. A Norman army conquered the Maltese Arabs in 1090, and Malta was later made a feudal fief of the kingdom of Sicily. In 1530 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V granted Malta to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who ruled the islands until the 19th century. After a famous and unsuccessful siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, the Knights fortified Valletta so strongly that it became one of the greatest Mediterranean strongholds.
In 1798 Napoleon invaded and occupied the islands during his Egyptian campaign. Unwilling to be ruled by France, the Maltese appealed to Britain, and in 1799 the British naval officer Horatio Nelson besieged Valletta and compelled the withdrawal of the French. By the terms of the Treaty of Paris, in 1814, Malta became part of the British Empire as a crown colony. The Maltese increasingly demanded self-government during the 19th century. In 1921, as a reward for its help during World War I, the colony was given a constitution that provided for a legislature elected by the inhabitants. The strategic position of the islands made Malta the object of many Italian intrigues. In 1936, because of increasing Italian influence, the constitution was revoked. During World War II (1939-1945) Allied fighter planes and submarines were based on Malta. Consequently, Malta withstood heavy bombing by the German and Italian air forces; in 1942 George VI, king of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, awarded the colony as a whole the George Cross for heroism.
A constitution effective on November 1, 1961, gave Malta internal self-government. Malta became independent on September 21, 1964, and a United Nations member on December 1.
On 8 March 2003, following the completion of accession negotiations with the EU, the population was aked whether they wanted Malta to join the Euopean Union.
The turnout of the referendum was 91% with over 53% replying in favour of membership. Malta is now expected to join the EU together with nine other countries
in the May 2004 enlargement of the EU.
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