Malta
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About Malta
Malta is a small island nation in the Mediterranean, some 90 km south of Sicily. Archipelago consists of three inhabited islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. Malta has around 400,000 inhabitants. They are sandwiched in a space which is approximately half the size of Bornholm. Thus, Malta is one of the most densely populated countries. The national language is Maltese but English also has official status, and many Maltese also speak Italian.
History
With its central location in the Mediterranean, Malta has in all times been courted, not least in times of war. The islands have over time been both Phoenician, Arab, Norman and British domination. From 1530-1798 the country was under Johanniterordenen whose members often are called Knights.
In 1565 came a great Ottoman (Turkish) force to conquer the island, this led to a bloody and violent siege. The Ottoman power was a total of between 22000-48000 men, they sailed to Malta from Istanbul in one of the largest armadas since antiquity tid.Undervejs in the siege were Turks amplification by North African pirates. The defenders, which consisted of Johanitterridderne, local Maltese, and Spanish troops, talked 6100-8500. After over 4 months of siege under which the particular fired approx. 130,000 cannon balls, pulled the Turks on 11 september 1568th They left 20000-25000 own dead, while the defenders had lost about 2,500 soldiers and about 7,000 civilians Maltese. The capital of Malta, Valletta, is named after johanitterordenens leader of the defense, Jean de Valette.
During the second World War II, Malta once again in the center because of its geographical proximity to Italy. Islands was bombed by the Axis Powers, and Malta received during the war George Cross for civilian bravery. Cross is now part of Malta’s flag. Malta became independent on 21 September 1964 after having been under British rule in 174 years. Only 10 years later, in 1974, Malta was granted its total independence from Britain and became a republic.
The issue of EU accession has been fiercely debated and was settled by a referendum 8th March 2003. Here voted 53.6% for the uptake and Malta was first May 2004 joined the Union as the Union’s smallest country. The first January 2008 the euro was introduced in Malta, and replaced the Maltese lira.
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