Portal:Malta
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a small island nation comprising an archipelago of seven 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. «Showcase Article»
edit Air 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 Locality»
Valletta, population 6,315, is the capital city of Malta. The whole city was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980. The official name the Order of Saint John gave to the city was Humilissima Civitas Valletta — The Most Humble City of Valletta. However, with the building of bastions, curtains and ravelins, along with the beauty of the baroque buildings along its streets, it became known as Superbissima — 'Most Proud', amongst the ruling houses of Europe. In Maltese it is colloquially known as Il-Belt, simply meaning "The City". Benjamin Disraeli visited Valletta in August 1830, on the recommendation of his friend, Lord Byron. He described Valletta as "a city of palaces built by gentlemen for gentlemen", and remarked that "Valletta, equals in its noble architecture, if it does not excel, any capital in Europe." (more...) «Selected Picture»
Republic Street is the heart of the Maltese nation. People meet, shop, discuss and visit this pedestrianized street whenever they are in Valletta. Brimming with shops, cafes, restaurants and museums, this very busy street is usually packed with people going about their daily chores. Museums and historical attractions, including churches and palaces add to the uniqueness of Republic Street. Other visitors attractions here Template:/box-footer
Malta has formally applied to join the Eurozone in January 2008 and adopt the euro currency. The request was made through a letter sent by the Prime Minister, Dr Lawrence Gonzi, and Central Bank of Malta Governor Michael Bonello to both the European Commission and the European Central Bank, asking both institutions to set in motion the mechanism to provide Malta with a convergence report on whether it has reached all Eurozone membership conditions, known as the Maastricht criteria. Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header Portal:Malta/Did you know/October 2024 Template:/box-footer Template:/box-header More at Category:Malta
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Geography stubs · People stubs · Malta stubs in general
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Have a look at WikiProject Malta. Template:/box-footer
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