VV(18) - Malta

[David Morris]

http://dosfan.lib.uic.edu/ERC/bgnotes/eur/malta9504.html

PEOPLE  
 
Malta is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, with 
about 1,160 inhabitants per square kilometer (3,000 per sq. mi.). This 
compares with about 21 per square kilometer (55 per sq. mi.) for the 
United States. Inhabited since prehistoric times, Malta was first 
colonized by the Phoenicians. Subsequently, Maltese life and culture 
have been influenced to varying degrees by Arabs, Italians, and the 
British. Most of the foreign community in Malta, predominantly active or 
retired British nationals and their dependents, centers around Sliema 
and surrounding modern suburbs. Roman Catholicism is established by law 
as the religion of Malta; however, full liberty of conscience and 
freedom of worship are guaranteed, and a number of faiths have places of 
worship on the island. Malta has two official languages--Maltese (a 
Semitic language) and English. The literacy rate has reached 90%, 
compared to 63% in 1946. Schooling is compulsory until age 16.  

HISTORY  
 
Malta was an important cultic center for earth-mother worship in the 4th 
millennium B.C. Recent archeological work shows a developed religious 
center there long before those of Sumer and Egypt. Malta's written 
history began well before the Christian era. Originally the Phoenicians, 
and later the Carthaginians, established ports and trading settlements 
on the island. During the second Punic War (218 B.C.), Malta became part 
of the Roman Empire. During Roman rule, in A.D. 60, Saint Paul was 
shipwrecked on Malta at a place nowl called St. Paul's Bay. In 533 A.D. 
Malta became part of the Byzantine Empire and in 870 came under Arab 
control. Arab occupation and rule left a strong imprint on Maltese life, 
customs, and language. The Arabs were driven out in 1090 by a band of 
Norman adventurers under Count Roger of Normandy, who had established a 
kingdom in southern Italy and Sicily. Malta thus became an appendage of 
Sicily for 440 years. During this period, Malta was sold and resold to 
various feudal lords and barons and was dominated successively by the 
rulers of Swabia, Aquitaine, Aragon, Castile, and Spain. 
 
In 1523, a key date in Maltese history, the islands were ceded by 
Charles V of Spain to the rich and powerful order of the Knights of St. 
John of Jerusalem. For the next 275 years, these famous "Knights of 
Malta" made the island their kingdom. They built towns, palaces, 
churches, gardens, and fortifications and embellished the island with 
numerous works of art and culture. In 1565, these knights broke the 
siege of Malta by Suleiman the Magnificent. The power of the knights 
declined, however, and their rule of Malta was ended by their surrender 
to Napoleon in 1798. 
 
The people of Malta rose against French rule and, with the help of the 
British, evicted them in 1800. In 1814, Malta voluntarily became part of 
the British Empire. Under the United Kingdom, the island became a 
military and naval fortress, the headquarters of the British 
Mediterranean fleet. During World War II, Malta survived a siege at the 
hands of German and Italian military forces (1940-43).  In recognition, 
King George VI in 1942 awarded the George Cross "to the island fortress 
of Malta--its people and defenders." President Franklin Roosevelt, 
describing the wartime period, called Malta "one tiny bright flame in 
the darkness." Malta obtained independence on September 21, 1964.  
 




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