Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is a small island country located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, Italy. The country is divided into three main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Malta is known for its stunning coastline, pristine beaches, ancient ruins, and historic architecture. The capital city, Valletta, is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and a popular tourist destination due to its rich history and cultural significance. Malta has a diverse population and a rich cultural heritage that is influenced by its location and history. The country has been inhabited since prehistoric times and has been ruled by numerous foreign powers, including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, and British. The blend of different cultures and influences can be seen in the country’s cuisine, language, music, and traditional festivals. Malta is also known for its warm climate, friendly people, and laid-back lifestyle, making it a popular destination for tourists and expatriates. Overall, Malta is a unique and enchanting country that offers visitors a blend of history, culture, and natural beauty.

Seminar paper from the year 2002 in the subject Tourism - Hotel Industry / Catering, grade: B+, César Ritz Colleges (Hotel Management School), language: English, abstract: Introduction of Malta Country, Region, Area Set in the clear blue Mediterranean Sea, the Maltese islands are the most southerly European country. It is just an archipelago of islands about halfway between the coasts of Sicily and North Africa. The archipelago consists of five islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino, together with two other uninhabited islands Cominetto and Filfla. The total area is approximately 316 sq kms (Malta 246 sq km, Gozo 67 sq km, Comino 2.7 sq km). The longest distance in Malta from North West to South East is about 27 km, with 14.5 km width in an East - West direction. The Islands are only 90 km south of Sicily and 290 km from the northern coast of Africa. The strategic position of Malta, Gozo and Comino has made these Mediterranean islands a crossroad of history and a bone of contention. The powers of Europe′s past knew it well as a stepping-stone between Europe and North Africa. Involved in Malta′s history are the Stone-Age and Bronze-Age people, Romans and Phoenicians, Arabs, Normans and Carthaginians, Castilians, French and British; from whom Malta became independent in 1964. Napoleon Bonaparte did unutterable damage in an only six-day occupation; and Malta stood firm against Hitler despite massive bombing during World War II, deservedly earning the nation the George Cross medal from King George VI (April 1942) and depicting it on the left hand corner of the flag. Wine Origin and History Malta′s viticulture, like its history, dates back thousands of years. The first Phoenician settlers introduced its cultivation in Malta. Along with improved forms of the vine they introduced their methods of cultivation which along the course of the ages have had slight variations and even today shows signs of its Phoenician origin. Although it is assumed that vines were planted on Malta from the time it was properly settled, the foundations of today′s wine industry were laid by the Knights of St. John when they were ceded Malta by the Holy Roman Emperor, Charles V of Spain in 1530. The Knights brought with them vine-cuttings from Europe to revitalize whatever vineyards remained after two centuries of Arab domination. In the middle ages owing to the recurrent invasions by the Arabs of Barbary, the spread of malaria, the epidemics of fevers and plague, and the emigration to Sicily and Italy, the population became greatly reduced in numbers, and the cultivation of lands in outlying districts was neglected or abandoned. [...]

Pre-University Paper from the year 2009 in the subject Didactics for the subject English - Applied Geography, grade: 13 Punkte, , course: Leistungskurs Englisch, language: English, abstract: In the past few years I recognized more and more students going on language courses abroad. Not only course in the U. S., but also courses within Europe strongly increase in popularity. There is a great variety of tender, from language courses that take only a few weeks or months, to so-called High-School-Years, professional business courses and even work and travel programs. At a first glance, it is very difficult to decide what to choose, but I would like to concentrate on language courses for students that last only a few weeks. I wanted to know why this is so fashionable nowadays and I began to think about this topic more intensively. I asked myself if this would not be a great thing for me to do, too. In the following pages I am going to examine such language courses in detail. I will present the different types of courses you can choose and the selection of accommodation available. There will also be an evaluation. I lead through a survey at Linguatime Language School in Sliema, Malta, to find out why so many students go on language holidays and if there is any progress possible at all. It has two parts, A and B. I distributed one at the beginning and one at the end of my stay in Malta to see if the students’ expectations were fulfilled or not. There can be seen positive and negative aspects that hopefully reveal the real image of such a trip. After my evaluation I am going to compare two particular language schools in Malta, the aspects will be the variety of courses, the accommodation types, the prices and the teachers. As a last point, in my conclusion, I am going to sum up the evaluation, so you will be able to see for yourself if such language courses really keep their promises. But at first, I want to have a closer look on the history of the country I chose for my stay. Malta has always been an interesting country for me because so many different cultures left their remains on its grounds. And although it is close to the African coast, it is still a part of Europe, which makes the journey much easier. Another advantage of Malta is the currency, for they have obtained the Euro in 2004. The thing I liked best of this island is that they have English as an official language. There are not so many countries so far in the south where you can speak English with native speakers and enjoy the warm climate as well; especially not in Europe.

This book describes how the island of Malta became a protectorate of the British Crown during the wars against Napoleon after the failures of the Knights of Saint John, republican France, the Two Sicilies, and finally imperial Russia to fill the role of its best defender. Author Desmond Gregory also explains why most, though not all, Maltese people welcomed the protection of Britain, the supreme naval power in the Mediterranean after the battle of Aboukir Bay.