Five beautiful islands make up the Maltese archipelago between Europe and North Africa giving it a character and language all of its own. Maltese is originally a Semitic language (A group of related languages originating in the Near East still spoken today by more than 270 million people across much of the Middle East, North Africa and the Horn of Africa) with a substantial borrowing from Sicilian, Italian, a little French, and more recently English!
Malta has a maritime history dating back over thousands of years and if you want to read more then go to:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta - Religion and in particular http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Knights_Hospitaller
It’s a fascinating story about the role of this Christian military group in the crusades, the defence of Malta in the Great Siege of 1565 and the subsequent founding of its capital Valetta by Jean de la Valette, Grand Master of the Order of the Knights of St John. After Napoleon captured Malta in 1798 the Knights became dispersed throughout Europe but regained strength during the early 19th century when the Order revised their aims toward humanitarian and religious causes.
The Knights of St John today have about 98,000 members in 120 countries across the world, including Muslim nations. Wikipedia states that “Until recently the order has focused mainly on developing countries, but following the introduction of austerity in the Eurozone and UK which began in 2010, they have increasingly turned their attention to Europe, establishing shelters and soup kitchens to help the homeless and those suffering from hunger.”
In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became a part of the British Empire and was used as a shipping way station and fleet headquarters. Malta's strategic position halfway between the Strait of Gibraltar and the Suez Canal made it an important stop on the way to India.
During World War II, Malta played an important role in protecting the Axis shipping lanes. IN recognition of the bravery of the Maltese people during the second Siege of Malta King George VI awarded the George Cross to Malta in April 1942 "to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history".
Malta gained independence from the UK in 1964, became a Republic in 1974 but retained its membership of the Commonwealth, was admitted to the EU in 2004 and the Eurozone in 2008.
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