Portal:Malta
The Malta Portal
Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a small island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands (Malta, Gozo (Għawdex) Comino (Kemmuna) Filfla, Cominotto (Kemmunett) Manoel, Selmunett (St.Paul's 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.
Selected Article
Jean Parisot de Valette (born in 1494[?]; died in Malta, 21 August 1568) was born into a noble family in Quercy. He was a Knight of St. John all his adult life, joining the order in the Langue de Provence, and fought with distinction against the Turks at Rhodes and again at Malta. He became Grand Master of the Knights Hospitaller on 21 August 1557.Universally referred to as "La Valette," he was never actually called that during his lifetime. He was simply Jean de Valette, nicknamed Parisot.(The mistake arose some decades after his death when people began to confuse him with the city named in his honor, "La Citta Valletta.") Although his birth year is usually given as 1494, both chroniclers of the Great Siege of Malta, Francisco Balbi di Correggio and Hipolito Sans, say he was 67 at the time, implying that he was born in 1498. In his history of the Order of St John, the 18th-century historian, the Abbe Vertot (whose history is largely based on - but often confuses - the earlier one of Giacomo Bosio), indicates that Valette was indeed the same age as both Suleiman I and Lala Mustafa (the commander of the Ottoman land forces), which would mean that he was actually 70 years old at the time of the Siege. (more...) Selected LocalityXewkija (or Ix-Xewkija) is a village on the island of Gozo, Malta. The population of Xewkija is 3,115, that is the fourth largest in Gozo. Xewkija, which is situated between Ghajnsielem and the capital town, Victoria, is the oldest village in Gozo. It became the first parish outside Victoria on the 27th November 1678. It was separated from the Matrix by Bishop Glormu Molina and Dun Grezz Farrugia from Valletta, became its first parish priest. It became the first district 'contrada' to be known as 'casale' or village. (more...) Selected PicturePhoto credit: Azhitsky
St Paul's Bay (San Pawl il-Baħar in Maltese) is situated in the north west of the island of Malta, sixteen kilometres from the capital city Valletta. Its name refers to the shipwreck of Saint Paul, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles, due to the tradition that Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the isles, named St. Paul's Isles, which are situated in St Paul's Bay. The localities of Burmarrad, Qawra, Buġibba, Xemxija, Mselliet, and San Martin as well as part of Bidnija and Mistra, form part of the San Pawl il-Baħar Local Council. The area of the locality is 14.47km². Did you know
UNESCO World Heritage SitesCategories Select [►] to view subcategories
Malta topicsRelated PortalsThings You Can Do
Geography stubs · People stubs · Malta stubs in general
Help us categorize Maltese-related articles
Have a look at WikiProject Malta. Wikipedia in Maltese
Associated WikimediaThe following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject:
Discover Wikipedia using portals | ||||||
