Malta , officially the Republic of Malta ( ), is a European microstate, comprising an archipelago of three islands. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily, giving the country a warm Mediterranean climate. The nation's capital city is Valletta.

Throughout much of its history, Malta was considered to have a crucial strategic location due to its position in the Mediterranean Sea. It was held by several ancient cultures including Phoenicians, Sicilians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and others. The island is commonly associated with the Knights Hospitaller, who ruled it from the mid 16th century. This, along with the historic Biblical shipwreck of St. Paul on the island, ingrained the strong Roman Catholic legacy which is still the official and most practiced religion in Malta today.

The country's official languages are Maltese and English, although there are strong historical ties to the Italian language on the islands. Malta gained independence from Britain in 1964 and is currently a member of the European Union which it joined in 2004, in addition to being part of the Commonwealth of Nations and the UN.

Etymology

The origin of the term "Malta" is uncertain, though the modern day variation is from the Maltese language. The more common etymology is that it comes from the Greek word μέλι (meli) ('honey'). The Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melite) meaning "honey" or "honey-sweet" possibly due to Malta's unique production of honey; Malta has had an endemic species of bee which lives on the island, giving it the common nickname the "land of honey". Not only was there Greek influence on the island as early as 700 BCE, but the island is presumed to have been later dominated by the Greek-speaking Byzantine Empire from 395 to 870. Another etymology given is the Phoenician word Maleth meaning "a haven," in reference to Malta's many bays and coves.

History

main: Timeline of Maltese history

Ancient civilizations

After the fall of Phoenicia, the area came under the control of people from a former Phoenician colony in 400 BCE; the Carthaginians. During this time Malta was mainly used as a place to cultivate olives, carobs and produce textiles. During 218 BCE in the Punic Wars tensions arose and the Maltese people rebelled against the rule of Carthage, turning over control of their garrison to Roman Republic consul Sempronius. During the Syracusan revolt

In 117 BCE the Maltese Islands were thriving as part of the Roman Empire and were promoted to the level of Municipium under Hadrian. During 60 AD in the north of the island at Saint Paul's Bay, one of the apostles of Jesus Christ named Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the shores. Tradition holds he stayed in Malta for three months introducing Christianity and performing various miracles. This is documented in the Bible in the Acts of the Apostles. When the Roman Empire split into the east and west divisions, Malta fell under the control of the Greek speaking Byzantine Empire which was ruled from Constantinople. Although Malta was under Byzantine rule for four centuries, not a lot is known about this period. There is evidence that Germanic tribes the Goths and the Vandals briefly took control of the islands before the Byzantines launched a counter attack and retook Malta, keeping a military presence there.