Interesting Facts About Malta
Travelling through Malta is like travelling through time.
Every street has a story to tell, sometimes going back thousands of years.
Have you heard about this tiny European country in the middle of the Mediterranean?
If you haven’t, don’t worry. After reading this article you might know some cool things about Malta that even locals might not know.
Location
Malta is a tiny archipelago of six islands in the Middle of the Mediterranean. Malta is 58 miles(93 km) south of Sicilian coast and 186 miles(300 km)north of Libya and Tunisia Only three of the islands are permanently inhabited. They are:
Malta: The main island of Malta where most of the people live(92.9 % of the popùlation to be exact).The Capital of Maltese Islands-Valletta is located here.
Comino: Comina is called “Kummina” in the Maltese Language.It’s located just north of Malta .The island is a bird sanctuary and nature reserve. It has only 3 permanent residents. It’s named after the Maltese word for “cumin”(Kummun) because the cumin seed once flourished here.
Gozo:Gozo is the northernmost inhabited island. It’s famous for it’s picturesque countryside, beaches and resorts like Xlendi and Marsalforn, and beautiful natural features like the Azure Window and the Inland Sea.
Only 7.1% of the population lives here. It’s called “Ghadex” (pronounced How-desh)in Maltese.
The most Densley populated country in the EU.
With an area of 316-kilometer square, it’s the smallest country in the EU. It’s the 5th smallest country in Europe though as Vatican City0(44 km2), Monaco (1.95 km2), San Marino (61 km2) and Liechtenstein (160 km2.).
Malta has a population of 475,701 and is the most densely populated country in EU with a population. Over 1505 people live here per Km2.
It’s the third most densely populated country in Europe as a whole behind the most densely populated country of Monaco(26,105 people per Km2) and Vatican City(1,802 people per Km2).
It’s always sunny in Malta
Malta has a dry Mediterranean climate. Summers are hot and dry and winters are wet and mild with plenty of sunshine compared to other parts of Europe in the winter.
Malta has over 300 days of sunshine in a year and has the sunniest weather in Europe! Malta has an average of only 90 rainy days per year.
Malta is a popular destination for Expats
Malta has one of the fastest growing economies in the EU and has started attracting a lot of skilled people from Europe and around the world. This is largely due to its attractive tax rates.
A lot of Digital Nomads have started setting up base in Malta and some of them have been staying here for several years since they came here.
Apart from Digital Nomads, many young people from within and outside the EU come here to learn English. Many of them eventually find a job here, especially in the lucrative online gaming and gambling industry.
Whenever you go to an expat you run into an expat who came to Malta years ago, probably didn’t know that the country existed in the first place and liked it so much that they never left.
Almost everyone speaks English
After Brexit, Malta is one of two countries where English is an official language, the other one being Ireland.
English is one of two official languages in Malta with more than 91% being proficient in the language.
It has been in use since 1800 when Malta voluntarily became part of the British Empire as a protectorate.
You can often find plenty of young people coming to Malta in the Summer to learn English and to potentially land a job here.
The other official language is the national language of Malta-Maltese. Maltese is the only Semitic language that is spoken in Europe and has been greatly influenced by Italian(most notably the Italian spoken in Sicily) and to a lesser extent from French and English.
Maltese is a unique language
Maltese is the national language of Malta and a co-official language along with English.
Maltese is the only Semitic language spoken in Europe. Maltese evolved from Siculo-Arabic. The Moors had brought Arabic into Malta when they conquered it from the Byzantines in 870 AD.
According to an analysis done on a Maltese dictionary, 32.41% of the Maltese vocabulary is of Arabic origin, 52.46% of the words of Sicilian and Italian origin, and 6.12% of the vocabulary is derived from English.
Maltese is also the only language that is written in the Latin script!
You can visit Popeye’s home in Malta
Robin Williams starred in a 1980 musical version based on the popular cartoon character Popeye.
In the opening scene of the movie, Popeye arrives in a small coastal town of Sweethaven.
Sweethaven(also known as Popeye’s Village) was a film set built in 1979 for this movie. It has been turned into a mini-theme park and museum.
Tickets to Popeye’s Village cost €11.00 for adults and €9 for children between 3–12 years and senior citizens from 6th November to 31st Of May.
From the 1st of June to 5th of November tickets cost €17.00 for adults, €13.50 children between 3–12 years and senior citizen.
You can buy the tickets either at the entrance or online. I would recommend you to buy the tickets online because there might be a lot of people waiting in line to buy their tickets at the entrance.
You can buy your tickets to Popeye’s Village on their website.
Malta has more than 8000 years of history
Malta has more than 8000 years of history. Its history can be traced back to the first people who made their way here from Sicily around 5900 BC.
You can find the remains of the first people at the Għar Dalam caves on the outskirts Birżebbuġa, a city located in the southern coast of the main island of Malta.
It is believed that their methods of agriculture degraded the soil of the island to such an extent that the island became uninhabitable.
It would remain so for until 3850 BC when the island was inhabited from people from Sicily that built the second oldest religious site in Europe.
They were followed Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the legendary knights of the order of St John, the French and then the British.
You can find the second oldest temple in the world in Malta
The Ggantija(pronounced Gee-Gaan-Tee-yah) means “Giantess” in the Maltese language. It’s one of 6 Megalathic Temples in Malta that are also UNESCO World Heritage Sites.
The Ggantija temple in Malta was considered to be the oldest man-made temples in the world prior to the discovery of Gobekli Tepe in Turkey in 1994.
Ggantinja was built between almost 5700 years ago between 3700–3600 BC. This makes it older than Stonehenge which was built between 5000–4000 years ago and even the pyramids of Giza which were built 4500 years ago.
According to local folklore, the temple was built by a giantess called Sansuna. She constructed one of the temples in a single day by carrying the megaliths on her head as she carried her baby under her arm.
It’s believed that this giantess ate nothing but water and broad beans. Broad beans. Broad beans continue to be a staple in Maltese cuisine to this day.
Ggantija is located in the village of Xaghra on the island of Gozo.
Malta is home to three UNESCO World Heritage Sites
Megalithic Temples
The Megalithic Temples are iconic to Malta. There are 23 sites in Malta and gozo which once had these temples. Ggantija in the island of Gozo was the first temple complex to be listed in the UNESCO World Heritage sites in 1980.
It was followed by 5 other sites that joined this list in 1992:
- Ta’ Hagrat(3600–3200 BC)
Location: Mgarr,Malta
Date of Excavation-1923 and 1926
Ticket Prices-Adults (18–59 years): €3.50
Youths (12–17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years & over)& Students: €3
Children (6–11 years): €2.50
Infants (1–5 years): Free - Skorba(3600–3000 BC)
Location: Zebbiegħ,Mgar,Malta
Date of Excavation-1963
Ticket Prices-Adults (18–59 years): €3.50
Youths (12–17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years & over)& Students: €3
Children (6–11 years): €2.50
Infants (1–5 years): Free - Hagar Qim(circa 3600 BC)
Location: Qrendi, Malta
Date of Excavation-1839,1885,1909–10
Ticket Prices-Adults (18–59 years): €10.00
Youths (12–17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years & over)& Students: €7.50
Children (6–11 years): €5.50
Infants (1–5 years): Free - Mnajdra(3600 - 2500 BC)
Location:500 meters west of Hagar Qim
Date of Excavation- 1840,1910,1949
Ticket Prices-Adults (18–59 years): €10.00
Youths (12–17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years & over)& Students: €7.50
Children (6–11 years): €5.50
Infants (1–5 years): Free - Tarxien(3600–2500 BC)
Location-Tarxien, Malta
Date of Excavation-1914–20
Ticket Prices-Adults (18–59 years): €6
Youths (12–17 years), Senior Citizens (60 years & over)& Students: €3
Children (6–11 years): €2.50
Infants (1–5 years): Free
Valletta
The capital of Malta-Valletta is not only the southernmost capital in Europe, but it’s also a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It’s a carefully planned fortified city that was built by the Order of St John in 1570.
Valletta has several historical landmarks and attractions like the St John’s Co-Cathedral and the Grand Master’s Palance. You can find a full list of attractions in Malta by clicking here.
A lot of cultural activities take place in this city, especially during the summer.
Hal Saflieni Hypogeum
This is an ancient burial complex and sanctuary that was built 5300 years ago between 3300–3200 BC. It was discovered in 1902 by construction workers who fell through its roof.
Hal Saflieni is located in the town of Paola on the main island of Malta. It became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.
Visiting historical sites in Malta
Who takes care of these sites?
Most of these sites are managed by Heritage Malta. Heritage Malta was created by the Maltese Parliament to preserve Malta’s culture, museums, and historical sites.
“Where do I buy the tickets?”
You can buy the tickets at the visitor centre at each site or online.
I recommend going online to see the availability of a site that you are interested in visiting.
A lot of these sites are often booked in advance. This is especially true for the Hypogeum. It is booked months in advance!
Saving Money on Tickets
Heritage Malta offers discounts if you get a “combo ticket”. You can get a combo ticket if you buy more than one ticket.
Another option is to buy a multi-site pass. These passes cost €50 for adults,€38 for students and senior citizens and €25 for children. If your children are 5 years old or younger, they don’t need tickets.
This pass gives you access to 22 historical sites in Malta. This pass, however, doesn’t include a tour of the Hypogeum. Tickets for the Hypogeum are upwards of €35 per person.
You can find more information on Heritage Malta’s website
One of Jesus’s apostles was believed to have been shipwrecked here
On 60 AD St Paul was sailing to Crete from Rome. He got shipwrecked in Malta due to a storm. He took refuge in a grotto and spread Jesus’s teaching on the Island.
You can find his Grotto in the Parish Church of St Paul in the town of Rabat.
6000 knights defended Malta from 40,000 soldiers
One of the most iconic moments in Maltese history was the great siege of Malta in 1565. During this time the Ottoman Empire was expanding rapidly into Europe.
The Ottomans planned to expand into western & Southern Europe from the Mediterranean Sea. Malta was the perfect island to help them do exactly that.
The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem were knights who previously fought in the crusades. They were invaded by the Ottomans in their base at the Greek Island of Rhodes.
Malta was part of the empire of Charles V who was the Holy Roman Emperor at the time. He granted the knights control of Malta.
The Ottomans launched a massive attack on Malta with 40,000. The knights were outnumbered 5 to 1 but along with the help of the local population, they defended Malta valiantly for 3 gruelling months.
1 in 3 Maltese people, as well as knights, lost their lives. Almost 9 out of every Ottoman soldier died in the siege.
To protect Malta from further invasions, the Knights built the fortified city of Valletta in 1566 which is Malta’s capital today.
Valletta is named after Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette who led the defence against the Ottomans during the Great Seige in 1565.
You played a role in Malta’s history
Are you a millennial who used to spend your time glued to your computer playing video games?
You might remember the iconic Age of Empires series of real-time strategy games.
If you remember playing Age of Empires III you might remember this character called “Morgan Black” who fought against the Ottomans in the very first mission.
Guess what? The first mission was based on actual fact. It was a recreation of the Great Siege of 1565.
Game of Thrones sites in Malta
‘When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground.’
- Cersi Lannister
Do you remember this scene in the beautiful gardens of King’s Landing where Ned Stark threatens to expose Cersi’s lies to Robert Baratheon?
It was shot St. Dominic’s Convent in a city called Rabat in Malta.
Other games of Thrones locations in Malta include:
-The Azure Window where Daenary’s Targarean meets Khal Drogo. Unfortunately, part of this natural arch was destroyed by a storm in 2017.
-The Gate of the Mdina, where Catelyn and Ser Rodrik Cassel rode into King’s Landing Season 1, Episode 3 ‘Lord Snow’
-Little Finger’s Brothel-Pjazza Mesquita in Mdina.
You can find out some more game of thrones locations in Malta in this article.
I hope you enjoyed reading this article on some interesting facts about Malta.
If you would like to share some interesting facts about Malta feel free to drop a comment below!
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