MALTA

Malta is an island country. It is  member of the European Union. It is densely populated and consists of an archipelago situated in the centre of the Mediterranean, south of Italy, east of Tunisia and north of Libya. Because of its strategic location, it has been ruled by various powers and has fought over independence for centuries. Since 1964 Malta is an independent state and in 2004 it joined the European Union.

The Maltese archipelago lies on the edge of the African Plate, Eurasian very close. It is composed of the inhabited islands of Malta Gozo and Comino. On its shores there are a lot of bays provide good harbors.    It also has other smaller islands among which the islets of Filfla and Cominotto, or the Islands of St. Paul.

Maltese cuisine was born of the long relationship between the Maltese and Spanish that  ruled the islands.The fusion of flavours has given their kitchen a distinctive flavour in the Mediterranean.

The culture of Malta reflects the various influences of the countries that have ruled it until 1964, particularly from Italy and the UK.The Maltese customs, legends and folklore are studied and categorized slowly, like any other European tradition.

Malta

Year of EU entry: 2004 Political system: Republic Capital city: Valletta Total area: 316 km² Population: 0.4 million Currency: Euro Official languages: Maltese , English

Malta is a group of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Only the three largest islands - Malta, Gozo and Comino - are inhabited. The terrain is low and rocky with coastal cliffs.
Malta, in the heart of the Mediterranean, is a melting pot of civilisations with a history stretching back thousands of years. The country has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant prehistoric civilisation existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. Later the islands were for centuries the seat of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John and then part of the British Empire. Malta became independent in 1964.

The Maltese government is headed by the leader of the party with a majority of seats in the unicameral House of Representatives, known in Maltese as Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti.

The national language is Maltese, which is part of the Semitic language family that includes Arabic. English is also recognised as an official language, and many Maltese also speak Italian.

Tourism is important in Malta but the island also has an expanding services sector.

Traditional Maltese food includes soup (minestrone, fish), pasta and pastry dishes. Stuffed dishes are also a feature of Maltese cuisine. Stuffat Tal-Fenek (rabbit stew) is a national dish.

Football is the most popular sport in Malta. The national stadium is called Ta' Qali Stadium. It is generally noted that the population tends to be split half and half with regards to supporting Italy or England in football, due to the cultural affinities of the island.

In Spain is very famous the football match played in1983 beetwen Spain and Malt wich Spain won with the score of 12-1

The national football team has won several matches over big opponents that reached the final phases in World Cups, such as Belgium, Hungary, and Greece.

Rugby union is popular in Malta, with the national men's team currently (May 2010) ranked 49th in the world – the second highest ranking that Malta holds in any international team sport after Table Football. The national squad was given a significant boost early in its history by inviting children of ex-patriate Maltese who had learned the sport in other, higher-level, countries (such as Australia and the U.K.) to improve the level of play. However, in recent years, the national team has included an increasing number of locally based players, while maintaining its position in the mid-rank of European rugby (currently ranked 22nd of 40 competing European nations).

In my opinion i´d like to live in Malt because it´s has a very good temperature during all the year and there are a lots of beach , i can´t speak Maltese but this isn´t a problem because everyone in malt can speaks English and Italian