Malta - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

Overview

Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta , is a Southern Europe

Southern Europe

The term Southern Europe, at its most general definition, is used to mean "all countries in the south of Europe". However, the concept, at different times, has had different meanings, providing additional political, linguistic and cultural context to the definition in addition to the typical...

an country consisting of an archipelago

Archipelago

An archipelago , sometimes called an island group, is a chain or cluster of islands. The word archipelago is derived from the Greek ἄρχι- – arkhi- and πέλαγος – pélagos through the Italian arcipelago...

situated in the centre of the Mediterranean

Mediterranean Sea

The Mediterranean Sea is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean surrounded by the Mediterranean region and almost completely enclosed by land: on the north by Anatolia and Europe, on the south by North Africa, and on the east by the Levant...

, 80 km (49.7 mi) south of Sicily

Sicily

Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...

, 284 km (176.5 mi) east of Tunisia

Tunisia

Tunisia , officially the Tunisian RepublicThe long name of Tunisia in other languages used in the country is: , is the northernmost country in Africa. It is a Maghreb country and is bordered by Algeria to the west, Libya to the southeast, and the Mediterranean Sea to the north and east. Its area...

and 333 km (206.9 mi) north of Libya

Libya

Libya is an African country in the Maghreb region of North Africa bordered by the Mediterranean Sea to the north, Egypt to the east, Sudan to the southeast, Chad and Niger to the south, and Algeria and Tunisia to the west....

, with Gibraltar

Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located on the southern end of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance of the Mediterranean. A peninsula with an area of , it has a northern border with Andalusia, Spain. The Rock of Gibraltar is the major landmark of the region...

1755 km (1,090.5 mi) to the west and Alexandria

Alexandria

Alexandria is the second-largest city of Egypt, with a population of 4.1 million, extending about along the coast of the Mediterranean Sea in the north central part of the country; it is also the largest city lying directly on the Mediterranean coast. It is Egypt's largest seaport, serving...

1508 km (937 mi) to the east.

Malta covers just over 316 km² (122 sq mi) in land area, making it one of the world's smallest microstates

Microstate

A microstate or ministate is a sovereign state having a very small population or very small land area, but usually both. Some examples include Liechtenstein, Malta, Monaco, Nauru, Singapore, and Vatican City....

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Discussions

How many islands in total does Malta have?

What are the world heritage sites that Malta has?

The need to identify the true origins of one's family

Just curious! Before Napoleon quit Malta, he obliged the inhabitants - refugees from across Europe to destroy their documents of origin and consider ...

So now is Malta a free country?

What language is spoken in Malta?

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Timeline

1522 Suleiman the Magnificent accepts the surrender of the surviving Knights of Rhodes, who are allowed to evacuate. They eventually settle on Malta and become known as the Knights of Malta.

1693 Mt. Etna erupts in Sicily, Italy. A powerful earthquake destroys parts of Sicily and Malta.

1799 Maltese patriot Dun Mikiel Xerri, along with a number of other patriots, is executed.

1800 Napoleon surrenders Malta to Great Britain.

1840 The Maronite leader Bashir II surrenders to the British Army and then is sent into exile on the islands of Malta.

1919 Sette giugno: Riot in Malta; four are killed.

1943 World War II: U.S. General Dwight D. Eisenhower and Italian Marshal Pietro Badoglio sign an armistice aboard the Royal Navy battleship {{HMS|Nelson|28|6}} off Malta.

1964 Malta becomes independent from the United Kingdom.

1964 Malawi, Malta and Zambia join the United Nations.

1974 Malta becomes a republic.

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