|RNature and climate:|N Archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea. The largest and inhabited islands are Malta, Gozo and Comino.
Mediterranean climate with an average temperature in January of 13°C and in July 26°C.
Percipitation 580 mm.
|RPeople:|N Mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian and English.
|REconomy:|N 30% of the labour force is occupied in services, 24% in manufacturing and 21% in agriculture. Maegre soil makes Malta dependent on food import.
Major industries are tourism, shipyards and clothing.
Malta is an important point of support for shipping in the Mediterranean Sea.
Manufacturing has been developed in the last decades, but depend on foreign raw materials.
|RHistory:|N A rich culture during the Stone Age is revealed by several ruins. Famous are the temples of Gqantija from 3000 BC.
From 1000 BC the Phoenicians ruled and later the Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans and Byzantines and Malta was in the 9th century conquered by Islamic Saracens. In 1090 conquered by the Norman kings of Sicily and made an important stop for the Crusaders.
In 1530 it was given to the Knights Hospitalers (the Knights of Malta).
In 1798 the Knights were forced away by Napoleon and in 1800 Malta was conquered by the British who founded a big naval base. From 1814 a Crown colony.
During World War II Malta suffered from heavy bombing by German and Italian airforces and after the war the whole population was awarded the George Cross for bravery.
Limited self-rule was granted in 1921 and in 1964 Malta became an independent country within the Commonwealth of Nations.
In the 1971 elections the Labour party came to power, cancelled the defense agreement with Great Britain and made Malta a neutral country.
Republic in 1974 and in 1979 the British naval base was closed.
