Maltese is the national language of Malta and a co-official language of the country alongside English, while also serving as an official language of the European Union, the only Semitic language so distinguished. Maltese is descended from Siculo-Arabic, the extinct variety of Arabic that developed in Sicily and was later introduced to Malta, between the end of the ninth century and the end of the twelfth century.
Malta has a long history and was first inhabited in around 5900 BC. The first inhabitants were farmers, and their agricultural methods degraded the soil until the islands became uninhabitable. The islands were repopulated in around 3850 BC by a civilization which at its peak built the Megalithic Temples, which today are among the oldest surviving buildings in the world. Their civilization collapsed in around 2350 BC, but the islands were repopulated by Bronze Age warriors soon afterwards.
A cognomen was the third name of a citizen of ancient Rome, under Roman naming conventions. Initially, it was a nickname, but lost that purpose when it became hereditary. Hereditary cognomina were used to augment the second name in order to identify a particular branch within a family or family within a clan. The term has also taken on other contemporary meanings.
The strappado, also known as corda, is a form of torture wherein the victim's hands are tied behind his or her back and suspended by a rope attached to the wrists, typically resulting in dislocated shoulders. Weights may be added to the body to intensify the effect and increase the pain. This kind of torture would generally not last more than an hour, without rest, as it would likely result in death.
The Labour Party, formerly known as the Malta Labour Party (MLP), is a social-democratic political party in Malta. Along with the Nationalist Party (PN), the Labour Party is one of two major contemporary political parties in Malta. Since the March 2013 general election, the party has been the governing party in the Maltese House of Representatives. The Labour Party is a member of the Party of European Socialists, and was a member of the Socialist International until December 2014.
Sa‘id is a male Arabic given name, which means "happy". For the female version, see Saida; for the Turkish variant, see Sait; for the Bosnian variant, see Sejad and Sead. Said or Sid is the spelling used in most Latin languages.
Paola is a town in the South Eastern Region of Malta, with a population of 7,864 people. Paola is renowned for the Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, its large parish church, its beautiful square with shopping centres, the Good Friday procession, and its football club, Hibernians FC. Mariam Al-Batool Mosque, the only mosque in Malta, as well as an Islamic Cultural Centre are found in Paola. The country's correctional facilities and the largest burial grounds, the Addolorata Cemetery are also in this town. The town is a commercial centre in the Southern Harbour area of Malta, about 5 km from the capital Valletta.
There are various interpretations of the origins of the surname Fenech. The most notable is the meaning of "rabbit", since fenek is rabbit in Maltese. This in turn comes from the Arabic word for fox, فَنَك which like the rabbit has large ears as its distinguishing feature and may have been confused during the development of the Maltese language which borrows heavily from Semitic languages. The word is also thought to be a respelling of Fenich, the German for millet farmer.
The Maltese are a nation and an ethnic group indigenous to Malta, and identified with the Maltese language. Malta is an island in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. Included within the ethnic group defined by the Maltese people are the Gozitans who inhabit Malta's sister island, Gozo.
Pace is a surname in both Italian and English. In addition to being found in Italy and England, it is also found in Germany, is common in Malta, and can be found among Italian and British immigrants in the United States and other countries. Families called Pace have been prominent in Malta and in Sicily and held feudal estates in both of these areas.
Islam in Malta, although only recently being reintroduced in a sizeable number in the latter half of the 20th century, has had a historically profound impact upon the country—especially its language and agriculture—as a consequence of previous centuries of Muslim control and presence on its islands. Today, the main organizations represented in Malta are the Libyan World Islamic Call Society and the minority Ahmadiyya.
A name in Italian consists of a given name (nome) and a surname (cognome). Surnames are normally written after given names. In official documents, the surname may be written before given names. In speech, the use of given name before family name is standard in an educated style, but bureaucratic influence caused the opposite to be formerly common.
Carmelo Borg Pisani was a Maltese-born artist and Italian Fascist who, on being discovered during an espionage mission in Malta, was found guilty by a British war tribunal and executed for alleged treason.
The Gibraltarians are a cultural group native to Gibraltar, a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula at the entrance to the Mediterranean Sea.
Gauci is a surname in use mainly in the Republic of Malta which originates from the word Għawdxi, in reference to a man from Gozo.
Abela is a surname. Notable people with the surname include:
A Genoese community has existed in Gibraltar since the 16th century and later became an important part of the population.
The Malta Workers Party was a political party in Malta.
Girolamo Cassar was a Maltese architect and military engineer. He was the resident engineer of the Order of St. John, and was admitted into the Order in 1569. He was involved in the construction of Valletta, initially as an assistant to Francesco Laparelli, before taking over the project himself. He designed many public, religious and private buildings in the new capital city, including Saint John's Co-Cathedral, the Grandmaster's Palace and the auberges. He was the father of Vittorio Cassar, another architect and engineer.
