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Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The two official languages are Maltese and English. The country's capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the EU by both area and population. With a population of about 542,000 over an area of 316 km2 (122 sq mi), Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country by area and the fifth most densely populated. Various sources consider the country to consist of a single urban region, for which it is often described as a city-state.
The economy of Malta is a highly industrialised service-based economy. It is classified as an advanced economy by the International Monetary Fund and is considered a high-income country by the World Bank and an innovation-driven economy by the World Economic Forum. It is a member of the European Union and of the eurozone, having formally adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.
After independence in 1964, Malta followed a policy of close co-operation with NATO countries. Since 1971, the country sought relations with the rest of the world, including communist countries in Eastern Europe and the non-aligned countries.
Malta has participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 36 times since its debut in 1971. The current Maltese participant broadcaster in the contest is the Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). Malta has yet to win the contest, but is the only non-winning country to have achieved four top three results.
Dominic Mintoff was a Maltese socialist politician, architect, and civil engineer who was leader of the Labour Party from 1949 to 1984, and was 8th Prime Minister of Malta from 1955 to 1958, when Malta was still a British colony, and again, following independence, from 1971 to 1984. His tenure as Prime Minister saw the creation of a comprehensive welfare state, nationalisation of large corporations, a substantial increase in the general standard of living and the establishment of the Maltese republic, but was later on marred by a stagnant economy, a rise in authoritarianism and outbreaks of political violence.
The Labour Party, formerly known as the Malta Labour Party, is one of the two major political parties in Malta, along with the Nationalist Party. It sits on the centre-left of the political spectrum.
The Malta men's national football team represents Malta in international football and is controlled by the Malta Football Association, the governing body for football in Malta.
Joseph Muscat is a Maltese politician who served as the 13th prime minister of Malta from 2013 to 2020 and leader of the Labour Party from 2008 to 2020.
Malta International Airport is the only airport in Malta, and it serves the whole of the Maltese Islands. It is located on the island of Malta, southwest of the Maltese capital, Valletta, in the town of Luqa, and occupies the location of the former RAF Luqa. The airport serves as the main hub for KM Malta Airlines and Medavia besides being an operating base for Ryanair and its subsidiary Malta Air. It is also home to the Area Control Center and hosts the annual Malta Airshow. The airport is operated by Malta International Airport plc.
Hibernians Football Club is a Maltese professional football club based in the town of Paola.
Ħamrun Spartans Football Club is a Maltese professional football club based in Ħamrun. Since being founded in 1907, Ħamrun Spartans have won ten league championships, the latest one being in 2024, while being runners-up eleven times.
The Times of Malta is an English-language daily newspaper in Malta. Founded in 1935, by Lord and Lady Strickland and Lord Strickland's daughter Mabel, it is the oldest daily newspaper still in circulation in Malta. It has the widest circulation of any Maltese newspaper. The newspaper is published by Allied Newspapers Limited, which is owned by the Strickland Foundation, a charitable trust established by Mabel Strickland in 1979 to control the majority of the company.
Television Malta is a terrestrial television network in Malta operated by the national broadcaster, Public Broadcasting Services. Alongside TVM, PBS operates TVMNews+, TVMSport+ and Parliament TV.
Balzan Football Club is a Maltese football club from the village of Balzan that competes in the Maltese Premier League, the top tier of Maltese football. The club was founded as Balzan Youths in 1937 and has been playing in the top division since 2010. They were renamed Balzan FC in June 2012.
Same-sex marriage has been legal in Malta since 1 September 2017 following the passage of legislation in the Parliament on 12 July 2017. The bill was signed into law by President Marie-Louise Coleiro Preca on 1 August 2017. On 25 August 2017, the Minister for Equality, Helena Dalli, issued a legal notice to commence the law on 1 September. Malta was the first European microstate, the 21st country in the world and the thirteenth in Europe to allow same-sex couples to marry nationwide. In 2024, Malta was named one of the best marriage destinations for same-sex couples by a British wedding planning website, and polling suggests that a majority of Maltese people support the legal recognition of same-sex marriage.
Malta participated in the Eurovision Song Contest 2002 with the song "7th Wonder" written by Philip Vella and Gerard James Borg. The song was performed by Ira Losco. The Maltese entry for the 2002 contest in Tallinn, Estonia was selected through the national final Malta Song for Europe 2002, organised by the Maltese broadcaster Public Broadcasting Services (PBS). The competition consisted of a final, held on 15 and 16 February 2002, where "7th Wonder" performed by Ira Losco eventually emerged as the winning entry after scoring the most points from a five-member jury and a public televote.
Villa Guardamangia, formerly known as Casa Medina and sometimes referred to as Casa Guardamangia, is a 16,791 square feet (1,559.9 m2) townhouse in Gwardamanġa, Pietà, Malta, which served as the residence of Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh, and Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh, between 1949 and 1951, while Philip was stationed in Malta as a serving Royal Navy officer.
Miss Malta Universe is a beauty pageant competition. The contest selects the country representative for Miss Universe. The Maltese titleholder for 2024 is Beatrice Njoya of St. Paul's Bay and will represent Malta at Miss Universe 2024, to be held in Mexico.
References
- ↑ "Experience the Passion of Christ in a virtual way". Times of Malta. 20 March 2021. Retrieved 30 August 2024.
- ↑ "More theatre productions in Maltese are needed". Times of Malta. 7 October 2012. Retrieved 30 August 2024.