This is a list of cities in Malta. By the usual standards that most other countries use when designating a city, Malta's cities would be too small to be considered such, and in fact Malta is sometimes regarded as a single city-state. [1] Malta's cities are regarded as such because they received the designation of città at some point during their history. In Maltese law, no distinction is made between cities, towns, and villages; city status is purely honorary and colloquial. Malta is divided into 68 local councils. The local councils which formerly had city status all feature a mural crown on the crest of their coat of arms. The table shows the historical cities:
Within current local council | Historical city | Year granted | Image | Population (2014) [2] | Notes |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Birgu | Città Vittoriosa (Victorious City) | 1530 | 2,629 | Capital city from 1530 to 1571, and one of the Three Cities. City status confirmed following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. [3] | |
Bormla | Città Cospicua (Conspicuous City) | 1722 | 5,395 | One of the Three Cities. City status granted in 1722 by Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari. [4] | |
Mdina | Città Notabile (Notable City) | 292 | Capital city from antiquity to 1530. | ||
Qormi | Città Pinto ( Pinto's City) | 1743 | 16,779 | City status granted on 25 May 1743 by Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, following a request made by Don Giuseppe Vella. [5] | |
Rabat | Città Victoria ( Victoria's City) | 1887 | 6,901 | Capital city of Gozo. City status granted on 10 June 1887 by Queen Victoria, following a petition made by Bishop Pietro Pace and Chief Justice Adrian Dingli on occasion of Victoria's Golden Jubilee. [6] | |
Senglea | Città Invicta (Invincible City) | 1565 | 2,784 | One of the Three Cities. City status granted following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565. [7] | |
Siġġiewi | Città Ferdinand ( Ferdinand's City) | 1797 | 8,367 | City status granted on 30 December 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a petition made by Don Salvatore Corso and the inhabitants. [8] | |
Valletta | Città Umilissima (Humblest City) | 1571 | 6,444 | Capital city since 18 March 1571. [9] | |
Żabbar | Città Hompesch ( Hompesch's City) | 1797 | 15,404 | City status granted on 14 September 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a request made by Don Carlo Caruana and the inhabitants. In 1801, the Hompesch Gate was built to commemorate this event. [8] | |
Żebbuġ | Città Rohan ( Rohan's City) | 1777 | 11,903 | City status granted on 21 June 1777 by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, following a petition made by the inhabitants. In 1798, the De Rohan Arch was built to commemorate this event. [10] | |
Żejtun | Città Beland (Beland's City) | 1797 | 11,508 | City status granted on 30 December 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a petition made by Don Giacomo Michele Tortella and the locals. [8] He named it after his mother's maiden name. |
Valletta is the capital city of Malta and one of its 68 council areas. Located between the Grand Harbour to the east and Marsamxett Harbour to the west, its population as of 2021 was 5,157. As Malta’s capital city, it is a commercial centre for shopping, bars, dining, and café life. It is also the southernmost capital of Europe, and at just 0.61 square kilometres (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city.
Ta' Xbiex is a locality and Local Council in the Eastern Region of Malta with a population of 2,148. It is part of a small headland within the Marsamxett Harbour, right between the villages of Msida and Gżira.
Żebbuġ, also known by its title Città Rohan, is a city in the Southern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and its population is 11,074 as of June 2021.
Local elections were held in Malta on 8 March 2008, the same day of the general election. This year, the election was held in 23 of the 68 Maltese localities. These 23 localities are: Valletta, Senglea, Żebbuġ, Żejtun, Balzan, Dingli, Fontana, Għajnsielem, Għasri, Iklin, Kirkop, Marsa, Mellieħa, Mqabba, Nadur, Pembroke, Qrendi, San Ġiljan, San Pawl il-Baħar, Santa Venera, Ta' Xbiex, Xewkija and Żurrieq. A separate local election was held on 24 May in Mtarfa, after the previous council was dissolved a monthly earlier. Of the candidates that ran for the Mtarfa May election, in which 3 councillors were elected for the Nationalist Party while 2 councillors were elected for the Malta Labour Party (MLP).
Wardija Tower, originally known as Torre della Guardia di Giorno and also known as Bubaqra Tower, is a small watchtower in the limits of Żurrieq, Malta. It was completed in June 1659 as the last of the thirteen De Redin towers.
The Wignacourt Aqueduct is a 17th-century aqueduct in Malta, which was built by the Order of Saint John to carry water from springs in Dingli and Rabat to the newly built capital city Valletta. The aqueduct carried water through underground pipes and over arched viaducts across depressions in the ground.
Bengħisa Tower, originally known as Torre di Benissa and also referred to as the Red Tower, was a small watchtower in Bengħisa, within the limits of Birżebbuġa, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the seventh of the De Redin towers, on or near the site of a medieval watch post. An entrenchment was built around the tower in 1761, and it was armed with 10 guns. The tower was demolished by the British to clear the line of fire of the nearby Fort Benghisa in 1915.
Delimara Tower, originally known as Torre della Limara, was a small watchtower on the Delimara Peninsula, in the limits of Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the tenth De Redin tower, and an artillery battery was later built nearby in 1793. Both the tower and the battery have been demolished.
Żonqor Tower, originally known as Torre di Zoncol, was a small watchtower near Żonqor Point, within the limits of the seaside town of Marsaskala, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the eleventh of the De Redin towers, on or near the site of a medieval watch post. The tower commanded the entrance to Marsaskala Bay along with Saint Thomas Tower. It was demolished by the British military in 1915 to clear the line of fire of modern fortifications.
Xrobb l-Għaġin Tower, originally known as Torre di Siuarep, is a ruined watchtower in Xrobb l-Għaġin, limits of Marsaxlokk, Malta. It was built in 1659 as the eighth of the De Redin towers. An entrenchment with two redans was built around it in 1761. The tower is now largely destroyed since it was built of globigerina limestone which is prone to erosion. The remains of the tower's scarped base, as well as the general outline of the entrenchment, can still be seen.
The Banca Giuratale, formerly also known as Banca dei Giurati, the Municipal Palace, the Palazzo della Città, Casa Città and the Consolato del Mare, is a public building in Valletta, Malta. It was built in the 18th century to house the city's administrative council, and it was subsequently used as the General Post Office and the Public Registry. The Banca Giuratale now houses the Ministry for the Economy,Enterprise and Strategic Projects, and it is officially known as Palazzo Zondadari.
Casa Leoni or Casa Leone, also known as Palazzo Manoel or the Vilhena Palace, is a palace in Santa Venera, Malta, which was built as a summer residence for Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena in 1730. It was subsequently used for a number of purposes, including as an insurgent command base, an official residence, a museum depository and a school. It currently houses the Ministry for Transport, Infrastructure and Capital Projects (MTIP).
The Hompesch Gate is a commemorative arch in Żabbar, Malta. It was built in 1801 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had been granted by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim on 14 September 1797.
The De Rohan Arch, also known as the New Gateway, is a commemorative arch in Żebbuġ, Malta. It was built in 1798 to commemorate the locality's status as a city, which had been granted by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc on 21 June 1777.
Pinto's Loggia or Pinto's Lodge, is a loggia in Qormi, Malta. It was built in 1772 to commemorate the 31st year of Manuel Pinto da Fonseca's magistracy, and it is now a landmark and symbol of Qormi.
The Saint Publius Parish Church, also known as the Floriana Parish Church is a Roman Catholic parish church in Floriana, Malta, dedicated to Saint Publius. It was constructed at several stages between the 18th and 20th centuries.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic parish church in Mġarr, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was constructed between 1912 and 1946 on the site of an earlier church which had existed since around 1400. The building has a large dome with an elliptical plan; this shape is said to have been chosen because of its similarity to an egg, so as to encourage residents to sell eggs to raise funds for its construction.
The Old Church of St Domenica is a ruined Roman Catholic parish church in Dingli, Malta, which was dedicated to Saint Domenica.
The Parish Church of the Assumption of the Blessed Virgin Mary into Heaven is a Roman Catholic parish church in Dingli, Malta, dedicated to the Assumption of Mary. It was constructed in various stages between 1903 and 1973 on the site of a previous church which had been built between 1678 and 1680.
The remains of an unidentified Punic building exist incorporated into several properties in Żurrieq, Malta. They include a well-preserved structure commonly known as the Punic Tower or the Żurrieq Tower which is found inside the private garden of the Domus Curialis, the house of the town's archpriest, and which is the most substantial surviving example of Punic architecture on the island.