Thursday 9 March 2017

Malta, a country in Europe.



Malta is in the central Mediterranean between Sicily and the North African coast. It's a nation known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers including the Romans, Moors, Knights of Saint John, French and British. Their language is Maltese and English. The population in Malta is over 425,384. Valetta is the capital city.


Political system

The President is the head of state and is elected for a five-year period of office by the House of Representatives. The incumbent has executive authority but must act on the cabinet’s advice and the position is therefore largely ceremonial. The Prime Minister and Leader of the Opposition are both appointed by the President. The cabinet is appointed by the President on the advice of the Prime Minister. All appointees must be members of parliament. (Thecommonwealth, 2017).

Under the 1964 constitution – amended in 1974 and 1987 – Malta is a democratic republic with a unicameral House of Representatives of at least 65 members. The country has proportional representation using the single transferable vote system. A party which obtains a majority of votes but minority of seats is allocated additional seats to give it an overall majority of one. The House may not sit for longer than five years.

Head of  Government in Malta-----The Hon Joseph Muscat, Prime Minister

Dr. Joseph Muscat was born in Pietà on 22 January 1974. He received his formal education at the Government Primary School in St. Paul’s Bay, Stella Maris and St. Aloysius’ College. He graduated with Honours from the University of Malta in Public Policy and later as Master of European Studies. In 2007 he attained a Doctorate of Philosophy in Management Research from the University of Bristol (UK).

Economy
Malta - the smallest economy in the eurozone - produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. Malta's economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing, and tourism.  In 2014 and 2015, Malta led the euro zone in growth, expanding by nearly 3.5% each year.Malta’s services sector continued to grow in 2015, with noted increases in the financial services and online gaming sectors. Malta continues to enhance its regulation of the financial services sector and passed additional legislation in 2014 and 2015 to improve anti-money laundering oversight for financial and gaming activities. Expanding EU discussions of anti-tax avoidance measures, including the “Anti-Tax Avoidance Package” submitted in early 2016, have raised concerns among Malta’s financial services and insurance providers about the passage of laws governing EU tax practices, which could have a significant impact on those sectors.Malta’s 2015 GDP growth was bolstered by energy infrastructure investments, and revenue growth is expected to continue, supported by a strong labor market and proceeds from a citizenship by investment program equal to roughly 0.9% of GDP. (Theodora, 2017)



Malta’s economy weakened further in the third quarter of 2016, restrained by a significant drop in government consumption and a sharp contraction in fixed investment. The latest economic indicators suggest that economic activity should have gained steam in Q4. Industrial production rose in annual terms in November and in December unemployment continued to drop. After showing signs of deceleration in the summer months, growth in tourist arrivals sped up in both October and November. Moreover, exports grew significantly in November, driving the trade deficit to narrow compared to the same month of 2015. (Focuseconomics, 2017)


Social
Malta is not one island – it’s an archipelago!

You probably already knew that Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world, but did you know that it is comprised of seven tiny islets? Only the two largest islands, Malta and Gozo, are regularly inhabited, while the third biggest, Comino, features just one luxury vacation resort. The remaining four are totally uninhabited. Collectively, they total a land-mass of 316 km² – meaning that the whole of Malta can fit into the USA 30,443 times!

It’s super old!
It’s one of the most isolated spots on the Mediterranean, but there’s evidence to suggest that civilisations have been living in Malta since the early Neolithic period of 5000 BC. The proof comes from the 11 so-called Megalithic Monuments of Malta. The relics are UNESCO World Heritage Site listed, and often marked as some of the oldest free-standing structures on Earth.
It’s where movies are made!
Due to its unspoiled nature, quiet coastline and ancient artifacts and relative obscurity, Malta has been used as a film location shoot for many huge Hollywood productions, from ‘Gladiator’ and ‘Troy’ to ‘Captain Philips’ and TV’s Game of Thrones.

Tourism 
Malta is a beautiful country.  it is full of the artistic atmosphere especially the ancient architecture in the country.  Top 6 place visit by the traveler in Malta is:
Valletta Waterfront (Pinto Wharf)
The carefully restored Valletta Waterfront sits on the Grand Harbour, below the fortified city and opposite the Three Cities of Vittorioso, Senglea, and Cospicua. Once a series of 19 Baroque bonding warehouses, it is now a leisure complex for locals, tourists, and an annual influx of half a million cruise passengers. The original buildings were commissioned by Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, the Portuguese Grand Master of the Knights of St John between 1741–73 who was also responsible for the Auberge de Castille, one of the most impressive buildings in Valletta and the present offices of the Prime Minister.

St John's Co- Cathedral
Behind the misleadingly plain Baroque façade of St John's Co-Cathedral hides one of Europe's most spectacular churches, built in thanks by the Knights of St John following their successful routing of the Ottoman Turks in 1565’s Great Siege of Malta. Completed in 1577, most of the design is by Gerolamo Cassar, the Maltese architect who also built the Grand Master's Palace. The entire floor in the nave of Valletta's premier cathedral is composed of around 400 marble tombstones dedicated to prominent Knights of St John. These multicolored and highly decorative memorials pay tribute to the bravery of the order, featuring coats of arms, angels and skulls.

Gozo
Tiny Gozo is 9.25 miles by 4.25 miles (15 km by 7 km) at its widest point and lies north of Malta. Unlike its big sister Malta, Gozo has opted for the quiet life. The island's capital, Victoria (or Rabat) is the epicenter of the island, with all roads leading from there. It-Tokk, the town’s charming central square, is where locals and visitors alike meet up in pretty cafés and shop for local lace and knitwear at the daily morning market. Around the corner is the Citadel, a miniature walled fortress town with impregnable walls and bastions, built in the 17th century to protect Gozo’s citizens from piracy. The island's best beaches include Ramla Bay, San Blas, and Mġarr ix-xini cove.

Three Cities
Facing Valletta on the southeast side of the Grand Harbour are three historic cities, Vittoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua, which were originally enclosed by a giant line of fortification constructed by the Knights of St John in the 16th century. These dockside neighborhoods are where the knights were based in their auberges from 1530 until 1570. These were lodgings for the knights, organized by nationality, each with accommodation, with chapels and dining rooms all set around a courtyard. In 1570 the Knights moved across the Grand Harbour to the newly constructed city of Valletta. 

Auberge De Castille
Designed by Maltese architect Girolamo Cassar in the mid-16th century and later extensively remodeled under Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca – who also commissioned the original warehouses that now form Valletta Waterfront – the Auberge de Castille has pride of place at Valletta’s highest spot and owns one of the most strikingly ornate Baroque façades in the city. It was built for the powerful Spanish and Portuguese members of the Knights of St John when they were constructing the fortified city of Valletta; it was customary to have separate lodging for each nationality within the order.

Grand Harbour
Sited in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, Malta has always had extreme commercial and political significance; a fact reflected in the island’s long and tumultuous history. Valletta’s Grand Harbour has also played a huge part in this history as the biggest and certainly the most dramatic natural harbor in the Med. In use since the Phoenician era and heavily fortified since medieval times, it’s the place where much of Malta’s seafaring tradition and military successes have been played out over the centuries. The Great Siege of 1565 and the relentless bombing during WWII both took their toll here; the former on the occupying Knights of St John and the latter on Allied troops and the people of Valletta ¬– the whole island was awarded the George Cross in 1942 for valor in the face of Nazi attack.











Reference

Website


1. No name (No Date) 11 surprising things you might not know about Malta [Online] Available from: http://www.momondo.com/inspiration/11-surprising-things-about-visit-malta/#wdsMDqjFse
PbZi13.97 [Accessed on 10 March 2017]

2.  Edward, (2010) Top 37 Facts About Malta You (Probably) Didn't Know Top 3 [Online] Available from: http://www.maltauncovered.com/malta-island/top-facts/ [Accessed on 10 March 2017]

3.Theodora. (2017). Malta Economy 2017. [Online]. Available from: http://www.theodora.com/ wfbcurrent/malta/malta_economy.html [Accessed on 10 March 2017].


4. Focuseconomics. (2017) Malta Economic Outlook. [Online]. Available from: http://www.focus-economics.com/countries/malta  [Accessed on 10 March 2017].

5.Thecommonwealth (2017) Malta : Constitution and politics. [Online]. Available from: http://thecommonwealth.org/our-member-countries/malta/constitution-politics [Accessed on 11 March 2017].
6. A Trip Advisor Company (2017) Thing to do & Attraction in Valletta [Online].  Available from: 
https://www.viator.com/Valletta/d4142 .  [Accessed on 13 March 2017]

No comments:

Post a Comment

Should homosexuality be legalized in every country?

What is ho mos exu al ity?  Homosexuality  is  romantic  attraction,   sexual attraction  or  sexual behavior  between members of ...