The Malta PortalMalta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a small island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands (Malta, Gozo (Għawdex) Comino (Kemmuna) Filfla, Cominotto (Kemmunett) Manoel, Selmunett (St.Paul's Islands)) in the Mediterranean Sea. A country of Southern Europe, Malta lies south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The country's official languages are Maltese and English. Roman Catholicism is the most practised religion. The islands constituting the Maltese nation have been ruled by various powers and fought over by many states for centuries. Malta has been a member state of the European Union (EU) since 2004 and it is currently the smallest EU country both in population and in area.
Selected ArticleThe SS Ohio was an oil tanker. When built for the Texas Oil Company (now Texaco), she was the largest oil tanker in the world. She was launched on April 20, 1940 at Sun Shipbuilding Yard in Chester, Pennsylvania, United States. SS Ohio was capable of doing over 16 knots (30 km/h) at sea. Ohio was the most important survivor of Operation Pedestal, a convoy sent to Malta in August 1942 during the Second World War. During the convoy's journey she was torpedoed by Italian submarine Axum and hit several times by bombs, and by a Junkers Ju 87 dive-bomber which crashed onto her deck. With a wrecked engine room and nearly broken in half, she was abandoned and reboarded twice but was eventually towed into Grand Harbour whilst sandwiched between two destroyers (HMS Penn and Ledbury) to deliver most of her original cargo of 12,000 tons of diesel and kerosene to the beleaguered island. Her captain, Dudley William Mason, was subsequently awarded the George Cross. After Ohio reached Malta, the ship broke in two from the damage it had sustained. There were insufficient shipyard facilities to repair the tanker, so the two halves were used for storage, and later barracks facilities for Yugoslavian troops. On 19 September 1946, the two halves were towed ten miles (16 km) off the coast, and sunk with naval gunfire. The aft section sank first, followed by the forward half. (more...) Selected LocalityMellieħa (pronounced me-lee-ha), also called Il-Mellieħa, is a large village in the northwestern part of Malta. It is a popular tourist destination during the summer months. Mellieħa as a village developed under the British colonization. The British started proposing people to settle in this area by giving leases to the population. It was only during this time that it started to be inhabited again as for two centuries it was abandoned due to fear from attacks of corsairs and Saracens, and beforehand there were only some villagers used to live in the area. After the British encouraged Maltese to settle in Mellieħa, the village kept on flourishing. Nowadays, the village also includes a large number of villas. Many foreigners choose to settle in Mellieħa. (more...) Selected PicturePhoto credit: Azhitsky
St Paul's Bay (San Pawl il-Baħar in Maltese) is situated in the north west of the island of Malta, sixteen kilometres from the capital city Valletta. Its name refers to the shipwreck of Saint Paul, as documented in the Acts of the Apostles, due to the tradition that Saint Paul was shipwrecked on the isles, named St. Paul's Isles, which are situated in St Paul's Bay. The localities of Burmarrad, Qawra, Buġibba, Xemxija, Mselliet, and San Martin as well as part of Bidnija and Mistra, form part of the San Pawl il-Baħar Local Council. The area of the locality is 14.47km². Did you know
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