Malta - a Unique Island in the Mediterranean

The island of Malta, situated between Sicily at the foot of Italy and Tunisia on the North African coast, is unique in terms of its history, culture and nationality.

Unlike Crete, which is part of Greece, Sardinia which is part of Italy, Corsica which is French and Mallorca which is Spanish, Malta is an independent Republic. Like many islands in the Mediterranean, Malta has gone through various states of foreign ownership during its past. Rulers of the island include the Romans, Arabs, the Knights of St John, the Ottoman Empire, the French under Napoleon, and the British in 1800 before Malta finally gained independence in 1964. It played a huge role during the Second World War were it acted as a refuge for injured member of the Allied Forces, while under attack by Italian and German forces until 1943. Malta has been a member of the EU since 2004 and adopted the Euro in 2008.

Today the Republic of Malta is slowly building its own reputation as a centre of commerce and tourism. Despite the turbulent past of the island, the capital Valletta still retains many interesting archaeological and architectural points of interest.

During their 270 year occupation of the island, the Knights of St Johns constructed many impressive buildings, just as they did on the island of Rhodes. Of course some were damaged during the Second World War, but many remain intact in Valletta.

They key attraction of Malta besides its interesting past, buildings and culture is of course its weather. Located right in the centre of the Mediterranean, azure blue waters surround an island that benefits from over 200 days of sunshine each year. For 8 months of the year the average daytime temperature sits between 19 and 32 degrees Celsius and doesn't really get much hotter than that, making a very pleasant place to spend a holiday.

One of the more interesting attractions on Malta is the prehistoric Hypogeum or underground chamber, discover in 1902 and consisting of over 500 square metres of rooms, chambers and corridors. It was built on three levels and dates back to before 3000BC. The Hypogeum is UNESCO World Heritage site and only a limited number of tourists are permitted to enter each day so best not try and go there during busy periods unless you've had your name on the waiting list for tickets, which can grow to as long as six weeks at times.

Flights to Malta arrive from all over the world at Luqa airport, just south of the capital. The island has had various airports over the years, especially during its important period as a military base. The old airport at Ta' Qali is now used as a centre for recreation. There are parks and open spaces there as well as the National sports stadium. It is also the location for many of the island's biggest festivals and concerts.

As far as holiday resorts are concerned, Malta has plenty of choices from busy thriving cosmopolitan areas with an abundance of restaurants, shops and clubs. The best are on the northern coast, providing the opportunity for walking along promenades and watching the world go by. For a quieter location visitors could take a trip to the nearby island of Gozo. This small island sits just three miles off Malta's North West coast and everything here is run off at a much slower pace. Made up primarily of small fishing villages there are also a selection of quiet beaches such as Ramla Bay, the tiny San Blas beach or the amazing inland sea at Dwejra Lake, which is fed by a tunnel through the rocks.

Back on Malta the best beaches are at Anchor Bay, Golden Bay, Paradise and Hola beach in the north of the island. In the south Peter's Pool is popular, as is Pretty Bay if you don't mind overlooking the commercial port. For swimmers the outdoor pool that sits on the island's south east tip is an interesting location. This 50m salt water pool is home to the island's Marsascala Sports Club, was the National Pool until a new one was built in 1993 at Ta' Qali (Tal-Qroqq). Often during the summer the pool hosts tournaments for the sport of water polo, which is unusually popular on the island.