Hotels in Malta

Hotels in Malta

Hotels in the island nation of Malta are often needed for tourists who require short term accommodation. Some may want to visit the island to see the culture, sports, history, architecture and landscapes of the nation. Some may want to visit the nation to see the coastline and may want to tour the islands on a boat. Some may want to stay at a hotel in the nation that is large or small. Some may want to stay at a cheap hotel or luxury hotel. Some may want to stay at a well known high status hotel.

Hotels in Malta are often needed for tourists who need a place to stay. Some may want to stay at a luxury hotel or a cheap hotel. Some may want to stay at a hotels that have good reputation.

Malta is a small and densely populated European microstate, comprising an archipelago of seven islands, making it an island nation. Situated in Southern Europe, 93 km off the coast of Sicily (Italy), it is located in the Mediterranean Sea, giving the country a warm, Mediterranean climate, while a further 288 km to the island's west is Tunisia and about 300 km south is Libya. Valletta is in practice the nation's capital city.

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean Sea (in its eastern basin), some 93 km south of the Italian island of Sicily across the Malta Channel; east of Tunisia and north of Libya in Africa. Only the three largest islands Malta Island (Malta), Gozo (Gawdex), and Comino (Kemmuna) are inhabited. The smaller islands, such as Filfla, Cominotto and the Islands of St. Paul are uninhabited. Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The archipelago itself lies on the edge of the African tectonic plate, as it borders with the Eurasian plate. The islands of the archipelago were formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and North Africa which became isolated as sea levels rose after the last Ice Age. The modern-day landscape is characterised by low hills with terraced fields. The highest point is at Ta' Dmejrek on Malta Island at 253 metres (830 ft) near Dingli. Although there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall, there are no permanent rivers or lakes on Malta. However, some watercourses are found around the island that have fresh water running all year round. Such places are Barija, l-Intaleb and San Martin. Running water in Gozo is found at Lunzjata Valley.

Throughout much of its history, Malta has been considered a crucial strategic location due in large part its position in the Mediterranean Sea. It was held by several ancient cultures including Sicilians, Romans, Phoenicians, Byzantines, Carthagineans and others. The island is commonly associated with the Knights Hospitaller who ruled it. This, along with the historic Biblical shipwreck of St. Paul on the island, ingrained the strong Roman Catholic legacy which is still the official and most practiced religion in Malta today.

In 1530 Charles I of Spain gave the islands to the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John of Jerusalem in perpetual lease. The Crown of Aragon had owned the islands as part of its Mediterranean empire for some time. These knights, a military religious order now known as the "Knights of Malta", had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire in 1522. They withstood a full-blown siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, at the time the greatest naval power in the Mediterranean sea. After this they decided to increase the fortifications, particularly in the inner-harbour area, where the new city of Valletta, named after Grand Master Jean de la Valette, was built.

In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris, Malta officially became a part of the British Empire, and was used as a shipping way-station and fleet headquarters. Malta's position half-way between Gibraltar and the Suez Canal proved to be its main asset during these years, and it was considered to be an important stop on the way to India.

In the early 1930s, the British Mediterranean Fleet, which was at the time the main contributor for the commerce on the island, was moved to Alexandria as an economic measure. Malta played an important role during World War II, owing to its proximity to Axis shipping lanes. The bravery of the Maltese people in their long struggle against enemy attack moved HM King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta on a collective basis on April 15, 1942 "to bear witness to a heroism and devotion that will long be famous in history". Some historians argue that the award caused Britain to incur disproportionate losses in defending Malta, as British credibility would have suffered if Malta was surrendered, as Singapore had been.

After the war, and after the Labour Party's unsuccessful attempt at "Integration with Britain", Malta was granted independence on September 21, 1964 (Independence Day).

Maltese Islands are as the following:

Barbaganni Rock, Comino, Cominotto, Delmarva Island, Filfla, Fessej Rock, Fungus Rock, Gallis Rock, Gozo, Halfa Rock, Large Blue Lagoon Rocks, Islands of St. Paul/Selmunett Island, Malta Island, Manoel Island, Mistra Rocks, Tac-Cawl Rock, Qawra Point/Ta`Fraben Island, Small Blue Lagoon Rocks, Sala Rock, Xrob l-Gag.in Rock

Grand Harbour (in Maltese: Il-Port il-Kbir) is a natural harbour on the island of Malta. It has been used as a harbour since at least Phoenician times. The natural harbour has been greatly improved with extensive docks and wharves, and has been massively fortified.