Malta ( i /ˈmɒltə/; Maltese: [ˈmɐltɐ] ), officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km 2 (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000 (despite an extensive emigration programme since the Second World War), [3] making it one of the world's smallest [8] [9] [10] and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km 2, is the smallest national capital in the European Union. [11] Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

Malta's location has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians,Carthaginians, Romans, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French and British, have ruled the islands.

King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the George Cross to Malta in 1942 for the country's bravery in the Second World War. [12] TheGeorge Cross continues to appear on Malta's national flag. [13] Under the Malta Independence Act, passed by the British Parliament in 1964, Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom as an independent sovereign Commonwealth realm, officially known from 1964 to 1974 as theState of Malta, with Elizabeth II as its head of state.

The country became a republic in 1974, and although no longer a Commonwealth realm, remains a current member state of the Commonwealth of Nations.

Malta was admitted to the United Nations in 1964 and to the European Union in 2004; in 2008, it became part of the Eurozone.

Malta has a long Christian legacy and its Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta is claimed to be an apostolic see because, according to the Acts of the Apostles, [15] Paul the Apostle was shipwrecked on Malta.

[16] Catholicism is the official religion in Malta.

[17] [18]

Malta is a popular tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, [19] Valletta, [20] and seven Megalithic Temples, which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.

The origin of the term Malta is uncertain, and the modern-day variation derives from the Maltese language. The most common etymology is that the word Malta derives from the Greek word μέλι, meli, "honey". [24] The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melitē) meaning "honey-sweet" (which was also, inter alia, the name of a Nereid [25] ), possibly due to Malta's unique production of honey; an endemic species of bee lives on the island. The Romans went on to call the island Melita, [26] which can be considered either as a latinisation of the Greek Μελίτη or the adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation of the same word Μελίτα. [27]

Another conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth"a haven" [28] or "port" [29] in reference to Malta's many bays and coves. Few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature, with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary (Itin. Marit. p. 518; Sil. Ital. xiv. 251). [30]

Main articles: History of Malta and Timeline of Maltese history

See also: Megalithic Temples of Malta, Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni, and Għar Dalam

Pottery found by archaeologists at the Skorba Temples resembles that found in Italy, and suggests that the Maltese islands were first settled in 5200 BCE mainly by Stone Age hunters or farmers who had arrived from the Italian island of Sicily, possibly the Sicani.

The extinction of the dwarf hippos and dwarf elephants has been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta.

[31] Prehistoric farming settlements dating to Early Neolithic period were discovered in open areas and also in caves, such as Għar Dalam.

[32]

The Sicani were the only tribe known to have inhabited the island at this time and are generally regarded as being closely related to the Iberians.

[35] The population on Malta grew cereals, raised livestock and, in common with other ancient Mediterranean cultures, worshiped a fertility figure represented in Maltese prehistoric artefacts exhibiting the proportions seen in similar statuettes, including the Venus of Willendorf.

Pottery from the Għar Dalam phase is similar to pottery found in Agrigento, Sicily.

A culture of megalithis temple builders then either supplanted or arose from this early period.

Around the time of 3500 BC, these people built some of the oldest existing free-standing structures in the world in the form of the megalithic Ġgantija temples on Gozo; other early temples include those at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.

The temples have distinctive architecture, typically a complex trefoil design, and were used from 4000 to 2500 BCE.

Animal bones and a knife found behind a removable altar stone suggest that temple rituals included animal sacrifice.

Tentative information suggests that the sacrifices were made to the goddess of fertility, whose statue is now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.

[39] The culture apparently disappeared from the Maltese Islands around 2500 BC.

Archaeologists speculate that the temple builders fell victim to famine or disease, but this is not certain.

Another interesting archaeological feature of the Maltese islands often attributed to these ancient builders, are equidistant uniform grooves dubbed "cart tracks" or "cart ruts" which can be found in several locations throughout the islands with the most prominent being those found in Misraħ Għar il-Kbir, which is informally known as "Clapham Junction".

These may have been caused by wooden-wheeled carts eroding soft limestone.

[

After 2500 BC, the Maltese Islands were depopulated for several decades until the arrival of a new influx of Bronze Age immigrants, a culture that cremated its dead and introduced smaller megalithic structures called dolmens to Malta.

[42] In most cases there are small chambers here, with the cover made of a large slab placed on upright stones.

They are claimed to belong to a population certainly different from that which built the previous megalithic temples.

It is presumed the population arrived from Sicilybecause of the similarity of Maltese dolmens to some small constructions found in the largest island of the Mediterranean sea.

[43]

See also: Magna Graecia, Phoenicia, Cippi of Melqart, Ancient Rome, Sicilia (Roman province), and Byzantine Empire

Phoenician traders, [44] who used the islands as a stop on their trade routes from the eastern Mediterranean to Cornwall, joined the natives on the island.

[45] The Phoenicians inhabited the area now known as Mdina, and its surrounding town of Rabat, which they called Maleth. [46] [47] The Romans, who also much later inhabited Mdina, referred to it (and the island) as Melita. [26]

After the fall of Phoenicia in 332 BC, the area came under the control of Carthage, a former Phoenician colony.

During this time the people on Malta mainly cultivated olives and carob and produced textiles.

During the First Punic War, the island was conquered after harsh fighting by Marcus Atilius Regulus.

After the failure of his expedition, the island fell back in the hands of Carthage, only to be conquered again in 218 BC, during the Second Punic War, by Roman Consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus.

Since then, Malta became Foederata Civitas, a designation that meant it was exempt from paying tribute or the rule of Roman law, and fell within the jurisdiction of the province of Sicily. Punic influence, however, remained vibrant on the islands with the famous Cippi of Melqart, pivotal in deciphering the Punic language, dedicated in the 2nd century BC. Also the local Roman coinage, which ceased in the first century BC, indicates the slow pace of the island's Romanization, since the very last locally minted coins still bear inscriptions in Ancient Greek on the obverse (like "MEΛΙΤΑΙΩ", meaning "of the Maltese") and Punic motives, showing the resistance of the Greek and Punic cultures.

In the 1st century BC, Roman Senator and orator Cicero commented on the importance of the Temple of Juno, and on the extravagant behaviour of the Roman governor of Sicily, Verres.

[54] During the 1st century BC the island was mentioned by Pliny the Elder and Diodorus Siculus: the latter praised its harbours, the wealth of its inhabitants, its lavishly decorated houses and the quality of its textile products.

In 2nd century, Emperor Hadrian (r. 117–38) upgraded the status of Malta to municipium or free town: the island local affairs were administered by four quattuorviri iuri dicundo and a municipal senate, while a Roman procurator, living in Mdina, represented the proconsul of Sicily. [49] In 58 AD, Paul the Apostle was washed up on the islands together with Luke the Evangelist after their ship was wrecked on the islands. [49] Paul the Apostle remained on the islands three months, preaching the Christian faith, which has since thrived on Malta. [49] Few archaeological relics survive in Malta today from the Roman period, the sole exception being the Roman Domus, just outside the walls of Mdina.

In 395, when the Roman Empire was divided for the last time at the death of Theodosius I, Malta, following Sicily, fell under the control of the Western Roman Empire.

[55] During the Migration Period as the Western Roman Empire declined, Malta came under attack and was conquered or occupied a number of times.

[52] From 454 to 464 the islands was subdued by the Vandals, and after 464 by the Ostrogoths.

[49] In 533 Belisarius, on his way to conquer the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, reunited the islands under Imperial (Eastern) rule.

[49] Little is known about the Byzantine rule in Malta: the island depended on the theme of Sicily and had Greek Governors and a small Greek garrison.

[49] While the bulk of population continued to be constituted by the old, Latinized dwellers, during this period its religious allegiance oscillated between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople.

[49] The Byzantine rule introduced Greek families to the Maltese collective.

[56] Malta remained under the Byzantine Empire until 870, when it fell to the Arabs.

[49] [57]

See also: Arab–Byzantine wars and Emirate of Sicily

Malta became involved in the Muslim–Byzantine Wars, and the conquest of Malta is closely linked with that of Sicily that began in 827 after admiral Euphemius' betrayal of his fellow Byzantines, requesting that the Aghlabids invade the island.

[58] The Muslim chronicler and geographer al-Himyari recounts that in 870 AD, following a violent struggle against the occupying Byzantines, the Muslim invaders, first led by Halaf al-Hadim, and later by Sawada ibn Muhammad, [59] looted and pillaged the island, destroying the most important buildings, and leaving it practically uninhabited until it was recolonised by the Muslims from Sicily in 1048–1049 AD.

[59] It is uncertain whether this new settlement took place as a consequence of demographic expansion in Sicily, as a result of a higher standard of living in Sicily (in which case the recolonisation may have taken place a few decades earlier), or as a result of civil war which broke out among Muslim rulers of Sicily in 1038.

[60] The Muslims introduced new irrigation, some fruits and cotton and the Siculo-Arabic language was adopted on the island from Sicily: it would eventually evolve into the Maltese language.

The Christians on the island were allowed freedom of religion; they had to pay jizya, a tax for non-Muslims, but were exempt from the tax that Muslims had to pay (zakat).

Malta was ruled by the House of Barcelona, an Aragonese dynasty from 1282 to 1409, with the Aragonese aiding the Maltese insurgents in theSicilian Vespers in a naval battle in Grand Harbour in 1283.

Relatives of the kings of Aragon ruled the island until 1409, when it formally passed to the Crown of Aragon.

Early on in the Aragonese ascendancy, the sons of the monarchy received the title, "Count of Malta".

During this time much of the local nobility was created.

However, by 1397 the bearing of the title "Count of Malta" reverted to a feudal basis with two families fighting over the distinction, which caused some conflict.

This led the Martin I of Sicily to abolish the title.

Dispute over the title returned when the title was reinstated a few years later and the Maltese, led by the local nobility, rose up against Count Gonsalvo Monroy.

Although they opposed the Count, the Maltese voiced their loyalty to the Sicilian Crown, which so impressed Alfonso V of Aragon that he did not punish the people for their rebellion.

Instead, he promised never to grant the title to a third party, and incorporated it back into the crown.

The city of Mdina was given the title of Città Notabile as a result of this sequence of events. [26]

On 23 March 1530, Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor, gave the islands to the Knights Hospitaller under the leadership of Frenchman Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam, Grand Master of the Order, [72] [73] in perpetual lease for which they had to pay an annual tribute of one single Maltese Falcon.

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.

In 1551, the population of the island of Gozo (around 5,000 people) were taken as slaves by Barbary pirates and brought to the Barbary Coast in present-day Libya.

The knights, led by Frenchman Jean Parisot de Valette, Grand Master of the Order, withstood the Great Siege of Malta by the Ottomans in 1565.

[73] The knights, with the help of Spanish and Maltese forces, were victorious and repelled the attack.

Speaking of the battle Voltaire said, "Nothing is better known than the siege of Malta."

After the siege they decided to increase Malta's fortifications, particularly in the inner-harbour area, where the new city of Valletta, named in honour of Valette, was built.

They also established watchtowers along the coasts – the Wignacourt, Lascaris and De Redin towers – named after the Grand Masters who ordered the work.

The Knights' presence on the island saw the completion of many architectural and cultural projects, including the embellishment of Città Vittoriosa (modern Birgu), the construction of new cities including Città Rohan (modern Żebbuġ) and Città Hompesch (modern Żabbar) and the introduction of new academic and social resources.

Approximately 11,000 people out of a population of 60,000 died of plague in 1675.

The Knights' reign ended when Napoleon captured Malta on his way to Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798.

Over the years preceding Napoleon's capture of the islands, the power of the Knights had declined and the Order had become unpopular.

This was around the time when the universal values of freedom and liberty were incarnated by the French Revolution.

People from both inside the Order and outside appealed to Napoleon Bonaparte to oust the Knights.

Napoleon Bonaparte did not hesitate.

His fleet arrived in 1798, en route to his expedition of Egypt.

As a ruse towards the Knights, Napoleon asked for safe harbour to resupply his ships, and then turned his guns against his hosts once safely inside Valletta.

Grand Master Hompesch capitulated, and Napoleon entered Malta.

During 12–18 June 1798, Napoleon resided at the Palazzo Parisio in Valletta.

He reformed national administration with the creation of a Government Commission, twelve municipalities, a public finance administration, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges, the abolition of slavery and the granting of freedom to all Turkish and Jewish slaves.

[89] [90] On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated.

Public education was organised along principles laid down by Bonaparte himself, providing for primary and secondary education.

He then sailed for Egypt leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.

The French forces left behind became unpopular with the Maltese, due particularly to the French forces' hostility towards Catholicism and pillaging of local churches to fund Napoleon's war efforts.

French financial and religious policies so angered the Maltese that they rebelled, forcing the French to depart.

Great Britain, along with the Kingdom of Naples and the Kingdom of Sicily, sent ammunition and aid to the Maltese and Britain also sent her navy, which blockaded the islands.

General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois surrendered his French forces in 1800.

Maltese leaders presented the island to Sir Alexander Ball, asking that the island become a British Dominion.

The Maltese people created a Declaration of Rights in which they agreed to come "under the protection and sovereignty of the King of the free people, His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland".

The Declaration also stated that "his Majesty has no right to cede these Islands to any power...if he chooses to withdraw his protection, and abandon his sovereignty, the right of electing another sovereign, or of the governing of these Islands, belongs to us, the inhabitants and aborigines alone, and without control."

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.

After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Malta's position halfway between the Strait of Gibraltar and Egypt proved to be its main asset, and it was considered an important stop on the way to India, a central trade route for the British.

Because of its position, several culinary and botanical products were introduced in Malta; some examples (derived from the National Book of Trade Customs found in the National Library) include wheat (for bread making) and bacon.

Between 1915 and 1918, during the First World War, Malta became known as the Nurse of the Mediterranean due to the large number of wounded soldiers who were accommodated in Malta.

In 1919 British troops fired on a rally protesting against new taxes, killing four Maltese men.

The event, known as Sette Giugno (Italian for 7 June), is commemorated every year and is one of five National Days.

Before the Second World War, Valletta was the location of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean Fleet's headquarters.

However, despite Winston Churchill's objections, the command was moved to Alexandria, Egypt, in April 1937 fearing it was too susceptible to air attacks from Europe.

During the Second World War, Malta played a very important role for the Allies; being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the Axis shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces.

Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian navy and had a submarine base.

It was also used as a listening post, reading German radio messages including Enigma traffic.

[100] The bravery of the Maltese people during the second Siege of Maltamoved King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta on a collective basis on 15 April 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 surrendered, as British forces in Singapore had done.

[101] A depiction of the George Cross now appears in the upper hoist corner of the Flag of Malta.

The collective award remained unique until April 1999, when the Royal Ulster Constabulary became the second – and, to date, the only other – recipient of a collective George Cross.

[102]

Malta achieved its independence on 21 September 1964 (Independence Day) after intense negotiations with the United Kingdom, led by Maltese Prime Minister George Borġ Olivier.

Under its 1964 constitution, Malta initially retained Queen Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta and thus Head of State, with aGovernor-General exercising executive authority on her behalf.

In 1971, the Malta Labour Party led by Dom Mintoff won the General Elections, resulting in Malta declaring itself a republic on 13 December 1974 (Republic Day) within the Commonwealth, with the President as head of state.

A defence agreement signed soon after independence (and re-negotiated in 1972) expired on 31 March 1979.

Malta adopted a policy of neutrality in 1980.

[103] In 1989, Malta was the venue of a summit between US President George H.W.

Bush and Soviet leaderMikhail Gorbachev, their first face-to-face encounter, which signalled the end of the Cold War.

[104]

On 16 July 1990, Malta, through its foreign minister, Guido de Marco, applied to join the European Union.

[105] After tough negotiations, a referendum was held on 8 March 2003, which resulted in a favourable vote.

[106] General Elections held on 12 April 2003, gave a clear mandate to the Prime Minister,Eddie Fenech Adami, to sign the Treaty of accession to the European Union on 16 April 2003 in Athens, Greece.

Malta joined the European Union on 1 May 2004.

[108] Following the European Council of 21–22 June 2007, Malta joined the eurozone on 1 January 2008.

Malta is a republic [110] whose parliamentary system and public administration are closely modelled on the Westminster system.

Malta had the second-highest voter turnout in the world (and the highest for nations without mandatory voting), based on election turnout in national lower house elections from 1960 to 1995.

[111] The unicameral House of Representatives, (Maltese: Kamra tad-Deputati), is elected by direct universal suffrage through single transferable vote every five years, unless the House is dissolved earlier by the President on advice of the Prime Minister.

The House of Representatives is made up of 69 members of parliament.

However, where a party wins an absolute majority of votes, but does not have a majority of seats, that party is given additional seats to ensure a parliamentary majority.

The Constitution of Malta provides that the president appoint as prime minister the member of the House who is best able to command a (governing) majority in the House.

The President of Malta is appointed for a five-year term by a resolution of the House of Representatives carried by a simple majority.

The role of the president as head of state is largely ceremonial.

The main political parties are the Nationalist Party, which is a Christian democratic party, and the Labour Party, which is a social democratic party.

The Labour Party is currently at the helm of the government, the Prime Minister being Joseph Muscat.

The Nationalist Party, with Simon Busuttil as its leader, is in opposition.

There are a number of smaller political parties in Malta that presently have no parliamentary representation.

Until the Second World War, Maltese politics was dominated by the language question fought out by Italophile and Anglophile parties.

[112] Post-War politics dealt with constitutional questions on the relations with Britain (first with integration then independence) and, eventually, relations with the European Union.

Malta has had a system of local government since 1993, [113] based on the European Charter of Local Self-Government.

The country is divided into five regions, with each region having its own Regional Committee, serving as the intermediate level between local government and national government.

[114] The regions are divided into local councils, of which there are currently 68 (54 in Malta and 14 in Gozo).

Sixteen "hamlets", which form part of larger councils, have their own Administrative Committee.

The six districts (five on the main island) serve primarily statistical purposes.

Each council is made up of a number of councillors (from 5 to 13, depending on and relative to the population they represent).

A mayor and a deputy mayor are elected by and from the councillors.

The executive secretary, who is appointed by the council, is the executive, administrative and financial head of the council.

Councillors are elected every four years through the single transferable vote.

People who are eligible to vote in the election of the Maltese House of Representatives as well as resident citizens of the EU are eligible to vote.

Due to system reforms, no elections were held before 2012.

Since then, elections have been held every two years for an alternating half of the councils.

Local councils are responsible for the general upkeep and embellishment of the locality (including repairs to non-arterial roads), allocation of local wardens and refuse collection; they also carry out general administrative duties for the central government such as collection of government rents and funds and answer government-related public inquiries.

The Republic of Malta has the following sister cities:

In addition, a number of individual cities, towns and villages in Malta have sister cities abroad: see List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta.

Aside from this, Malta, as a member of the European Union, has bilateral relations with most of Europe.

The country's bilateral relations in other continents are very limited, with some having non-existent bilateral relations.

Japan, Philippines and Australia have expressed cooperation with Malta for future bilateral relations.

The objectives of the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) are to maintain a military organisation with the primary aim of defending the islands' integrity according to the defence roles as set by the government in an efficient and cost-effective manner.

This is achieved by emphasising the maintenance of Malta's territorial waters and airspace integrity.

**

The AFM also engages in combating terrorism, fighting against illicit drug trafficking, conducting anti-illegal immigrant operations and patrols and anti-illegal fishing operations, operating search and rescue (SAR) services, and physical/electronic security/surveillance of sensitive locations.

Malta's search-and-rescue area extends from east of Tunisia to west of Crete, covering an area of around 250,000 km 2.

As a military organisation, the AFM provides backup support to the Malta Police Force (MPF) and other government departments/agencies in situations as required in an organised, disciplined manner in the event of national emergencies (such as natural disasters) or internal security and bomb disposal.

[citation needed]

On another level, the AFM establishes and/or consolidates bilateral co-operation with other countries to reach higher operational effectiveness related to AFM roles.

[citation needed]

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean (in its eastern basin), some 80 km (50 mi) south of the Italian island of Sicily across the Malta Channel.

Only the three largest islands – Malta (Malta), Gozo (Għawdex) and Comino (Kemmuna) – are inhabited.

The smaller islands (see below) are uninhabited.

The islands of the archipelago lie on the Malta plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and North Africa that became isolated as sea levels rose after the last Ice Age.

[116] The archipelago is therefore situated in the zone between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates.

Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours.

The landscape consists of low hills with terraced fields.

The highest point in Malta is Ta' Dmejrek, at 253 m (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 have fresh water running all year round at Baħrija near Ras ir-Raħeb, at l-Imtaħleb and San Martin, and at Lunzjata Valley in Gozo.

Phytogeographically, Malta belongs to the Liguro-Tyrrhenian province of the Mediterranean Region within the Boreal Kingdom.

According to the WWF, the territory of Malta belongs to the ecoregion of "Mediterranean Forests, Woodlands and Scrub".

Malta is classified as an advanced economy together with 32 other countries according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).

[136] Until 1800 Malta depended on cotton, tobacco and its shipyards for exports.

Once under British control, they came to depend on Malta Dockyard for support of the Royal Navy, especially during the Crimean war of 1854.

The military base benefited craftsmen and all those who served the military.

In 1869, the opening of the Suez Canal gave Malta's economy a great boost, as there was a massive increase in the shipping which entered the port.

Ships stopping at Malta's docks for refuelling helped the Entrepôt trade, which brought additional benefits to the island.

However, towards the end of the 19th century the economy began declining, and by the 1940s Malta's economy was in serious crisis.

One factor was the longer range of newer merchant ships that required less frequent refuelling stops.

Currently, Malta's major resources are limestone, a favourable geographic location and a productive labour force.

Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies because of the drought in the summer and has no domestic energy sources, aside from the potential for solar energy from its plentiful sunlight.

[137] The economy is dependent on foreign trade (serving as a freight trans-shipment point), manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles) and tourism.

Film production is a growing contributor to the Maltese economy.

[138] The first film was shot in Malta in 1925 (Sons of the Sea); [139] over 100 feature films have been entirely or partially filmed in the country since then [citation needed]. Malta has served as a "double" for a wide variety of locations and historic periods including Ancient Greece, Ancient and Modern Rome, Iraq, the Middle East and many more [citation needed]. The Maltese government introduced financial incentives for filmmakers in 2005. [140] The current financial incentives to foreign productions currently [when?] stand at 25% with an additional 2% if Malta stands in as Malta; meaning a production can get up to 27% back on their eligible spending incurred in Malta [citation needed].

The government is investing heavily in education, including college.

In preparation for Malta's membership in the European Union, which it joined on 1 May 2004, it privatised some state-controlled firms and liberalised markets.

For example, the government announced on 8 January 2007 that it was selling its 40% stake in MaltaPost, to complete a privatisation process which has been ongoing for the past five years.

In 2010, Malta managed to privatise telecommunications, postal services, shipyards and shipbuilding.

Malta has taken important and substantial steps to establish itself as a global player in the cross-border fund administration business.

Competing against countries like Ireland and Luxembourg, Malta has a unique combination of a multi-lingual workforce and a strong legal system.

Malta has a mixed reputation for transparency and a DAW Index score of 6, although both are expected to improve as Malta increasingly adopts more comprehensive legislative framework for financial services.

[141] Malta has a regulator, the MFSA, with a strong business development mindset, and the country has been successful in attracting gaming businesses, aircraft and ship registration, credit-card issuing banking licences and also fund administration.

Service providers to these industries, including fiduciary and trustee business, are a core part of the growth strategy of the island.

Malta has made strong headway in implementing EU Financial Services Directives including UCITs IV and soon AIFMD.

As a base for alternative asset managers who must comply with new directives, Malta has attracted a number of key players including IDS, Iconic Funds, Apex Fund Services and TMF/Customs House.

Malta and Tunisia are currently discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for petroleum exploration.

These discussions are also undergoing between Malta and Libya for similar arrangements.

Malta does not have a property tax.

Its property market, especially around the harbour area, has been in constant boom, with the prices of apartments in some towns like Sliema and Gzira skyrocketing.

[143]

According to Eurostat data, Maltese GDP per capita stood at 86 per cent of the EU average in 2010 with €21,000.

[144]

The two largest commercial banks are Bank of Valletta and HSBC Bank Malta, both of which can trace their origins back to the 19th century.

The Central Bank of Malta (Bank Ċentrali ta' Malta) has two key areas of responsibility: the formulation and implementation of monetary policy and the promotion of a sound and efficient financial system.

It was established by the Central Bank of Malta Act on 17 April 1968.

The Maltese government entered ERM II on 4 May 2005, and adopted the euro as the country's currency on 1 January 2008.

FinanceMalta is the quasi-governmental organisation tasked with marketing and educating business leaders in coming to Malta and runs seminars and events around the world highlighting the emerging strength of Malta as a jurisdiction for banking and finance and insurance.

Traffic in Malta drives on the left.

Car ownership in Malta is exceedingly high, considering the very small size of the islands; it is the fourth-highest in the European Union.

The number of registered cars in 1990 amounted to 182,254, giving an automobile density of 582/km 2 (1,510/sq mi).

Malta has 2,254 kilometres (1,401 miles) of road, 1,972 km (1,225 mi) (87.5%) of which are paved and 282 km (175 mi) were unpaved (as of December 2003).

[148] The main roads of Malta from the southernmost point to the northernmost point are these: Triq Birżebbuġa in Birżebbuġa, Għar Dalam Road and Tal-Barrani Road in Żejtun, Santa Luċija Avenue in Paola, Aldo Moro Street (Trunk Road), 13 December Street and Ħamrun-Marsa Bypass in Marsa, Regional Road in Santa Venera/Msida/Gżira/San Ġwann, St Andrew's Road in Swieqi/Pembroke, Malta, Coast Road in Baħar iċ-Ċagħaq, Salina Road, Kennedy Drive, St. Paul's Bypass and Xemxija Hill in San Pawl il-Baħar, Mistra Hill, Wettinger Street (Mellieħa Bypass) and Marfa Road in Mellieħa.

Buses (xarabank or karozza tal-linja) are the primary method of public transport. Established in 1905, they operated in the Maltese islands up to 2011 and became popular tourist attractions in their own right. To this day they are depicted on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists.

The bus service underwent an extensive reform in July 2011.

The management structure changed from having self-employed drivers driving their own vehicles to a service being offered by a single company through a public tender (in Gozo, being considered as a small network, the service was given through direct order).

[149] The public tender was won by Arriva Malta, a member of the Arriva group, which introduced a fleet of brand new buses, built byKing Long especially for service by Arriva Malta and including a smaller fleet of articulated buses brought in from Arriva London.

It also operated two smaller buses for an intra-Valleta route only and 61 nine-metre buses, which were used to ease congestion on high density routes.

Overall Arriva Malta operated 264 buses.

On 1 January 2014 Arriva ceased operations in Malta due to financial difficulties, having been nationalised as Malta Public Transport by the Maltese government, with a new bus operator planned to take over their operations in the near future. [150] [151] The government chose Autobuses Urbanos de León as its preferred bus operator for the country in October 2014. [152] The company took over the bus service on 8 January 2015, while retaining the name Malta Public Transport. [153] It introduced the pre-pay 'tallinja card'. With lower fares than the walk-on rate, it can be topped up online via tallinja.com. [154] The card was initially not well received, as reported by several local news sites. [155] During the first week of August 2015, another 40 buses of the Turkish make Otokar arrived and were put in to service. [156]