At just 300km square and with a population of just under half a million, Malta is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. Throughout its history, Malta's strategic location in the centre of the Mediterranean has seen it ruled by great powers; from the Phoenicians, Ancient Greeks and Romans through to the Knights of St. John, French and British. The capital, Valetta is home to around 80% of the country's inhabitants and the dominant language, Maltese, is a semitic...
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At just 300km square and with a population of just under half a million, Malta is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. Throughout its history, Malta's strategic location in the centre of the Mediterranean has seen it ruled by great powers; from the Phoenicians, Ancient Greeks and Romans through to the Knights of St. John, French and British. The capital, Valetta is home to around 80% of the country's inhabitants and the dominant language, Maltese, is a semitic tongue descended from a 9th century Arabic dialect. Since joining the European Union in 2004, the country has seen a dramatic surge in tourism with 1.2 million visitors each year and also plays host to several big budget foreign film shootings each year. The country was known for many years for its unique owner operated orange buses which have unfortunately recently been replaced by a fleet of completely new Arriva buses. The country is so steeped in history and tradition that during the summer barely a weekend passes without a festival of some description or another.
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