Malta

Prehistory

Malta has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, with the arrival of Mesolithic era hunter-gatherers, which likely came from Sicily. Discoveries at Latnija Cave led by the archaeologist Eleanor Scerri showed the remains of hearths, stone tools, and a diverse range of animal bones. These included the bones of indigenous red deer that are now extinct, fish and marine mammals, and many edible marine gastropods. To arrive on Malta, the hunter-gatherers had to cross around 100 kilometres (62 mi) of open water, documenting the longest known sea crossing by hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean.^[22] The extinction of the dwarf hippos, giant swans and dwarf elephants has historically been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta.^[23] However, this seems unlikely as recent work suggests these animals went extinct many thousands of years before the arrival of the first people,^[24] and no such animals were found in association with the earliest known Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.^[22] The claim for an earlier occupation of the island by Neanderthals is widely rejected.^[22] Neolithic farmers, also originating from Sicily, are thought to have arrived on the islands by around 5400 BC.^[22] Prehistoric settlements dating to the Early Neolithic include the Għar Dalam cave site in the uppermost layers associated with domesticated animals.^[25] The Neolithic population on Malta grew cereals, raised livestock and, like many other European civilizations, worshipped a mother goddess.^[26]

A common occupation of megalithic temple-building came later, either arising from or supplanting the previous culture. Around 3500 BC, these people built some of the oldest existing free-standing structures in the world in the form of the Ġgantija temples on Gozo.^[27] Other early temples include those at Ħaġar Qim and Mnajdra.^[28][29][30] The temples have distinct architecture, typically a trefoil design, and were used from 4000 to 2500 BC. Tentative information suggests that animal sacrifices were made to the goddess of fertility, whose statue is now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.^[31] Another feature of the Maltese Islands often attributed to ancient builders is equidistant 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 ("Clapham Junction"). These may have been caused by wooden-wheeled carts eroding soft limestone.^[32][33] The temple-building disappeared from the islands around 2500 BC, possibly due to famine or disease.

After 2500 BC, Malta was depopulated for multiple decades until an influx of Bronze Age immigrants, a culture that cremated its dead and introduced smaller structures called dolmens as tombs.^[34] They likely belonged to a population different from that which built the previous temples. It is presumed the population arrived from Sicily due to the similarity of Maltese dolmens to small constructions there.^[35]

Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans

Phoenician traders colonised the islands under the name Ann (𐤀𐤍𐤍‎, ʾnn)^[19][36][37] after 1000 BC as a stop on their trade routes from the eastern Mediterranean to the Strait of Gibraltar.^[38][39][40] Their seat of government was at Mdina,^[36][37] and their primary port was at Cospicua on the Grand Harbour, which they called Maleth.^[19] After the fall of Phoenicia in 332 BC, the area came under the control of Carthage.^[41][42] During this time, the people of Malta mostly produced olives, carob, and textiles.^[42]

During the First Punic War, the island was conquered by Roman general Marcus Atilius Regulus.^[43] After the failure of his expedition, the island fell back into the hands of Carthage, only to be conquered again during the Second Punic War in 218 BC by the Roman consul named Tiberius Sempronius Longus.^[43] Malta became a Foederata Civitas, meaning it was exempted from tribute, and fell within the jurisdiction of the Roman province of Sicily.^[16] Its capital was renamed Melita after the Greek and Roman name for the island. Punic influence, however, remained on the islands.^[44][45] Local Roman coinage, which ceased in the first century BC,^[46] indicates the slow pace of the island's Romanisation: the last locally minted coins bear inscriptions in Ancient Greek and Punic motifs, showing Maltese resistance of the Greek and Roman cultures.^[47]

In the second century, Emperor Hadrian changed the status of Malta to a municipium. The island's local affairs were administered by four duumvirs and a municipal senate while a Roman procurator living in Melita represented the proconsul of Sicily.^[43] In AD 58, Paul the Apostle and Luke the Evangelist were shipwrecked on the island.^[43] Paul remained for three months, preaching Christianity.^[43] The island is mentioned at the Acts of the Apostles as Melitene (Ancient Greek: Μελιτήνη).^[48]

In 395, when the Roman Empire was divided for the last time at the death of Theodosius I, Malta and Sicily fell under the control of the Western Roman Empire.^[49] During the Migration Period as the Western Roman Empire declined, Malta was conquered or occupied a number of times.^[46] In 454, the islands were subdued by the Vandals and the Ostrogoths took over in 464.^[43] In 533, Belisarius and his army, on his way to conquer the Vandal Kingdom in North Africa, reunited the islands under Byzantine rule.^[43] Little is known about Byzantine Malta: the island depended on the theme of Sicily and had Greek governors and a small Greek garrison.^[43] While the bulk of population continued consist of the old Latinized dwellers, Malta's religious allegiance oscillated between the Pope and the Patriarch of Constantinople.^[43] The Byzantine rule introduced Greek families to the Maltese collective.^[50] Malta remained under the Byzantine Empire until 870, when it was conquered by the Arabs.^[43][51]

Arab period and the Middle Ages

Malta became involved in the Arab–Byzantine wars, and the conquest of Malta is linked with the Muslim conquest of Sicily that began in 827 after Admiral Euphemius' betrayal of his fellow Byzantines, requesting that the Aghlabids invade the island.^[52] The Muslim chronicler and geographer Ibn ʿAbd al-Munʿim al-Ḥimyarī recounts that, in 870, following a violent struggle against the defending Byzantines, the Arab invaders, first led by Halaf al-Hadim and later by Sawada ibn Muhammad,^[53] pillaged the island, destroying the most important buildings and leaving it practically uninhabited until it was recolonized by the Arabs from Sicily in 1048–1049.^[53] Malta would be a settlement for Banu matkud,^[54] which was a vesslised tribal city state (also known as Sawaiqa and Castle of Ibn matkud)^[55] from Misrata during both Fatimid Caliphate and the Aghlabid dynasty.^[56] It is uncertain whether this new settlement resulted from demographic expansion in Sicily, a higher standard of living in Sicily, or the civil war that broke out among the rulers of Sicily in 1038.^[57] The Arab Agricultural Revolution introduced new irrigation, cotton, and some fruits. The Siculo-Arabic language was adopted on the island from Sicily, and it eventually evolved into the Maltese language.^[58]

Norman conquest

The Normans attacked Malta in 1091, as part of their conquest of Sicily.^[59] The Norman leader, Roger I of Sicily, was welcomed by Christian captives,^[16] though, despite the myth, he did not tear off a portion of his checkered red-and-white banner and present it to the Maltese in gratitude for having fought on his behalf. This myth formed a reason for the basis of the modern flag of Malta.^[16][60]

Malta became part of the new Kingdom of Sicily, which also covered the southern Italian Peninsula.^[16] The Catholic Church was reinstated as the state religion, with Malta under the Archdiocese of Palermo, and some Norman architecture sprang up around Malta, especially in its previous capital, Mdina.^[16] King Tancred made Malta a fief of the kingdom and installed a Count of Malta in 1192. The islands were desired due to their strategic importance, so it was during this time the men of Malta were militarized to fend off attempted conquest. Early Counts were Genoese privateers.^[16]

The kingdom passed on to the Hohenstaufen German dynasty from 1194 until 1266. As Emperor Frederick II began to reorganise the Sicilian kingdom, Western culture and religion started to exert their influence more intensely.^[61] Malta was declared a county and a marquisate, but its trade destroyed. For a long time it solely remained a fortified garrison.^[62]

A mass expulsion of Arabs occurred in 1224, and the entire Christian male population of Celano, Italy in Abruzzo was deported to Malta in the same year.^[16] In 1249 Frederick II decreed that all remaining Muslims be expelled from Malta^[63] or compelled to convert.^[64][65] In 1266, the kingdom passed to the Capetian House of Anjou,^[66] but high taxes made the dynasty unpopular in Malta, due in part to Charles of Anjou's war against the Republic of Genoa, and the island of Gozo was sacked in 1275.^[16]

Crown of Aragon and the Knights of Malta

Malta was ruled by the House of Barcelona, the ruling dynasty of the Crown of Aragon, from 1282 to 1409,^[67] with Aragon aiding Malta in the Sicilian Vespers in the naval battle in Grand Harbour in 1283.^[68]

Relatives of the kings of Aragon ruled the island until 1409 when it formally passed to the Crown of Aragon. Early in the Aragonese ascendancy, the sons of the monarchs received the title Count of Malta. During this time much of the local nobility was created, though by 1397, the bearing of the comital title reverted to a feudal basis, with two families fighting over the distinction. This led King Martin I of Sicily to abolish the title, which returned a few years later. The Maltese, led by the local nobility, rose up against Count Gonsalvo Monroy, though they voiced their loyalty to the Sicilian Crown, which impressed King Alfonso V of Aragon enough that he didn't punish Malta, and chose never to grant the title to a third party, moving it back under control of the crown. The city of Mdina was given the title of Città Notabile.^[16]

In September 1429, Hafsid Berbers attempted to capture Malta but failed. They pillaged the countryside and took about 3,000 inhabitants as slaves.^[69]

On 23 March 1530,^[70] Charles V gave the islands to the Knights Hospitaller under the leadership of Frenchman Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam,^[71][72] for which they had to pay an annual tribute of a Maltese Falcon.^{[73][74][75][76]} These knights, a military religious order also known as the Order of Saint John and later as the Knights of Malta, had been driven out of Rhodes by the Ottoman Empire in 1522.^[77]

The Knights ruled Malta until 1798.^[78] During this period, the strategic and military importance of the island grew greatly as the efficient fleet of the Knights of Malta launched their attacks from this new base targeting the shipping lanes of the Ottoman territories around the Mediterranean Sea.^[78][79]

In 1551, the population of the island of Gozo (about 5,000 people) were enslaved by Barbary pirates and taken to the Barbary Coast.^[80]

The knights, led by Frenchman Jean Parisot de Valette, withstood the Siege of Malta by the Ottomans in 1565.^[72] The knights, with the help of Portuguese, Spanish and Maltese forces, repelled the attack.^[81][82] After the siege, they decided to increase Malta's fortifications, particularly in the inner-harbour area, where the new city of Valletta was built.^[83] The Knights saw the completion of many architectural and cultural projects, including the embellishment of Città Vittoriosa (modern Birgu) and the construction of new cities including Città Rohan (modern Ħaż-Żebbuġ).^[84]

French period and British conquest

The Knights' reign ended when Napoleon captured Malta on his way to Egypt during the French Revolutionary Wars in 1798. During 12–18 June 1798, Napoleon resided at the Palazzo Parisio in Valletta.^[85][86][87] He reformed Maltese administration with the creation of a Government Commission, twelve municipalities, a public finance administration, the abolition of feudal rights and slavery, and freedom to all Turkish and Jewish slaves.^[88][89] On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated. Public education was organised along principles set by Bonaparte, providing for primary and secondary education.^[89][90] He then sailed for Egypt, leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.^[91]

The French forces left behind became unpopular with the Maltese, mainly due to them being anti-Catholic. French financial and religious policies angered the Maltese enough that they rebelled, forcing the French to depart. Great Britain, along with Naples and Sicily, sent ammunition and aid to the Maltese, and Britain also sent a navy, which blockaded the islands.^[89]

On 28 October, 1798, Captain Alexander Ball completed negotiations with the French garrison on Gozo for a transfer of Malta to the British. The British transferred the island to the locals that day, and it was administered by Archpriest Saverio Cassar on behalf of Ferdinand III of Sicily. Gozo remained independent until Cassar was removed by the British in 1801.^[92]

General Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois surrendered his French forces in 1800.^[89] Maltese leaders gave the main island to 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".^[89][93]

British Empire and World War II

In 1814, as part of the Treaty of Paris,^[89][94] Malta officially became a part of the British Empire and was used as a shipping station and fleet headquarters. After the Suez Canal opened in 1869, Malta's location, being halfway between the Strait of Gibraltar and Egypt, became its main asset, and it was considered an important stop on the way to India, an important trading route for the British.

Between 1915 and 1918, during World War I, Malta became known as the Nurse of the Mediterranean due to the large number of wounded soldiers who were accommodated there.^[95] On 7 June 1919, the Maltese public rioted in response to a cost-of-living crisis, but British troops eventually managed to suppress the riots with four fatalities. The event, known as Sette Giugno, is commemorated every year and is one of five National Days.^[96][97] Until World War II, Maltese politics was dominated by the Language Question.^[98]

Before World War II, Valletta was the location of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet headquarters; however, despite Winston Churchill's objections,^[99] the command was moved to Alexandria, Egypt, in 1937 out of fear that it was too susceptible to air attacks from Europe.^{[99][100][101]} During the war, Malta played an 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, intercepting German radio messages including Enigma traffic.^[102] The Maltese defence during the second siege of Malta moved King George VI to award the George Cross to Malta on a collective basis on 15 April 1942. Some historians argue that the award caused Britain to incur disproportionate losses in defending Malta, as British credibility would have suffered if Malta had surrendered, as was done during the Battle of Singapore.^[103] A depiction of the George Cross now appears on the Flag of Malta and the country's coat of arms.^[104]

Independence and Republic

Malta gained independence as the State of Malta on 21 September 1964. Under its 1964 constitution, Malta initially retained Elizabeth II as Queen of Malta and therefore head of state, with a governor-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 within the Commonwealth. A defence agreement was signed soon after, and after being re-negotiated in 1972, expired on 31 March 1979 (Freedom Day).^[105] Upon its expiry, the British base closed and lands formerly controlled by the British were given to the Maltese government.^[106]

After the departure of the remaining British troops in 1979, the country intensified its participation in the Non-Aligned Movement. Malta adopted a policy of neutrality in 1980.^[107] In that same year, three of Malta's sites, including the capital Valletta, were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1989, Malta was the venue of a summit between George H. W. Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, which precluded the end of the Cold War.^[108] A referendum on joining the European Union was held on 8 March 2003, with 53.65% in favour.^[109] Malta joined the European Union on 1 May 2004 and the eurozone on 1 January 2008.^[110][111]

Climate

Malta has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen climate classification Csa),^[123][124] with mild winters and hot summers. Rain mainly occurs in autumn and winter.^[125]

The average temperature is 23 °C (73 °F) during the day and 15 °C (59 °F) at night. In the coldest month, January, the typical maximum temperature ranges from 12 to 18 °C (54 to 64 °F) during the day and minimum 6 to 12 °C (43 to 54 °F) at night. In the warmest month, August, the typical maximum temperature ranges from 28 to 34 °C (82 to 93 °F) during the day and minimum 20 to 24 °C (68 to 75 °F) at night. In March and December average temperatures are around 17 °C (63 °F) during the day and 11 °C (52 °F) at night.^[126] Snow is rare, although it has occurred, most recently in 2014.^[127]

The average annual sea temperature is 20 °C (68 °F), from 15–16 °C (59–61 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August. In the six months from June to November, the average sea temperature exceeds 20 °C (68 °F).^{[128][129][130]}

The annual average relative humidity is high, averaging 75%, ranging from 65% in July (morning: 78% evening: 53%) to 80% in December (morning: 83% evening: 73%).^[131]

Sunshine duration hours total around 3,000 per year, from an average 5.2 hours of sunshine duration per day in December to an average above 12 hours in July.^[129][132]

Urbanisation

According to Eurostat, Malta is composed of two larger urban zones nominally referred to as "Valletta" (the main island of Malta) and "Gozo". The main urban area covers the entire main island.^[135][136] The core of the urban area, the greater city of Valletta, has a population of 205,768.^[137] According to the data from 2020 by Eurostat, the metropolitan region covered the whole island and has a population of 480,134.^[138][139] According to the United Nations, about 95 percent of the area of Malta is urban and the number grows every year.^[140] According to ESPON and EU Commission studies, "the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region".^[141]

Malta, with area of 316 km² (122 sq mi), is one of the most densely populated countries worldwide. It is sometimes referred to as a city-state,^{[142][143][144]} but sometimes is ranked as a city or a metropolitan area.^[145][146]

Flora

Malta contains 4.6 square kilometres (1.8 sq mi) of naturally regenerating forest, characterised by mature trees with a height of 2 to 5 metres (7 to 16 ft). The overall area occupied by trees is estimated to be 32 square kilometres (12 sq mi), which constitutes approximately 1.44% of the total land area of the archipelago. The most common indigenous tree species are the willow (Salix alba), poplar (Populus alba), olive (Olea europaea), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), oak (Quericus ilex & Quercus rotundifolia), Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), laurel (Laurus nobilis) and fig (Ficus carica), while the most common non-native trees are eucalyptus, acacia, date palm and opuntia.^[147][148] The Maltese islands are also home to a wide diversity of indigenous, sub-endemic and endemic plants.^[149] They feature many traits typical of a Mediterranean climate, such as drought resistance. Endemic plants include the national flower widnet il-baħar (Cheirolophus crassifolius), sempreviva ta' Malta (Helichrysum panormitanum subsp. melitense), żigland t' Għawdex (Hyoseris frutescens) and ġiżi ta' Malta (Matthiola incana subsp. melitensis) while sub-endemics include kromb il-baħar (Jacobaea maritima subsp. sicula) and xkattapietra (Micromeria microphylla).^[150] The biodiversity of Malta is severely endangered by habitat loss, invasive species, and human intervention.^[151]

Administrative divisions

Malta has had a system of local government since 1993,^[164] according to the European Charter of Local Self-Government. The country is divided into six regions, with each region having its own council, which serves as the intermediate level between local government and national government.^[165] The regions are divided into local councils, of which there are currently 68. The six districts serve primarily statistical purposes.^[166]

Each council is made up of councillors (from 5 to 13, depending on the population they represent). A mayor and a deputy mayor are elected from and by the councillors. The executive secretary, who is appointed by the council, is the head. Councillors are elected every four years through the single transferable 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.^[167]

Military

The Armed Forces of Malta (AFM) have the stated objectives of trying to maintain a military organisation with the aim of defending Malta’s integrity in an efficient manner. This is achieved by emphasising the maintenance of Malta's territorial waters and airspace integrity.^[168]

The AFM engages in combating terrorism, fighting against illicit drug trafficking, immigrant operations, anti-illegal fishing operations, operating search and rescue (SAR) services, and surveillance of sensitive locations. Malta's search-and-rescue area extends from east of Tunisia to west of Crete, an area of around 250,000 km² (97,000 sq mi).^[169]

In 2020, Malta signed the UN treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons.^[170][171]

Human rights

Malta is regarded as one of the most LGBT-supportive countries in the world,^[172][173] and was the first nation in the European Union to prohibit conversion therapy.^[174] Malta also constitutionally bans discrimination based on disability.^[175] Maltese legislation recognises both civil and canonical (ecclesiastical) marriages. Annulments by the ecclesiastical and civil courts are unrelated and are not necessarily mutually endorsed. Malta voted in favour of divorce legislation in a referendum held on 28 May 2011.^[176]

Abortion in Malta is illegal. It and Poland are the only European Union members with near-total bans on the procedure. There are no exceptions for rape or incest.^[177] On 21 November 2022, the government led by the Labour Party proposed a bill that "introduces a new clause into the country's criminal code allowing for the termination of a pregnancy if the mother's life is at risk or if her health is in serious jeopardy"; the bill passed in June 2023 with amendments restricting the exception to situations where the woman's life is at risk.^[178][179]

Banking and finance

The two largest commercial banks are Bank of Valletta and HSBC Bank Malta.^[193] Digital banks such as Revolut have also increased in popularity.^[194] 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.

Currency

The Maltese government entered ERM II on 4 May 2005, and adopted the euro as the country's currency on 1 January 2008.^[195] Maltese euros feature the Maltese cross on €2 and €1 coins, the coat of arms of Malta on the €0.50, €0.20 and €0.10 coins, and the Mnajdra Temples on the €0.05, €0.02 and €0.01 coins.^[196]

Malta has produced collectors' coins, which stopped being legal tender in 2010. Those coins continued a national practice of minting commemorative coins.^[197][198]

From 1825 until the 2008 introduction of the Euro, the currency was the Maltese lira, also called the pound. Until 1825 the currency was the Maltese scudo.^[199][200]

Tourism

Malta is a popular tourist destination, with 1.6 million tourists per year,^[201] three times more tourists visit than there are residents. Tourism infrastructure has increased dramatically over the years and a number of hotels are present on the island, although overdevelopment and the destruction of traditional housing is of growing concern. In 2019, Malta had a record year in tourism, recording over 2.1 million tourists in one single year.^[202]

In recent years, Malta has advertised itself as a medical tourism destination,^[203] and a number of health tourism providers are developing the industry. However, no Maltese hospital has undergone independent international healthcare accreditation. Malta is popular with British medical tourists,^[204] pointing Maltese hospitals towards seeking UK-sourced accreditation, such as with the Trent Accreditation Scheme.^{[citation needed]}

Tourism in Malta contributes around 11.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product.^[205]

The country's variety of landscapes and destinations has also become a significant draw for filmmakers, earning it the reputation as "the Hollywood of the Mediterranean".^{[206][better source needed]} Films shot on the island include Ridley Scott's Napoleon and both Gladiator films, Gladiator and Gladiator II,^[207][208] Jurassic World: Rebirth, Troy, and Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest, along with fantasy TV series Game of Thrones and several episodes of the 1970s British spy drama The Sandbaggers.^[209]

Science and technology

Malta signed a co-operation agreement with the European Space Agency (ESA) for more-intensive co-operation in ESA projects.^[210] The Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) is the civil body responsible for the development of science and technology on an educational and social level. Most science students in Malta graduate from the University of Malta and are represented by S-Cubed (Science Student's Society), UESA (University Engineering Students Association) and ICTSA (University of Malta ICT Students' Association).^[211][212] Malta was ranked 27th in the Global Innovation Index in 2025.^[213][214]

Transport

Owing to the British colonial rule, traffic in Malta drives on the left. Malta has a high level of motorisation; according to the National Statistics Office, the number of licensed motor vehicles per 1,000 residents fell from 784 in 2022 to 778 in 2023.^[215] There were 778 licensed motor vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2023.^[215] Malta has 3,096 kilometres (1,924 mi) of road; as of 2021, 444 kilometres (276 mi) were classified as other rural unpaved roads.^[216]

Buses (xarabank or karozza tal-linja) are the primary method of public transport, established in 1905. Malta's vintage buses operated in the Maltese islands up to 2011 and became popular tourist attractions.^[217] To this day they are depicted on many Maltese advertisements and merchandise for tourists.^{[citation needed]}

The bus service underwent 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.^[218] The public tender was won by Arriva Malta, which introduced a fleet of brand new buses, built by King 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-Valletta 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.^[219][220] The government chose Autobuses Urbanos de León (Alsa subsidiary) as its preferred bus operator for the country in October 2014.^[221] From October 2022, the bus system is free of charge for residents of Malta.^[222]

As of 2021, an underground Malta Metro is being planned, with a projected total cost of €6.2 billion.^[223]

Malta has three large natural harbours on its main island:

• The Grand Harbour (or Port il-Kbir), located at the eastern side of the capital city of Valletta, has been a harbour since Roman times. It has several extensive docks and wharves, as well as a cruise liner terminal. A terminal at the Grand Harbour serves ferries that connect Malta to Pozzallo and Catania in Sicily.
• Marsamxett Harbour, located on the western side of Valletta, accommodates a number of yacht marinas.
• Marsaxlokk Harbour (Malta Freeport), at Birżebbuġa on the south-eastern side of Malta, is the islands' main cargo terminal. Malta Freeport is the 11th busiest container ports in continent of Europe and 46th in the World with a trade volume of 2.3 million TEU's in 2008.^[224]

There are also two human-made harbours that serve a passenger and car ferry service that connects Ċirkewwa Harbour on Malta and Mġarr Harbour on Gozo.^{[citation needed]}

Malta International Airport (Ajruport Internazzjonali ta' Malta) is the only airport serving the Maltese islands. It is built on the land formerly occupied by the RAF Luqa air base. A heliport is also located there. The heliport in Gozo is at Xewkija. The former RAF Ta Kali airfield at Ta' Qali houses a national park, stadium, the Crafts Village visitor attraction and the Malta Aviation Museum.^{[citation needed]}

From 1 April 1974 to 30 March 2024, the national airline was Air Malta, which was based at Malta International Airport and operated services to 22 destinations in Europe and North Africa. The owners of Air Malta were the Government of Malta (98 percent) and private investors (2 percent).^{[citation needed]}

On 31 March 2024, KM Malta Airlines took over as the national airline of Malta. All former Air Malta Airplanes and other assets were transferred to the new airline, together with the staff. KM Malta Airlines is based at Malta International Airport and operates services to 18 destinations in Europe.^{[citation needed]}

Communications

The mobile penetration rate in Malta exceeded 100% by the end of 2009, reaching 102.1%.^[225] Malta's mobile sector has used GSM, UMTS (3G), and LTE (4G) technologies.^[226]

In early 2012, the government called for a national Fibre to the Home (FttH) network to be built, with a minimum broadband service being upgraded from 4 Mbit/s to 100 Mbit/s.^[227]

Energy

Malta mainly relied on coal until 1996 for electricity generation. In 1992, a new power station was built on the Delimara peninsula in Marsaxlokk. Originally the Delimara Power Station in 2015 used oil for electricity generation, before being converted to LNG in 2017. The power station also includes two gasoil-fired plants, which are used as standby power generation capacity during emergencies or lack of other power sources. Since 2015, the Malta–Sicily interconnector allows Malta to be connected to the European power grid and import a significant share of its electricity.^[228] In 2024, Malta consumed 3106 GWh, of which 970 GWh was imported through the interconnector.^[229]

Just 9.2% of Malta's electricity in 2024 was from domestic renewable generation, almost all of which is photovoltaic panels.^[230] There are efforts to boost this renewable generation share to 25% by leveraging offshore platforms and battery storage by 2030^[231] but 9.2% represents a drop in generation share from 2023 when renewables accounted for 10% of the electricity generated.^[232]

A waste-to-energy plant that runs off of biogas generated by organic waste is planned to contribute a further 4.5% to the electricity grid as a source of net carbon-neutral energy.^[233]

Languages

The Maltese language (Maltese: Malti) is one of the two constitutional languages of Malta and is considered the national language. The second official language is English and hence laws are enacted both in Maltese and English. However, article 74 of the Constitution states that "if there is any conflict between the Maltese and the English texts of any law, the Maltese text shall prevail."^[152] Many speakers of English use a local dialect, Maltese English.^{[citation needed]}

Maltese is a Semitic language descended from the now extinct Sicilian-Arabic (Siculo-Arabic) dialect (from southern Italy) that developed during the Emirate of Sicily.^[243] The Maltese alphabet consists of 30 letters based on the Latin alphabet.^{[citation needed]}

In 2022, Malta National Statistics Office states that 90 percent of the Maltese population has at least a basic knowledge of Maltese, 96 percent of English, 62 percent of Italian, and 20 percent of French.^[244] This widespread knowledge of second languages makes Malta one of the most multilingual countries in the European Union. A study collecting public opinion on what language was "preferred" discovered that 86 percent of the population preferred Maltese, 12 percent English, and 2 percent Italian.^[245] Italian television channels from Italy-based broadcasters, such as Mediaset and RAI, reach Malta and remain popular.^{[245][246][247]}

Maltese Sign Language is used by signers in Malta.^[248]

According to the 2021 census, among the population aged 5 and over, the main languages spoken from early childhood were the following.^[249]

Religion

The predominant religion in Malta is Catholicism. The second article of the Constitution of Malta establishes Catholicism as the state religion and it is also reflected in various elements of Maltese culture, although there are entrenched provisions for the freedom of religion.^[152] There are more than 360 churches in Malta, Gozo, and Comino, or one church for every 1,000 residents. The parish church (Maltese: il-parroċċa or il-knisja parrokkjali) is the architectural and geographic focal point of every Maltese town and village.^{[citation needed]}

Malta is an Apostolic See; the Acts of the Apostles (Acts 28) tells of how St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island of "Melite", which many Biblical scholars identify with Malta, an episode dated around AD 60.^[252] Saint Publius is said to have been made Malta's first bishop. Further evidence of Christian practices and beliefs during the period of Roman persecution appears in catacombs that lie beneath various sites around Malta, including St. Paul's Catacombs. There are also a number of cave churches, including the grotto at Mellieħa, which is a Shrine of the Nativity of Our Lady where, according to legend, St. Luke painted a picture of the Virgin Mary. It has been a place of pilgrimage since the medieval period.

For centuries, the Church in Malta was subordinate to the Diocese of Palermo, except when it was under Charles of Anjou, who appointed bishops for Malta, as did – on rare occasions – the Spanish and later, the Knights. Since 1808 all bishops of Malta have been Maltese. The patron saints of Malta are Saint Paul, Saint Publius, and Saint Agatha. Although not a patron saint, St George Preca (San Ġorġ Preca) is greatly revered as the first canonised Maltese saint. Various Catholic religious orders are present in Malta, including the Jesuits, Franciscans, Dominicans, Carmelites and Little Sisters of the Poor.^{[citation needed]}

There exists a considerable minority of Orthodox Christians in Malta, of which there are 16,457, according to the 2021 census;^[253] the number may include both Eastern Orthodox and Oriental Orthodox Christians. There are a small number of parishes belonging to each autocephalous Church, typically one for each. There are Greek, Russian, Serbian, Romanian, and Bulgarian Orthodox parishes located around Malta, mainly in Valletta.^{[254][255][256][257]}

Most congregants of the local Protestant churches are not Maltese; their congregations mainly draw on vacationers and British retirees living in the country. There are also a Seventh-day Adventist church in Birkirkara, and a New Apostolic Church congregation founded in 1983 in Gwardamangia.^[258] There are approximately 600 Jehovah's Witnesses.^[259] Latter-day Saints is also represented with 241 members in 1 congregation in Mosta.^[260]

The Jewish population of Malta reached its peak in the Middle Ages under Norman rule. In 1479, Malta and Sicily came under Aragonese rule and the Alhambra Decree of 1492 forced all Jews to leave the country. Today, there are two Jewish congregations.^[258] In 2019 the Jewish community in Malta gathered around 150 persons, slightly more than the 120 (of which 80 were active) estimated in 2003, and mostly elderly. Many among the newer generations decided to settle abroad, including in England and Israel. Most contemporary Maltese Jews are Sephardi, however, an Ashkenazi prayer book is used. In 2013 the Chabad Jewish Centre in Malta was founded.

There is one purpose-built Muslim mosque, the Mariam Al-Batool Mosque, although there are also a few improvised mosques located in Muslim homes spread around the island.^[261][262] The 2021 census recorded 17,454 Muslims, of which 1,746 were Maltese citizens. Zen Buddhism and the Baháʼí Faith claim some 40 members.^[258]

In a survey held by Malta Today, the overwhelming majority of the Maltese population adheres to Christianity (95.2%) with Catholicism as the main denomination (93.9%); 4.5% of the population declared themselves either atheist or agnostic, one of the lowest figures in Europe.^[263] According to a 2019 Eurobarometer survey, 83% of the population identified as Catholic.^[264] The number of atheists has doubled from 2014 to 2018. The 2015 edition of the annual Freedom of Thought Report from the International Humanist and Ethical Union, asserted Malta was in the category of "severe discrimination", alongside seven other EU countries. In 2016, following the abolishment of blasphemy law, Malta was shifted to the category of "systematic discrimination" (same as most EU countries).^[265]

Migration

Historically a land of emigration, since the early 21st century Malta has seen a significant increase in net migration; the foreign-born population has grown nearly eightfold between 2005 and 2020. Most of the foreign community in Malta consists of active or retired British nationals and their dependents, centred on Sliema and surrounding suburbs. Other smaller foreign groups include Italians, Libyans, and Serbians, many of whom have assimilated into the Maltese nation over the decades.^[266]

Malta is also home to a large number of foreign workers who migrated to the island for economic opportunity. This migration was driven predominantly in the early 21st century, when the Maltese economy was steadily booming yet the cost and quality of living on the island remained relatively stable. In recent years^[when?] however the local Maltese housing index has doubled,^[267] pushing property and rental prices to very high and almost unaffordable levels. Consequently, some expats in Malta have seen their relative financial fortunes decline, with others relocating to other European countries altogether.^{[citation needed]}

Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe.^[268] As a member of the European Union and the Schengen Agreement, Malta is bound by the Dublin Regulation to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.^[269] However, irregular migrants who land in Malta are subject to a compulsory detention policy, being held in several camps organised by the Armed Forces of Malta (AFM), including those near Ħal Far and Ħal Safi. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the European Court of Human Rights found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the European Convention on Human Rights.^[270][271] On 8 September 2020, Amnesty International criticised Malta for "illegal tactics" in the Mediterranean, against immigrants who were attempting to cross from North Africa. The reports claimed that the government's approach might have led to avoidable deaths.^[272]

In January 2014, Malta started granting citizenship for a €650,000 contribution plus investments, contingent on residence and criminal background checks.^[273] This "golden passport" citizenship scheme has been criticized as a fraudulent act by the Maltese Government.^{[clarification needed][274]} Concerns as to whether the Maltese citizenship scheme is allowing an influx of such individuals into the greater European Union have been raised by both the public as well as the European Council on multiple occasions.^[275] On 29 April 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled that Malta may no longer sell citizenship through its 'golden passports' scheme.^[276]

In the 19th century, most emigration from Malta was to North Africa and the Middle East, although rates of return migration to Malta were high.^[277] In the 20th century, most emigrants went to destinations in the New World, particularly to Australia, Canada, and the United States. Post World War II, Malta's Emigration Department would assist emigrants with the cost of their travel. Between 1948 and 1967, 30 percent of the population emigrated.^[277] Between 1946 and the late-1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, with 57.6% migrating to Australia, 22% to the UK, 13% to Canada and 7% to the United States.^[278] Emigration dropped dramatically after the mid-1970s and has since ceased to be a social phenomenon of significance. However, since Malta joined the EU in 2004 expatriate communities emerged in a number of European countries, particularly in Belgium and Luxembourg.^{[citation needed]}

Education

Primary schooling has been compulsory since 1946; secondary education up to the age of sixteen was made compulsory in 1971. The state and the Catholic Church provide education free of charge, both running a number of schools in Malta and Gozo. As of 2006^[update], state schools are organised into networks known as Colleges and incorporate kindergarten schools, primary and secondary schools. A number of private schools are run in Malta. St. Catherine's High School, Pembroke offers an International Foundation Course for students wishing to learn English before entering mainstream education. As of 2008^[update], there are two international schools, Verdala International School and QSI Malta. The state pays a portion of the teachers' salary in Church schools.^[279]

Education in Malta is based on the British model. Primary school lasts six years. Pupils sit for SEC O-level examinations at the age of 16, with passes obligatory in mathematics, a minimum of one science subject, English and Maltese. Pupils may opt to continue studying at a sixth form college for two years, at the end of which students sit for the matriculation examination. Subject to their performance, students may then apply for an undergraduate degree or diploma.^{[citation needed]}

The adult literacy rate is 99.5 percent.^[280]

Maltese and English are both used to teach pupils at the primary and secondary school level, and both languages are also compulsory subjects. Public schools tend to use both Maltese and English in a balanced manner. Private schools prefer to use English for teaching, as is also the case with most departments of the University of Malta; this has a limiting effect on the capacity and development of the Maltese language.^[245] Most university courses are in English.^[281][243]

Of the total number of pupils studying a first foreign language at secondary level, 51 percent take Italian whilst 38 percent take French. Other choices include German, Russian, Spanish, Latin, Chinese and Arabic.^[245][282]

Malta is also a popular destination to study the English language, attracting over 83,000 students in 2019.^[283]

Health

Malta has a long history of providing publicly funded health care. The first hospital recorded in the country was already functioning by 1372.^[284] Today, Malta has both a public healthcare system, where healthcare is free at the point of delivery, and a private healthcare system.^[285][286] Malta has a strong general practitioner-delivered primary care base and the public hospitals provide secondary and tertiary care. The Maltese Ministry of Health advises foreign residents to take out private medical insurance.^[287]

Malta also boasts voluntary organisations such as Alpha Medical (Advanced Care), the Emergency Fire & Rescue Unit (E.F.R.U.), St John Ambulance and Red Cross Malta who provide first aid/nursing services during events involving crowds. The Mater Dei hospital, Malta's primary hospital, opened in 2007. It has one of the largest medical buildings in Europe.

The University of Malta has a medical school and a Faculty of Health Sciences. The Medical Association of Malta represents practitioners of the medical profession. The Foundation Programme followed in the UK has been introduced in Malta to stem the 'brain drain' of newly graduated physicians to the British Isles.^{[citation needed]}

Customs

A 2010 Charities Aid Foundation study found that the Maltese were the most generous people in the world, with 83% contributing to charity.^[289]

Maltese folktales include various stories about mysterious creatures and supernatural events. These were most comprehensively compiled by the scholar (and pioneer in Maltese archaeology) Manwel Magri^[290] in his core criticism "Ħrejjef Missirijietna" ("Fables from our Forefathers"). This collection of material inspired subsequent researchers and academics to gather traditional tales, fables and legends from all over the Archipelago.^[291] While giants, witches, and dragons feature in many of the stories, some contain entirely Maltese creatures like the Kaw kaw, Il-Belliegħa and L-Imħalla among others.^{[citation needed]}

Traditions

Traditional Maltese proverbs reveal cultural importance of childbearing and fertility: "iż-żwieġ mingħajr tarbija ma fihx tgawdija" (a childless marriage cannot be a happy one). This is a belief that Malta shares with many other Mediterranean cultures.^{[original research?]} In Maltese folktales the local variant of the classic closing formula, "and they all lived happily ever after" is "u għammru u tgħammru, u spiċċat" (and they lived together, and they had children together, and the tale is finished).^[292]

Rural Malta shares in common with the Mediterranean society a number of superstitions regarding fertility, menstruation, and pregnancy, including the avoidance of cemeteries leading up to childbirth, and avoiding the preparation of certain foods during menses. Pregnant women are encouraged to satisfy their food cravings, out of fear that their unborn child will bear a representational birth mark (Maltese: xewqa, literally "desire" or "craving"). Maltese and Sicilian folk tradition includes beliefs thought to predict the sex of an unborn child, such as using the moon cycle, the way the baby is carried, or the motion of a ring suspended over the abdomen.^[293]

Traditionally, Maltese newborns were baptised as soon as possible.^[294] At baptismal feasts, traditional sweets and liqueurs associated with the occasion included biskuttini tal-magħmudija, torta tal-marmorata, and rożolin.^[293]

On a child's first birthday, in a tradition that still survives today, Maltese parents would organise a game known as il-quċċija, where a variety of symbolic objects would be randomly placed around the child. Whichever object the child shows the most interest in is said to reveal the child's path and fortunes in adulthood.^[295]

Traditional Maltese weddings included a bridal procession from the bride's home to the parish church, often accompanied by singers performing il-ġilwa beneath a decorated canopy.^[296] Historically, Maltese women wore the għonnella, a traditional form of dress.^[297]

In modern times, couples are typically married in churches or chapels, followed by wedding receptions, although some incorporate elements of traditional customs into their celebrations.^{[citation needed]}

A renewed interest in historical wedding traditions was demonstrated in 2007, when a large-scale 16th-century style wedding reenactment was held in Żurrieq, attracting both locals and tourists.^[298]

Festivals and events

Local festivals, similar to those in Southern Italy, are commonplace in Malta and Gozo, celebrating weddings, christenings and, most prominently, saints' days. On saints' days, in the morning, the festa reaches its apex with a High Mass featuring a sermon on the life and achievements of the patron saint. In the evening, a statue of the religious patron is taken around the local streets in solemn procession, with the faithful following in prayer. The atmosphere of religious devotion is preceded by several days of celebration and revelry: band marches, fireworks, and late-night parties. The largest festa is possibly that of the Assumption of Mary, which is celebrated in 8 parishes on 15 August and in 2 other parishes the following Sunday.^[299]

Carnival (Maltese: il-karnival ta' Malta) has had an important place on the cultural calendar. It is held during the week leading up to Ash Wednesday, and typically includes masked balls, fancy dress and grotesque mask competitions, lavish late-night parties, a colourful ticker-tape parade of allegorical floats presided over by King Carnival (Maltese: ir-Re tal-Karnival), marching bands and costumed revellers.^[300]

Mnarja, or l-Imnarja (pronounced lim-nar-ya) is one of the most important dates on the Maltese cultural calendar. Officially, it is a national festival dedicated to the feast of Saints Peter and Paul. Its roots can be traced back to the pagan Roman feast of Luminaria (literally, "the illumination"), when torches and bonfires lit up the early summer night of 29 June.^[301] The festivities still commence today with the reading of the "bandu", an official governmental announcement, which has been read on this day in Malta since the 16th century. It is said that under the Knights, this was the one day in the year when the Maltese were allowed to hunt and eat wild rabbit, which was otherwise reserved for the hunting pleasures of the Knights. The close connection between Mnarja and rabbit stew (Maltese: "fenkata") remains strong today.^[302]

Isle of MTV is a one-day music festival produced and broadcast on an annual basis by MTV. The festival has been arranged annually in Malta since 2007, with major pop artists performing each year. 2012 saw the performances of worldwide acclaimed artists Flo Rida, Nelly Furtado and Will.i.am. Over 50,000 people attended, which marked the biggest attendance so far.^[303]

The Malta International Fireworks Festival has been arranged annually in the Grand Harbour of Valletta since 2003.^[304]

Architecture

Maltese architecture has been influenced by many different Mediterranean cultures and British architecture over its history.^[305] The first settlers on the island constructed Ġgantija, one of the oldest manmade freestanding structures in the world. The Neolithic temple builders (3800–2500 BC) endowed the numerous temples of Malta and Gozo with intricate bas-relief designs.^{[citation needed]}

The Roman period introduced highly decorative mosaic floors, marble colonnades, and classical statuary, remnants of which are beautifully preserved and presented in the Roman Domus, a country villa just outside the walls of Mdina. The early Christian frescoes that decorate the catacombs beneath Malta reveal a propensity for eastern, Byzantine tastes. These tastes continued to inform the endeavours of medieval Maltese artists, but they were increasingly influenced by the Romanesque and Southern French Gothic movements.^{[citation needed]}

Art

Towards the end of the 15th century, Maltese artists, like their counterparts in Sicily, came under the influence of the School of Antonello da Messina, which introduced Renaissance ideals and concepts to the decorative arts in Malta.^[306]

The artistic heritage of Malta blossomed under the Knights of St. John, who brought Italian and Flemish Mannerist painters to decorate their palaces and the churches of these islands, most notably, Matteo Perez d'Aleccio, whose works appear in the Magisterial Palace and in the Conventual Church of St. John in Valletta, and Filippo Paladini, who was active in Malta from 1590 to 1595. For many years, Mannerism continued to inform the tastes and ideals of local Maltese artists.^[306]

The arrival in Malta of Caravaggio, who painted at least seven works during his 15-month stay on these islands, further revolutionised local art. Two of Caravaggio's most notable works, The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist and Saint Jerome Writing, are on display in the Conventual Church of St. John. His legacy is evident in the works of local artists Giulio Cassarino and Stefano Erardi. However, the Baroque movement that followed was destined to have the most enduring impact on Maltese art and architecture. The vault paintings of the Calabrese artist Mattia Preti transformed the Conventual Church St. John into a Baroque masterpiece. Melchior Gafà emerged as one of the top Baroque sculptors of the Roman School.^[307]

During the 17th and 18th centuries, Neapolitan and Rococo influences emerged in the works of the Italian painters Luca Giordano and Francesco Solimena, and these developments can be seen in the work of their Maltese contemporaries such as Gio Nicola Buhagiar and Francesco Zahra. The Rococo movement was greatly enhanced by the relocation to Malta of Antoine de Favray, who assumed the position of court painter to Grand Master Pinto in 1744.^[308]

Neo-classicism made some inroads among local Maltese artists in the late-18th century, but this trend was reversed in the early 19th century, as the local Church authorities – perhaps in an effort to strengthen Catholic resolve against the perceived threat of Protestantism during the early days of British rule in Malta – favoured and avidly promoted the religious themes embraced by the Nazarene movement. Romanticism, tempered by the naturalism introduced to Malta by Giuseppe Calì, informed the "salon" artists of the early 20th century, including Edward and Robert Caruana Dingli.^[309]

Parliament established the National School of Art in the 1920s. During the reconstruction period that followed World War II, the emergence of the "Modern Art Group", whose members included Josef Kalleya, George Preca, Anton Inglott, Emvin Cremona, Frank Portelli, Antoine Camilleri, Gabriel Caruana and Esprit Barthet greatly enhanced the local art scene. This group came together forming an influential pressure group known as the Modern Art Group, which played a leading role in the renewal of Maltese art. Most of Malta's modern artists have in fact studied in art institutions in England, or on the continent, leading to a diversity of artistic expression that has remained characteristic of contemporary Maltese art. In Valletta, the National Museum of Fine Arts featured work from artists such as H. Craig Hanna.^[310] In 2018 the national collection of fine arts was put on display in the new National Museum of Art, MUŻA, at Auberge d'Italie in Valletta.^[311]

Music

While Maltese music today is largely Western, traditional Maltese music includes what is known as għana. This consists of background folk guitar music, while a few people, generally men, take it in turns to argue a point in a sing-song voice. Music plays an important part in Maltese culture as each locality parades its own band club, on various occasions these being multiple per locality, and function to establish the thematic musical background to the various village feasts. The Malta Philharmonic Orchestra is recognised as Malta's foremost musical institution and is notable for being called to participate in important state events.^{[citation needed]}

Contemporary music in Malta spans a variety of styles and sports international classical talents such as Miriam Gauci and Joseph Calleja, as well as non-classical music bands such as Winter Moods, and Red Electric, and singers like Ira Losco, Fabrizio Faniello, Glen Vella, Kevin Borg, Kurt Calleja, Chiara Siracusa, and Thea Garrett.^{[citation needed]}

Literature

Documented Maltese literature is over 200 years old. However, a recently unearthed love ballad testifies to literary activity in the local tongue from the Medieval period. Malta followed a Romantic literary tradition, culminating in the works of Dun Karm Psaila, Malta's national poet. Subsequent writers like Ruzar Briffa and Karmenu Vassallo tried to estrange themselves from the rigidity of formal themes and versification.^[312]

The next generation of writers, including Karl Schembri and Immanuel Mifsud, widened the tracks further, especially in prose and poetry.^[313]

Media

The most widely read and financially the strongest newspapers are published by Allied Newspapers Ltd., mainly The Times of Malta (27 percent) and its Sunday edition The Sunday Times of Malta (51.6 percent).^{[citation needed]} Due to bilingualism half of the newspapers are published in English and the other half in Maltese. The Sunday newspaper It-Torċa ("The Torch") published by a subsidiary of the General Workers' Union, is the widest Maltese language paper. Its sister paper, L-Orizzont ("The Horizon"), is the Maltese daily with the biggest circulation. There is a high number of daily or weekly newspapers—one for every 28,000 people. Advertising, sales, and subsidies are the three main methods of financing.^[314]

There are nine terrestrial television channels in Malta: TVM, TVMNews+, Parliament TV, One, NET Television, Smash Television, F Living, TVMSport+ and Xejk.^[315] The state and political parties subsidise most of the funding of these channels. TVM, TVMNews+, and Parliament TV are operated by Public Broadcasting Services, the national broadcaster, and members of the EBU. Media.link Communications Ltd., the owner of NET Television, and One Productions Ltd., the owner of One, are affiliated with the Nationalist and Labour parties, respectively. The rest are privately owned. The Malta Broadcasting Authority has authority to supervise all local broadcasting stations and ensures their compliance with legal and licence obligations as well as the preservation of due impartiality.^[316]

The Malta Communications Authority reported that there were 147,896 pay TV subscriptions active at the end of 2012.^[317] For reference the 2011 census counts 139,583 households in Malta.^[318] Other European television networks can be received via satellite.^[319]

Cuisine

Maltese cuisine has strong Sicilian and Italian influences as well as influences of English, Spanish, Maghrebin and Provençal cuisines. Food has been important historically in the development of a national identity, in particular the traditional fenkata (i.e., the eating of stewed or fried rabbit). Potatoes are also Maltese staples.^[320]

A number of grapes are common in Malta, including Girgentina and Ġellewża. There is a large wine industry, with significant production of wines using these native grapes. A number of wines have achieved Protected Designation of Origin, with wines produced from grapes cultivated in Malta and Gozo designated as "DOK" wines (Denominazzjoni ta' l-Oriġini Kontrollata).^[321]

Sport

Football is one of the most popular sports in Malta. Other popular sports include boċċi, horse racing, gostra, regatta, water polo, clay pigeon shooting, and motorsports.^[322]

In 2018, Malta hosted its first Esports tournament, 'Supernova CS:GO Malta',^[323] a Counter-Strike: Global Offensive tournament,^[324] and became the primary location for hosting the ESL Pro League.^[325]