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Malta Facts & Worksheets

Formerly known as Melita, Malta is an archipelagic island country located in Southern Europe, floating in the Mediterranean Sea.

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Formerly known as Melita, Malta is an archipelagic island country located in Southern Europe, floating in the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of size, Malta is classified as the world’s tenth smallest country in area. It is also the fourth most densely populated sovereign country.

See the fact file below for more information on the Malta or alternatively, you can download our 26-page Malta worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GENERAL FACTS

  • Republic of Malta is the official name of Malta.
  • Malta’s motto is Virtute et constantia or “With strength and consistency.”
  • The capital city of Malta is Valletta, the smallest national capital found in the European Union. The city of Valletta has an area of 0.8km².
  • Valletta is located on the main island of Malta (which is also named Malta), on its South East side.
  • As of 2019, the population of Valletta is 5,827.
  • Valletta was established on March 28, 1566 and declared capital city on March 18, 1571.
  • The official languages of Malta are English and Maltese.
  • Malta solely subscribes to Catholicism.
  • Malta is governed as a Unitary, Parliamentary, Constitutional republic.
  • The flag of Malta features a bicolor design—featuring two colors—of white in the hoist (left side) and red in the fly (right side.)
  • On the flag’s canton (top-left corner), a depiction of the George Cross lies; awarded by George VI to Malta in 1942.
  • The colors of Malta’s flag were given by Roger I of Sicily in 1090.

DEMOGRAPHICS

  • According to a 2019 estimate, the Republic of Malta has a population of 514,564.
  • The population of Malta has a density of 1,633/km².
  • The demonym used to refer to the citizens of Malta is Maltese.
  • One of the official languages of Malta is Maltese language, a Semitic language—a branch of the Afroasiatic language family. It serves as an official language of the European Union.
  • 66% of the Maltese populace uses Italian language for conversational purposes.
  • 79% of Malta’s population consists of native Maltese, 21% are non-Maltese.

GEOGRAPHY

  • The island country of Malta has a total area of 316 km² or 122 sq mi.
  • Malta is an archipelago — a country consisting of separate islands — in the central region of the Mesiterranean.
  • Malta is made up of three major islands: Malta (main island), Gozo (Ghawdex) and Comino (Kemmina); these islands are all inhabited.
  • The Maltese archipelago lies on the African tectonic plate, and for centuries, was categorized as an island of North Africa.
  • The island scape of Malta provides several bays and indented coastlines, and so several harbours are established in Malta.
  • The highest point in Malta is Ta’ Dmejrek, located on the Dingli Cliffs; it is elevated at 253 meters or 830 feet.

ETYMOLOGY

  • It is uncertain where the name Malta came from.
  • However, the etymology of the word Malta was traced back to the Greek word “meli” which simply means “honey.”
  • In fact, the Greeks referred to the island by the name Melitē meaning “honey-sweet.”
  • The Greek name probably resulted from Malta’s distinct honey production, as an endemic subspecies of bees inhabits the archipelago.
  • Melita was the name used by the Romans when referring to Malta, which could simply be a Latinisation of the Greek word Melitē.
  • The name Malta possibly came from the Phoenician word Maleth which means “a haven” or “port.”

HISTORY

  • The earliest inhabitants of Malta could be traced back to as early as 26,000 years ago.
  • The geographical location of Malta provided a strategic advantage in establishing a naval base.
  • Several forces ruled Malta throughout History: the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John, French, and British. All of them used the archipelagic structure of the islands for their advantage.
  • Malta is a country that has been practicing Christianity since the beginning, however, the country became predominantly Muslim during the Arab reign.
  • The Arab rule still tolerated Christianity as well.
  • Malta was colonised by Great Britain in 1813.
  • During the British rule, Malta served as a naval station and a headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet.
  • During the second world war, Malta was besieged by the Axis powers.
  • Malta served as an important Allied base in the Mediterranean during WWII.
  • The State of Malta was founded on September 21, 1964, through the Malta Independence Act passed by the British Parliament. Queen Elizabeth II was the head of state and the queen.
  • The Republic of Malta was established on December 13, 1974.
  • Since Malta declared independence, it has always been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations as well.
  • Malta became a part of the European Union in 2004.
  • In 2008, Malta became a part of the eurozone monetary union.

CULTURE

  • Malta’s culture has been influenced by its colonizers, from the Phoenicians to the British.
  • Traditional music of Malta is called ghana: consisting of folk guitar as a background and men arguing in a sing-song voice.
  • Malta’s national poet is Dun Karm Psaila, and many poets followed him in writing Maltese literature.
  • Numerous temples are found in Malta built by the Neolithic temple builders from 3800 BCE. These temples feature paintings, portraits, ceramics, and sculptures, including the Venus of Malta.
  • A tradition of making Maltese lace or bizzilla exists. Bizzilla is a bobbin lace of the filet-guipure variety.
  • Filigree is crafting in gold and silver. Ganutilja is an example of Filigree, a gold and silver ornamental flower.
  • The de-facto national sport in Malta is football. Maltese people follow English and Italian matches.

LANDMARKS

  • Ggantija Temple — built in Gozo during the neolithic age.
  • Azure Window — found in Gozo, a natural bridge that sadly, collapsed in March 2017.
  • Dingli Cliffs — tall cliffs in Northern Malta that are up to 250 meters high.
  • Skorba Temples — remnants of temples in Northern Malta, built around 3600 BCE.
  • Tarxien Temples — group of three temples in Southern Malta, built around 3250-3000 BCE.

Malta Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Malta across 26 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use Malta worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about the Malta which is an archipelagic island country located in Southern Europe, floating in the Mediterranean Sea. In terms of size, Malta is classified as the world’s tenth smallest country in area. It is also the fourth most densely populated sovereign country.

Complete List Of Included Worksheets

  • Malta Facts
  • Positioning the Past
  • Mapping Malta
  • Captioning Pictures
  • Compiling Culture
  • Checking Off Influence
  • Spotting Facts
  • Searching Colonizers
  • Matching Symbols
  • Describing Landmarks
  • Touring Malta

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Link will appear as Malta Facts & Worksheets: https://kidskonnect.com - KidsKonnect, September 13, 2020

Use With Any Curriculum

These worksheets have been specifically designed for use with any international curriculum. You can use these worksheets as-is, or edit them using Google Slides to make them more specific to your own student ability levels and curriculum standards.

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