Portal:Malta

The Malta Portal Flag of Malta Coat of Arms of Malta Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, is a small island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands (Malta, Gozo (Għawdex) Comino (Kemmuna) Filfla, Cominotto (Kemmunett) Manoel, Selmunett (St.Paul's Islands)) in the Mediterranean Sea. A country of Southern Europe, Malta lies south of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. The country's official languages are Maltese and English. Roman Catholicism is the most practised religion. The islands constituting the Maltese nation have been ruled by various powers and fought over by many states for centuries. Malta has been a member state of the European Union (EU) since 2004 and it is currently the smallest EU country both in population and in area. More about Malta... Selected Article St. John's Co-Cathedral, located in Valletta, Malta, was built by the Knights of Malta between 1573 and 1578 having been commissioned in 1572 by Grand Master Jean de la Cassière as the conventual church of the Order of the Knights Hospitaller of St John, known as the Knights of Malta. The Church was designed by the Maltese military architect Gerolamo Cassar who has designed several of the more prominent buildings in Valletta. The severe exterior of the Cathedral, built immediately after the ending of the Great Siege of 1565, is reminiscent of a military fort.The inside is in sharp contrast to the facade as the extremely ornate interior decorated in the height of the Baroque period. The inside was largely decorated by Mattia Preti, the Calabrian artist and Knight. Preti designed the intricate carved stone walls and painted the vaulted ceiling and side altars with scenes from the life of St John. Noteworthy is the fact that the carving was all undertaken in-place (in-stu) rather than being carved independently and then attached to the walls (stucco). The Maltese limestone from which the Cathedral is built lends itself particularly well to such intricate carving. Near the main entrance one finds the monument of Grandmaster Fra Marc'Antonio Zondadari from Siena. He was the nephew of Pope Alexander VII. (more...) Selected Locality Dingli (or Ħad-Dingli) is a small town in the west coast of Malta, with a population of 3,326 persons, 13 kilometers from the capital Valletta and two kilometers from the nearest city, Rabat. The village lies on a plateau some 250 metres above sea level, which is the highest point of Malta. The area provides not only open sea views over the tiny, uninhabited isle of Filfla, but also an excellent vantage point over Malta. From the cliffs there are views inland of nearby Buskett Gardens and Verdala Palace. The countryside here is ideal for walking. (more...) Selected Picture Photo credit: Jean-Christophe Benoist The Rotunda of St Marija Assunta is in Mosta, Malta and was designed by George Grongnet. Its dome is among the largest in the world, with a diameter of 37 meters (122ft). Grongnet's plans were closely based on the Pantheon in Rome. The building started in May 1833 and was not finished until the 1930s. The original church was left in place while the Rotunda was built around it allowing the local people to still have a place of worship while the new church was built. On April 9, 1942, during an afternoon air-raid, a 200kg Luftwaffe bomb pierced the dome (two others bounced off) and fell among the congregation of more than 300 people, awaiting early evening mass. It did not explode. Its replica is now on display inside the Rotunda. Did you know ...that Malta boasts the oldest free-standing structures in the world? UNESCO World Heritage Sites Ġgantija Ħaġar Qim Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni Mnajdra Megalithic Temples of Malta Valletta Categories Category puzzle Select [►] to view subcategories Malta Malta-related lists Buildings and structures in Malta Culture of Malta Economy of Malta Education in Malta Environment of Malta Geography of Malta Government of Malta Health in Malta History of Malta Organisations based in Malta Maltese people Politics of Malta Society of Malta Sport in Gzira Images of Malta Malta stubs Malta topics History Prehistory | Phoenicians and Carthaginians | Roman | Arab rule | Norman and Sicilian rule | Hospitaller rule | Great Siege | French occupation | British protectorate | British colony | Siege of Malta (World War II) | George Cross Award | Independence | EU Membership Geography Caves of Malta | Fortifications of Malta | Maps of Malta | Islands of Malta | List of cities in Malta Politics Constitution of Malta | President of Malta | House of Representatives of Malta | Political parties | Foreign relations | Elections | Local Councils of Malta | Armed Forces of Malta Economy Maltese Lira (Coins of the Maltese lira) | Euro (Maltese Euro Coins ) | Companies | Central Bank of Malta | Retailing in Malta | Trade unions in Malta Demographics Languages (Maltese, English) | Catholic Church (Archbishop of Malta) Culture Music | Cuisine | Theatres in Malta | Maltese literature Other Communications| Transportation | Universities | Flag | Coat of Arms of Malta | Flags and symbols of Malta | Holidays | List of Maltese people | Malta exiles Related Portals Things You Can Do TASKS Expand stubs: Geography stubs · People stubs · Malta stubs in general Help us extend these stubs and make them real articles! Categorize: Help us categorize Maltese-related articles WikiProjects: Have a look at WikiProject Malta. Wikipedia in Maltese There is a Maltese version of Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Associated Wikimedia The following Wikimedia Foundation sister projects provide more on this subject: Commons Free media repository Wikibooks Free textbooks and manuals Wikidata Free knowledge base Wikinews Free-content news Wikiquote Collection of quotations Wikisource Free-content library Wikiversity Free learning tools Wikivoyage Free travel guide Wiktionary Dictionary and thesaurus Discover Wikipedia using portals List of all portals The arts portal Biography portal Current events portal Geography portal History portal Mathematics portal Science portal Society portal Technology portal Random portal WikiProject Portals