In Europe, there are many "pocket countries" with a land area of less than 10,000 square kilometers, but they are very rich, such as Luxembourg, which always ranks first in the world in terms of per capita GDP, Monaco, which is rich everywhere, and Malta, the only "four-in-one" country in the world...
Malta is the only country in the world with the quadruple identity of "EU countries, Schengen countries, euro area and Commonwealth countries", it is located in the center of the Mediterranean and is known as the "heart of the Mediterranean".
Although Malta covers an area of only 316 square kilometers, in recent years, with many advantages such as non-migration, low investment threshold, and diversified identity planning, it has become a popular identity investment country in Europe!
If you're also interested in Maltese identity, let's get a first look at life in Malta!
Malta Region
Malta is an island country located in the center of the Mediterranean, the whole territory consists of Malta Island (main island) and Gozo and other small islands, of which Malta Island is the largest, with an area of 245.73 square kilometers, with many natural harbors, the second largest island is Gozo, with an area of 67.08 square kilometers.
Main Island:
Located 90 kilometers south of Sicily, Italy, with an area of 246 square kilometers (the size of Yunnan Erhai), a population of about 300,000, the main city is Valletta, the capital of Malta, and the official languages are English and Maltese.
In addition to the capital Valletta, Sliema, on the east coast of the main island, is also a famous shopping and leisure center in the area, with a variety of restaurants, bars, cafes and hotels, and is also home to many global clothing brands, known as Malta's "shopping paradise".
In addition, there are the seaside towns of Marsascala and Marsaxlokk, a mile away, with amazing sea views and fresh seafood at the Marsaxlokk fish market.
Gozo:
Located about 5 km northwest of the main island of Malta, it is the second largest island in Malta with an area of 67 square kilometers. It is separated from the main island by the tiny island of Comino, and there are ships to the main island of Malta. Compared to the main island of Malta, Gozo is less developed and has a smaller population of only about 31,000.
Known as the "Garden of Malta", Gozo is a European weekend getaway where you can rent a variety of high-end and low-end hotels, as well as even a classic manor. Due to its low level of development, Gozo is the first choice for many locals to buy second homes and holiday homes.
Major economic industries
Malta is one of the few developed countries in the world, with stable annual economic growth of more than 6%, abundant employment opportunities, unemployment below the level of the European Union, and the only "four-in-one" country in the world.
From the perspective of industrial structure, Malta's core industry is the service industry, the main industries are tourism and finance, the development of tourism accounts for more than 30% of GDP, the financial industry is developing rapidly, there are 25 international banks in Malta to carry out related business, can be called Europe's "financial island".
In addition, the local real estate construction industry has also entered a rapid development since 2013, and Maltese house prices have risen rapidly in recent years.
At present, the country is also strengthening the development of high-tech industries, and a smart city has been set up in the southern region, and Microsoft, Huawei and other companies have settled in, and IT, games, finance and other industries have driven the further development of the local economy.
International traffic
Malta is located in the south of Europe, mainly by plane to other European countries, there are many flights between Malta and other European countries every day, and Malta is located at the crossroads of Asia, Africa and Europe, is an important transportation transit point, there are many flights to major cities and regions.
The general flight time from Malta to Europe is between 1-3 hours, to farther Nordic and Western European countries is generally 3 hours, to Italy is a little more than 1 hour. Book your ticket in advance from a low-cost airline, and the return cost is around 30-100 euros.
In addition, Malta also has ferries to neighboring countries such as Sicily, Italy, Greece, which is only 90 nautical miles from Sicily, and it is generally two hours by boat, plus Malta belongs to the Schengen country, with a Schengen visa can travel to Italy, Greece and other countries without visa.
Number of local Chinese
It is reported that Malta currently has more than 10,000 Chinese, which is not much compared to the number of Chinese in other countries, but it is not much in terms of proportion.
Chinese work in a variety of industries, with many running TCM halls, Chinese supermarkets and Chinese restaurants, as well as working as translators or working for local and Chinese foreign companies.
Malta and China have maintained friendly relations since the establishment of diplomatic relations in 1972, and there are not only Chinese cultural centers, Confucius Institutes, Mediterranean Chinese medicine centers in Malta, but also Soviet-style gardens funded by the Chinese government. Every Chinese traditional festival, Malta also holds celebrations such as lion and dragon dances with Chinese characteristics, which Chinese very popular and respected locally.
Malta's education system
Malta is known as the "European High-quality Learning Area" by the European Union, as a former dependency of the United Kingdom, Malta belongs to one of the Commonwealth countries, so its education system, teaching content, teaching philosophy are all following the British tradition.
Malta's public and private schools provide children with 16 years of free public education (from primary school to university), which can also be enjoyed by foreign students with permanent residence status in Malta.
Although Malta has an area of only 316 square kilometers, there are about 340 local schools of various types, with an average of one school per kilometer, and the per capita education resources are among the world's leading levels. Read more: What is education like in Malta, known as the "European Quality Learning Area"? Check it out!
Malta's healthcare system
In the world medical system ranking released by the World Health Organization, Malta ranks fifth in the world, much higher than the United Kingdom, the United States, Australia and Canada, and residents only need to pay about 300 euros of medical insurance per year, and can enjoy most medical services for free in major public hospitals.
And as early as the 70s of the 20th century, China and Malaysia began to jointly open Chinese medicine and acupuncture centers, and in 1994 the "Mediterranean Chinese Medicine Center" in Malta was established, so far, it has received tens of thousands of patients.
In 2008, the TCM Clinic of St. Mary's Hospital Malta was opened, which also means that TCM officially entered the EU national hospital. For Chinese immigrants, the convenience and adaptability to local life is better!