In the last issue of the "National Series", we introduced: "The Country of Cocoa" Ghana: it has the world's largest artificial lake, rich in gold and other mineral resources. Today we look from Ghana on the coast of the Gulf of Guinea in Africa, north through Ghana, through the vast savannah region of Africa, into the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, and through the world's largest desert, to the blue Mediterranean sea, to the central Mediterranean sea, to introduce the 39th country, the "heart of the Mediterranean" Malta: a scenic Mediterranean island country, a place where soldiers must fight.
Malta, the "heart of the Mediterranean"
Malta is the abbreviation of the "Republic of Malta", Malta belongs to the southern European region of Europe, located in the central sea of the Mediterranean Sea, the north is the Italian island of Sicily, about 90 kilometers away from Sicily, Malta is located in the east of the Tunisia Strait, about 333 kilometers to the south is The African Libya, is an important node of transportation between the eastern and western parts of the Mediterranean Sea, known as the "Heart of the Mediterranean", the strategic position of transportation is very important. Malta is a micro-country, its territory is mainly composed of malta island, Gozo island, comino island, commino island and Fervra island, of which malta island area of about 246 square kilometers, is the largest of which the island, Malta the total area of the country is about 316 square kilometers, the area ranks tenth from the bottom of the world, that is, the tenth smallest country in the world.
Map of the geographical location of Malta
However, in Europe, a region of small countries, there are many countries that are smaller than Malta, such as the Vatican, Monaco, San Marino and Liechtenstein, which are smaller than Malta. Malta is not only very small in size, but also has a small population, with a total population of about 480,000 people, although the number of people is definitely not large, but it is not easy for such a small country, malta's population density is about 1518 people per square kilometer, the population is very dense. From the latitude and longitude position, Malta is located around 14° east longitude to 14.5° east longitude, and from the time zone point of view, it belongs to the eastern first region and belongs to the eastern hemisphere.
Malta scenery
In terms of latitude, Malta is located around 36° north latitude, belonging to the subtropical region of the northern temperate zone, and due to its location in the western part of Eurasia, it belongs to the Mediterranean climate. In summer, due to the northward shift of the air pressure belt wind belt, Malta is controlled by the subtropical high pressure belt, the prevailing sinking air flow, the precipitation is scarce, and the climatic characteristics are characterized by high temperature and little rain; in winter, due to the southward shift of the air pressure belt wind belt, Malta is controlled by the prevailing westerly wind belt, which brings warm and humid air in the Atlantic, bringing precipitation to Malta, and the climatic characteristics are mostly mild and humid. The average temperature in Malta is about 25 °C in summer, about 15 °C in winter and about 21.3 °C in the whole year.
Map of Malta
Malta's average annual precipitation is about 560 mm, which is a sub-humid land area, and due to its small land area and large population, Malta's freshwater resources are very scarce, and about 55% of the country's domestic water comes from desalination. The capital of Malta is the port city of Valletta, located on the island of Malta, which is the largest port in the country, with a population of about 10,000 people, and is the political, commercial and cultural center of Malta. Malta's history dates back to 5000 BC, and the "Maltese Megalithic Temple" is Malta's famous Stone Age relic, older than the Egyptian pyramids. By the 10th century BC, the Phoenicians began to settle in Malta, and then in the 8th century BC, Malta was occupied by the Greeks.
Valletta, the capital of Malta
Obviously, whoever wanted to control the Mediterranean route had to control the geographical location and its importance of Malta, so the history of Malta was very complicated, and by the 4th century BC, Malta was occupied by Carthage. By 217 AD, the mighty Roman Empire had incorporated Malta into its territory and brought prosperity to Malta. From the 9th century onwards, Malta was ruled by the Byzantine, Arab and Norman empires. In 1523, the "Knights of St. John" moved from Rhode Island to this place, which is the predecessor of the current "Knights of Malta", after which France and Britain occupied Malta, and then until September 21, 1964, after World War II, Malta officially declared its independence.
Aerial photography of Malta
At present, Malta is a developed country, the industrial structure is dominated by the tertiary industry, of which the service industry and financial industry are its pillar industries, and the use of its own island scenery to develop tourism is an important source of its foreign exchange. Malta's gdp in 2019 was about US$14.7 billion, with GDP per capita of about US$30,000. Malta's social security system is very complete, the implementation of free education, free medical care and retirement insurance system, is a high standard of living, the natural scenery is very beautiful island small country, so Malta is also known as "European countryside".
Malta cityscape