Malta is an archipelago in central Mediterranean. It is between Sicily and the North African coast. Here we bring to 10 random facts about Malta that you need to know. Malta is known for historic sites related to a succession of rulers.
These include the Romans, Moors, Knights of St. John, French, and British. Malta has numerous fortresses, temples, a subterranean complex of halls and burial chambers dating to about 3600 BC.
Population: 423,282 (2013) World Bank
Capital: Valletta
Currency: Euro (€)
President: Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
Prime Minister: Joseph Muscat
Continent: Europe
System of Government: Parliamentary republic
Official Languages: Maltese, English, Maltese Sign Language
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Random Facts About Malta
1. LOVE CARS A LOT
Only 445,500 inhabitants! Very few roads! Very few parking spaces! But, wait for this…over 329,000 registered vehicles! And the rate of registration keeps increasing!
2. DREAM MOVIE LOCATIONS
Big budget international movies are shot on this tiny island. A good example is the Gladiators. Several scenes of this world-famous movie were shot on Malta.
3. NO ABORTION
The country is highly Roman Catholic. Malta may now be liberal on quite a number of things. But you cannot have an abortion in Malta!
4. THINGS MISSING
Malta is beautiful. Malta is a holiday maker’s dream. But Malta lacks quite a few things other countries enjoy: forests, rivers, and mountains. Malta has none of these!
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5. A NATIINAL DOG
There is a national dog! Strangely, it is not the Maltese Dog. It is the Klieb tal-Fenek…the Pharaoh Dog.
6. NO HAND-IN-HAND
You would stand out as odd if you walked hand-in-hand with your friend, male-to-male or female-to-female in Malta. You would be mistaken for gay couples.
7. STRANGE ATTITUDE
Sex involving a person with disability was viewed as a taboo in Malta. The government has made several legislation’s on this. But attitudes toward it are slow to change.
8. THE DEAD IS SALTED
Salt is put in the stomach of the dead just before being buried. This is known as being “salted for the pit.”
9. SUPERNATURAL PORTALS
In a room where a dead body is kept, all mirrors are either covered or totally removed. Mirrors are believed to be supernatural portals for the dead.
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10. HOLIDAY LOVERS
They love holidaying to a fault. They have the highest number of public holidays in Europe, totaling 14 altogether annually.