Kingdom of Malta Comino Gozo

Kingdom of Malta Comino Gozo Renju ta ’Malta f’Kemmuna Għawdexcode: mlt promoted to code: mt
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: 'Jipprevalixxu permezz tal-Ikel, l-Għerf u l-Libertà' Prevail through Food, Wisdom and Liberty
Anthem: 'Innu Nazzjonali ta' Malta Kemmuna Għawdexcode: mlt promoted to code: mt Royal anthem: TBDcode: mlt promoted to code: mt
Capital and largest city	Valletta
Official languages	Maltese English
Recognised regional languages	English
Government	Constitutional Monarchy
• Monarch	King William I
• Prime Minister	Robert Abela
Legislature	Parliament of Malta Comino Gozo
Formation
• First Settlers	5900 BC
• Establishment of Kingdom (Foundation Day)	June 29, 1400
• The Great Raid	July 1513,
• Founding Member of WMCA	17th May 2021
Population
• 2024 estimate	519,873
• 2022 census	514,564
• Density	1,562/km2 (4,045.6/sq mi)
GDP (PPP)	2020 estimate
• Total	468 (14th)
• Per capita	$48,495 (8th)
GDP (nominal)	2020 estimate
• Total	$14.65 billion (4th)
• Per capita	$38,300 (5th)
Gini	21.2 low
HDI	0.923 very high
Currency	Florin (ƒ) (MCGF)
Time zone	UTC+0 - +2
Date format	dd/mm/yyyy (AD)
Driving side	left
Calling code	+818

Malta Comino Gozo, officially the Kingdom of Malta Comino Gozo, is an island country consisting of an archipelago of around 22 islands in the Mediterranean Sea. The country has two official languages, Maltese and English.

Malta Comino Gozo has been inhabited since approximately 5900 BC. Its location has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, with a succession of powers having contested and ruled the islands, including the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John. Most of these foreign influences have left some sort of mark on the country's ancient culture.

With a population of about 514,566 over an area of 316 km2 Malta Comino Gozo is one of the world's smallest countries in area and the fourth-most densely populated sovereign country. Its capital is Valletta. According to the data from 2020 by WMCAstat, the Functional Urban Area and metropolitan region covered the whole island of Malta and has a population of 480,134, Gozo, 33,432 and Comino just over 1000. According to the World Assembly, "the whole territory of the island of Malta constitutes a single urban region". Malta Comino Gozo is often referred to as a city-state.

Before its founding as a Kingdom, the Nobility of Malta Comino Gozo resided in or around Mitżieb. In terms of the regional divisions of the islands, Malta Island was part the Valle di Mazzara province, Gozo was part of the Valle di Demona province and Comino was part of the Valle di Noto province. Malta became a Kingdom in 1400, with Guglielmo Raimondo I Moncada as its King, serving as a station for naval trade for the various empires at the time. It was besieged by several pirate raids throughout its history the deadliest in 1513 which killed around 5000 people (1/4 of the population).

Malta Comino Gozo has had Christians since the time of Early Christianity, though was predominantly Muslim while under Arab rule, at which time Christians were tolerated. Muslim rule ended with the invasion of MCG by Roger I in 1091. Today the islands are predominately Catholicism (the state religion) at about 60%, with Anglican behind at 38%, but the Constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship.

Malta Comino Gozo is a well-known tourist destination with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, sandy beaches, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Old Town Valletta, and seven megalithic temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.

Geography

Malta Comino Gozo is an archipelago consisting of 39 islands, islets and shallow sandbars. Only the three largest islands—Malta (Malta), Gozo (Għawdex), and Comino (Kemmuna)—are inhabited. The islands of the archipelago lie on the Malta plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of an ancient land bridge after the last ice age.

Numerous bays along the indented rugged coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The landscape consists of low rolling hills with terraced fields. The highest point in the country is Gelmus, at 371 m (1217.19ft), in the centre of the island of Malta. Although there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall, there are no permanent rivers. There are 2 very small lakes. "Ftit lake" or Little lake on Gozo and Lake Valletta on Malta. However, some watercourses have fresh water running all year round at Doqot Drit and Mosatra in Malta and at Lunzjata Valley in Gozo. The islands are home to one national park which is home to the national animal the Sloth Bear. Mediterranean woodlands account for 20% of the land area, urban areas account for 40% of the land, 10% of the land is arable, and 30% is arid scrubland with rocky limestone outcrops. The islands are naturally hilly in the centres with mostly flat land towards the western coast of the island of Malta. Many bays can be found along its coast. Most of the coastline is rugged, though two of the island's biggest sandy beaches can be found at Valletta Bay and Foreign Sands. Several smaller beaches can be found dotted on the west coast of Malta as well Comino and Gozo. Other notable islands include Għain on the nations Western side, uninhabited it is littered with arid shrubland and palm forests.

The island of Gozo is generally flatter with a few rolling hills and gentle pastures. Comino is relatively flat but the largest cliffs in the country rising to over 100m high are located on its western side. The east of the country is littered with coral reefs and low lying sandbars which form a natural protection against high waves. Sadly many of these were washed away during the Storm surge of 2020 but were later remade from dredged-up sand from the seabed in Valletta Bay.

Its maritime claims of the territorial sea are 12 nmi (22.2 km; 13.8 mi), the contiguous zone is 24 nmi (44.4 km; 27.6 mi), the continental shelf is 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation, and Malta Comino Gozo's exclusive fishing zone spans 25 nmi (46.3 km; 28.8 mi).

The two islands of Malta and Gozo are separated by a few hundred metres of water, which is about a mile wide at its widest point. A small bridge was built to connect the 2 islands in the 1930s before a newer double-decker road and train bridge was built in the late 70s.

Phytogeographically, Malta belongs to the Liguro-Tyrrhenian province of the Mediterranean Region within the Boreal Kingdom. According to the WWF, the territory of Malta Comino Gozo belongs to the terrestrial ecoregion of Tyrrhenian-Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests. Over 92% of the population lives in the Valletta Metropolitan urban area which includes the towns of Laqba, Balluha, Marsahick, Santa Lucia and Swatar Bay.

The rock layers in Malta Comino Gozo are relatively flat-lying, with the exception of zones where the rock has been folded close to faults. Soil is extremely shallow on most of the islands and due to this only hardy water resistant crops are grown.

Climate

Malta Comino Gozo has a Mediterranean climate according to the Köppen climate classification (Csa), with very mild winters and warm to hot summers. Rain occurs mainly in winter, with summer generally dry. According to the Troll-Paffen climate classification and the Siegmund/Frankenberg climate classification, the nation lies within the subtropical zone.

The average yearly temperature is around 23 °C (73 °F) during the day and 15.5 °C (59.9 °F) at night. In the coldest month – January – the typical maximum temperature ranges from 12 to 18 °C (54 to 64 °F) during the day and a minimum of 5 to 12 °C (41 to 54 °F) at night. In the warmest month – August – the typical maximum temperature ranges from 28 to 34 °C (82 to 93 °F) but temperatures can exceed 40°C (104 °F) during the day and a minimum of 20 to 24 °C (68 to 75 °F) at night. In March and December, average temperatures are around 17 °C (63 °F) during the day and 11 °C (52 °F) at night.[166] Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. Snow is very rare on the island although various snowfalls have been recorded in the last century, the last one was reported in various locations across Malta Comino Gozo in 2014.

The average annual sea temperature is 20 °C (68 °F), from 15–16 °C (59–61 °F) in February to 26 °C (79 °F) in August. In the 6 months – from June to November – the average sea temperature exceeds 20 °C (68 °F).[168][169][170]

The annual average relative humidity is high, averaging 75%, ranging from 65% in July (morning: 78% evening: 53%) to 80% in December (morning: 83% evening: 73%).

Sunshine duration hours total around 3,000 per year, from an average of 5.2 hours of sunshine duration per day in December to an average above 12 hours in July.

Flora and Fauna

The islands are home to a wide diversity of indigenous, sub-endemic and endemic plants. They feature many traits typical of a Mediterranean climate, such as drought resistance. The most common indigenous trees on the islands are olive (Olea europaea), carob (Ceratonia siliqua), fig (ficus carica), holm oak (Quericus ilex) Prickly Pear cactuses and Aleppo pine (Pinus halepensis), while the most common non-native trees are eucalyptus, acacia and opuntia. Endemic plants include the national flower widnet il-baħar (Cheirolophus crassifolius), sempreviva ta' Malta (Helichrysum melitense), żigland t' Għawdex (Hyoseris frutescens) and ġiżi ta' Malta (Matthiola incana subsp. melitensis) while sub-endemics include kromb il-baħar (Jacobaea maritima subsp. sicula) and xkattapietra (Micromeria microphylla). The flora and biodiversity of Malta Comino Gozo are under threat from human intervention, though huge reforestation projects have taken place over the last few years bringing the total woodland from 15% in 2011 to 20% in 2022. Of the 10,000 estimated terrestrial and freshwater species in the archipelago, 78 are endemic with 55 of these being animal species.

The biggest animal by far to be found here is the native sloth bear, a genus found only in the archipelago. Sloth bears are solitary creatures and generally nocturnal. They grow up to 5 feet in length, and males can weigh up to 310 pounds, while females weigh up to 210 pounds. When threatened they respond by standing on their hind legs and showing their formidable foreclaws. Attacks are rare. There are estimated to be around 5000 breeding pairs. The Desert Hamster, Common Weasel, African Hedgehog, European Rabbits and 6 bat species are native to the islands. Many types of turtles, tortoises, insects like butterflies and several varieties of lizards and snakes are also found. Common varieties of Mediterranean fish, as well as the seal and porpoise, inhabit the surrounding waters. The avifauna of MCG includes a total of 400 species including Cranes, Herons, Wildfowl, Ducks and Geese, Ibises, Flycatchers, Pigeons, Flamingoes, Kestrels, Buzzards, Auks, Murres, and Puffins too name a few. The islands are home to three species of venomous scorpions – European, Mediterranean yellow, and the Maltese.

Demographics

Religion

Malta Comino Gozo is a very religious country. Around 60% of the population is Roman Catholic, while 38% is Anglican. The remaining 2% is made up of Atheists, Muslims, Orthodox Christians and Jews. Catholicism is the state religion and there are around 368 churches in the country. Royal ceremonies are conducted in St Marks Cathedral in Valletta. There is also 1 Mosque located on the outskirts of Valletta for the Alezian populations residing in the country as well as one small synagogue.

Languages

Malta Comino Gozo has two official languages, Maltese and English.

Culture

Music

Despite its small size, Malta Comino Gozo has a huge reputation on the world's stage when it comes to music. The nation first debuted in the WorldVision Song Contest at the 76th edition held in The Achaean Republic. The country has won the contest six times. The first win came in Milano in WorldVision 84 before three consecutive wins in WorldVision 89, WorldVision 90 and WorldVision 91 making them the first nation to win three contests back to back. The most recent win was in Worldvision 102. The country has finished in the top 10, 21 times out of 26 appearances. Malta Comino Gozo has also hosted the contest three times, in 78, 85 and 96.

As well as the WorldVision Song Contest, Malta Comino Gozo has also taken part in The World Hit Festival that started with rather little success with their best result coming in WHF51 where the nation finished in second place. The country succeeded in many top five results before withdrawing from several contests citing financial issues mixed with low viewing figures before returning to the competition in WHF65 and going on to win host the following festival. Malta Comino Gozo has also appeared in two of the Junior World Hit Festival contests.

Some of the country's most famous artists/singers include

• 5ive
• Angla
• Aris Mooe
• Bradley Gauchi
• Brooke Galea
• Cika Mizzi
• Erba Sekondi ta Sajf
• Glen Ferguson
• Kartha Gewart
• Lewis Sarucino
• Paloma Fennech
• Pallix
• Marcelo Cutajar
• Monsieur Disbelief
• Nikki Xerri
• Scorpion
• Sidney Vella and Olivia Wilson
• Unnamed Static