Research Project: History of Malta

Edit: 01/31/2010 Pictures added

History of Malta -- interactions with other countries and cultures;

defining national moments; Mediterranean? European?; role of Catholic
church; architecture; etc. plus current population demographics

Maltese Demographics:

The country of Malta consists of the three inhabited islands

of Malta, Gozo and Comino although it should be noted that there are quite a few more

islands that are significantly smaller and uninhabited. The islands are formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and Northern Africa.

Population: ~400,000 (extremely high population density at only 121 square miles)

Capital: Valletta (~half the population of Malta)

Religious affiliation: Roman Catholic 91-98%

Primary Ethnic Groups: Maltese with th

e seco

nd most population being British

Currency: The Euro (~1.36 USD: 1 Euro)

Current Maltese Flag:

(1) (2)

(3) (4)

The Maltese flag (1) was adopted September 21, 1964, the same day as Malta’s independence from Great Britain (2). The vertical white and red colors have their origins from the badge of the Knights of St. John (3)

When researching the Maltese flag, picture (4) came up on many occasions and you will notice the 4 white

arrows pointing to the center, a clear reference to the badge of the Knights of St. John(3).

Architecture:

http://www.youtube.com/

watch?v=FA3UPqX-b14

After watching the aerial fly-through of Vall

etta, the capital city of Malta, it is clear that some type of limestone dominates the architectural layout of the buildings. The buildings here are very monochromatic and demonstrate the Baroque style found in Rome, Italy. The Baroque styl

e is characteristic of high ceilings, minute details and the most common shape of choice is the oval. To demonstrate these styles please note the pictures below of St. Johns Co-Cathedral located in Valletta, Malta. This cathedral exemplifies the Baroque style and was built in the late 16^th century following the establishment of the Knights of Malta.

The Roman Catholic Church took to this style

of architecture due to its larger than life feel, creating an awe-inspiring display of craftsmanship commitment to the smallest of details.

With the peaceful takeover by the British at the onset of the 19^th century, the style of architecture shifted away from the High Baroque style to a more “modern” style of neoclassical. Simply put, the lavish and dramatic architectural style of the Baroque era gave way to a more symmetrical, simple (by comparison), and calm architectural appearance of the neoclassical era brought from the British. One thing to note here is the differences are far more profound on the inside of the building as opposed to the façade or outside of the

building. To the untrained eye, these styles look similar but once you enter the building the architectural differences should become clear and distinct. A neoclassical example is provided below using the Rotunda of St. Marija Assunta (also referred to as “The Mosta Dome”) (5). This style is clearly an imitation of the world famous Pantheon of Rome, Italy (6).

(5) (6)

Sources:

Demographics

http://www.fact-index.com/d/de/demographics_of_malta.html

Flag Information

http://www.worldflags101.com/m/malta-flag.aspx

http://www.worldatlas.com/webimage/flags/countrys/europe/malta.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malta

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Venerable_Order_of_Saint_John

Architecture

http://www.airmalta.com/baroque_malta?l=1

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FA3UPqX-b14

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/St._John's_Co-Cathedral

http://www.victorborg.com/html/architecture_malta___gozo.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rotunda_of_Mosta

http://www.mmdtkw.org/RT04-Pantheon.html

http://www.crystalinks.com/romepantheon.html