"Malta An Island Of History ! ! !" a Malta Travel Page by babettu

Many holiday destinations either cater for people who want to spend their holiday lazying about on sunny beaches or else they cater for all those culture vultures. Unlike many countries Malta manages to hit two birds with one stone!
Whatever your holiday style is, Malta offers sun-drenched beaches, crystal blue waters, and an overflowing culture dating back to the stone ages.
The locals are very friendly and helpful and having English as our second language is very advantageous as it facilitates communication. Malta is a small island and so it is very easy to explore and buses pass very frequently. Compared to other countries, Malta is extremely safe so visitors do not need to keep an open eye for any potential hazards.
In addition to this, Malta is reknowned for its nightlife, in particular the town of Paceville which boasts an abundant supply of pubs and discotheques.

Located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, the Maltese archipelago basically consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. Their total population in 2003 was 399,867.
Valletta, the capital, is the cultural, administrative and commercial centre of the archipelago. Malta is well served with harbours, chief of which is the Valletta Grand Harbour. Malta's international airport is situated five kilometres from the capital.
The second largest island, Gozo is topographically quite different from Malta. Quaintly attractive for its less industrialised way of life, Gozo can be reached from Malta by ferry-boat from Cirkewwa and Pieta, near Valletta, and by helicopter from the airport.
Comino, Cominotto, Filfla and St Paul's Islet are the other major features of the archipelago. Of these, only Comino, straddled between Malta and Gozo, sustains a very tiny population. Turned into a popular resort because of a couple of very fine beaches, Comino can be reached from Cirkewwa, either by boat or by excursion ferries during the summer months.

Physical Features: Malta has no mountains or rivers. A series of low hills with terraced fields on the slopes characterise the Island.
The coastline of Malta is well indented, thus providing numerous harbours, bays, creeks, sandy beaches and rocky coves. The length of the shoreline round Malta is 136 km, and 43km round Gozo.

Climate: It is the climate, more than anything else, that has made Malta an important tourist resort in the centre of the Mediterranean. The total annual rainfall is about 50cm (20 ins). The average winter temperature is 12o C (54o F.) There are really only two seasons in Malta: the dry summer season, and the mild winter season. The average rainfall is 578 mm (22.756 ins). Rain rarely, if ever, falls during the summer months.