The eurozone is expected to remain the most popular destination for UK travellers this year, with almost 22 million people set to visit countries across the region.
The Republic of Malta is a small but heavily populated island nation in the middle of the Mediterranean. Consisting of 7 islands it is a popular tourist resort due to it's tropical climate, exciting nightlife, and a history dating back thousands of years.
Malta has been inhabited for over 7000 years since Neolithic times. Remnants of the earliest civilisations still remain on the island in the form of large stone temples at Tarxien, Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, and Gozo. Some of these temples are believed to have been erected around 1000 years before the famous pyramids of Giza and are the oldest freestanding monuments in the world. After the disappearance of the Neolithic culture around 2000BC the island was conquered by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians and Romans.
The British Throne took over Malta and for 160 years ruled the Islands. During World War II Malta was relentlessly bombed by German forces in an attempt to take over as Malta is very strategically placed for a European conflict. More bombs were dropped on Malta in two months in 1942 than on London in the whole of the blitz. Still Malta could not be conquered nor the Maltese spirit broken. This strength of character led King George VI to award the whole island the George Cross. In his message he said "To honour her brave people I award the George Cross to the Island Fortress of Malta, to bear witness to a heroism and a devotion that will long be famous in history." This award is visible on the top left corner of the Maltese Flag. In 1964 Independence was granted and Malta became a neutral republic. It was this neutrality and peacefulness that led Presidents Gorbachev and Bush to attend a summit aboard a ship anchored at Marsaxlokk bay. This summit effectively ended the Cold War. Today Malta is a member of the European Union and a popular tourist destination.
