Malta

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Country Name

Malta, officially known as the Republic of Malta, and formerly Melita.

Location

Malta is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island nation is located east of Tunisia, and about 100 km (60 mi) south of the island of Sicily- Italy. It shares maritime borders with Libya and Italy.

Capital

Valletta.

Reason for Naming

The origin of the name Malta is uncertain, and the modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language. The most common etymology is that the word Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι, meli, which means "honey".

The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη (Melitē) meaning "honey-sweet", possibly for Malta's unique production of honey; an endemic subspecies of bees live on the island.

The Romans called the island Melita, which can be considered either a Latinisation of the Greek Μελίτη or the adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation of the same word Μελίτα.

Another theory suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth, "a haven", or "port" in reference to Malta's many bays and coves.

Flag

The flag of Malta was adopted on 21 September 1964. The flag consists of a vertical bicolor of white and red and a cross of St. George lined with red at the top of the left side of the flag. The Cross with the inscription "FOR GALLANTRY" was given to Malta by the British as an honor for resilience during the bombing by German-Italian troops during World War II. The red color represents sacrifices made by the Maltese people for defending their faith, while the white color represents peace, love, light, and optimism, and the George Cross represents bravery.