My cluster countries : episode 7- Malta

Each time I visit Malta, I cannot stop admiring this country…. Admiring the legacy left by the Phoenicians and how it impacted this country, but also observing the Economy evolving slowly but steadily.

Let us have a quick overview of Malta…

1- ?Malta, island?country?located in the central?Mediterranean Sea. A small but strategically important group of islands, the archipelago has through its long and turbulent history played a vital role in the struggles of a succession of powers for domination of the Mediterranean and in the interplay between emerging?Europe?and the older?cultures?of Africa and the?Middle East. (https://www.britannica.com/place/Malta )

2- Did you know that the Maltese islands have been ruled by nearly every major Empire of the last two millennia? Or that Malta is in fact not one, not two, not even three, but SEVEN islands?

• Malta’s capital Valletta, was?the first ever planned city in Europe. During the Order of St. John of Jerusalem, the city was sketched out, in 1565.
• Yep, there are?3 times more tourists?than there are residents on the Maltese islands!
• Official languages in Malta are?English, Maltese, and Maltese Sign Language. However, Italian is widely spoken by the Maltese locals. Maltese has been described as sounding like a cross between Italian and Arabic.
• Malta was?ruled by several empires throughout history, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights Templars, French, and finally the British.
• There are several sunken World War Two ships, submarines and fighter planes scattered around the coastline of Malta.
• The Capital, Valletta, is one of the most concentrated historical areas in the world, according to UNESCO.
• Malta has also been described as the country with the best climate in the world by International Living. It was also voted the best place to retire too!
• The Maltese islands are home to some of the Oldest Man-made Structures in the world, with some thought to be dating back 3,600 BC, some 5,000 years ago. Its megalithic temples are older than the Pyramids of Egypt, The Great Wall of China, and even Stonehenge in England.

(https://brbgonesomewhereepic.com/20-facts-about-malta/ )

3- Malta country profile (https://www.britannica.com/place/Malta/Climate )

• ?Malta’s population is composed almost entirely of ethnic Maltese, the descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians as well as of Italians and other Mediterranean peoples.
• Malta has one of the highest population densities in the world, though the increase in the country’s population has somewhat leveled off since the mid-20th century, with a considerable decline in the birth rate. At the same time, the death rate has remained fairly stable, having fallen only slightly, while the infant mortality rate has dropped significantly. About one-third of the population is under 30.
• Until the mid-1960s the Maltese economy depended heavily on the British military presence in Malta. In the 1950s Britain began to withdraw its armed forces, which necessitated a drastic diversification of the economy. A series of development plans after 1959 were supported by government grants, loans, and other fiscal incentives to encourage private investment.?
• Malta is poorly endowed with natural resources, and its only exploited mineral resource is limestone, which is quarried and used for construction. Offshore oil exploration has been under way since the mid-1990s, but no significant oil reserves have been discovered. Fossils fuels are imported and supply all of Malta’s energy. There are thermal power stations on both Malta and Gozo.
• Industrial development began in earnest in the second half of the 1960s, and by the early 21st century the manufacturing sector was contributing about one-fifth of gross domestic product (GDP)
• Malta’s former currency, the lira, was adopted in 1972. On Jan. 1, 2008, the euro became the country’s official currency. The banking system remains highly concentrated, with half of the local commercial banks accounting for about nine-tenths of total loans and deposits. The Malta Financial Services Authority, established in 2002, is an autonomous body and the single regulator for financial services, taking over supervisory functions that were formerly carried out by the Central Bank of Malta, the Malta Stock Exchange, and the Malta Financial Services Centre
• Services account for about half of Malta’s GDP and employ about three-fifths of the labour force. Tourism is a major source of income and follows a seasonal pattern, with June through October being the peak season.

4- Let’s talk data about Malta (https://maltaprofile.info/article/key-facts-figures )

GDP Growth +5.4%

Inflation 1.8%

Dept to GDP 47.9%

Unemployment rate : 3.9%

5- Let’s talk Tourism in Malta (https://www.statista.com/statistics/1169824/number-of-international-tourists-in-malta-by-frequency/

The number of international tourist arrivals in Malta was significantly lower in 2020 and 2021 over previous years due to the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic. Overall, first-time tourists have accounted for the highest volume of inbound arrivals in Malta since 2010. The number of tourists who visited the country for the first time reached 696 thousand in 2021, rising from 2020 but remaining below pre-pandemic levels.

Malta International Airport reopened on 1 July 2020. The first group of destinations that reopened for travel comprised: Germany, Austria, Italy, France, Spain, Poland, Cyprus, Switzerland, Iceland, Slovakia, Norway, Denmark, Hungary, Finland, Ireland, Lithuania, Latvia, Estonia, Luxembourg, Czech Republic, Greece and Croatia. Restrictions on all other flight destinations were lifted on 15 July 2020".

Figures have been rounded. Data prior to 2019 were previously published by the source. Tourists refer to visitors who stayed at least one night. Figures exclude overnight cruise passengers.

?6- Let’s discover food in Malta (https://www.visitmalta.com/en/a/food-and-drink/#:~:text=Traditional%20Maltese%20food%20is%20rustic,(sheep%20or%20goat's%20cheese ).

Traditional Maltese food is rustic and based on the seasons. Look out for Lampuki Pie (fish pie), Rabbit Stew (Phoenicians were the ones to bring rabbits to Maltese, but the habit of cooking it just robustly spread from the Roman period. It was because they believed that eating rabbits helped women to become more beautiful-https://www.lacademie.com/maltese-foods/), Bragioli (beef olives), Kapunata, (Maltese version of ratatouille), and widow’s soup, which includes a small round of Gbejniet (sheep or goat’s cheese). On most food shop counters, you’ll see Bigilla, a thick pate of broad beans with garlic. The snacks that must be tried are ‘hobz biz-zejt’ (round of bread dipped in olive oil, rubbed with ripe tomatoes and filled with a mix of tuna, onion, garlic, tomatoes and capers) and pastizzi (flaky pastry parcel filled with ricotta or mushy peas).