Between Sicicly and the north east coast of Africa are
a group of islands. The largest of which is Malta.

One of the constant factors in human occupation of Malta is
the scarcity of fresh water. Malta lacks a river, and until
recently it obtained its drinking water from storing winter
rainfalls in cisterns. Rooftop cisterns are still common on
the islands today, although Malta now has a modern
desalinization plant.

The capital and chief city is Valletta which stand on a
penninsula dividing the harbor into two halves. The south
side of the harbor is the deepest, and runs two miles into
the heart of the island. .

http://www.hmml.org/centers/malta/history.html

HISTORY -- Cut and pasted!

The harbor defenses were impregnable due to the construction
efforts ot the Knights of Malta. After the loss of Rhodes in 1522,
the Knights of the Order of St. John were left without a home. In
1530, the Order accepted Charles V's offer to create their new
base on Malta. The Knights initially did not think Malta was a good
location, citing its rocky landscape and lack of fresh water.

The Knights quickly discovered the benefits of Malta, such as its
fine harbors, which sheltered and protected their ships. The Order
of St. John began playing an important role in Mediterranean politics
during the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. The hospital of the
Knights in Valletta was one of the best in Europe.

After the Great Siege of Malta in 1565, the Knights built the city of
Valletta. The Order fortified the islands extensively and eliminated the
threat of Muslim raids. The Knights governed Malta until 1798, when
Napoleon Bonaparte took the island from Grand Master Ferdinand
von Hompesch.

The Maltese islanders initially favored Napoleon's takeover of the island
in 1798, because the Knights had resisted many reforms favored by the
Enlightenment. Napoleon ended the Inquisition, the use of judicial torture,
and privilege based on birth. But the French quickly fell out of favor with
the Maltese because they stripped the churches of relics, paintings, gold,
and silver. Napoleon shipped the riches of Malta to finance his campaigns
in Egypt, but they were lost when the ship sank. Furthermore, the French
refused to pay the Knights' debts and pensions to the islanders. This
increased interest rates, created new taxes, altered leases, and caused the
loss of jobs. The Maltese became angry with the new regime's religious
insensitivity and economic exploitation.

The Maltese rebelled in Mdina on 2 September 1798. Napoleon had left
only a small garrison in Malta when he continued on to Egypt, so the
rebellion quickly spread throughout the countryside. The French troops
retreated behind the walls of Valletta, where the Maltese held them under
siege. The arrival of a British fleet to blockade the island completed the
defeat of the French in 1800.

The British recognized that Malta was essential for the British fleet in the
Mediterranean. The work of the Knights had made Valletta's Grand Harbor
one of the most extensively fortified ports in Europe. The islands' central
location in the Mediterranean made it an essential naval base for both sail
and steam ships.

The British built a dockyard, warehouses, and a hospital on Malta. Although
the Knights attempted to reclaim Malta, the British held the island and in
1814
the Treaty of Paris recognized British sovereignty over the island. The
British
established a governor on the island, but they permitted Malta to retain its
declaration of rights and freedom of religion. It was under the British that
English became a dominant language on the island.

Malta's service to the British Empire as a naval base is well documented.
Malta
nobly served during the two World Wars. During World War I, Malta
garrisoned British seamen and was the site of the largest military hospital
in the
Mediterranean. Due to its strategic position during World War II, Malta was
the target of German and Italian bombing attacks. The island endured the
heaviest
conventional bombardment of the entire war. To honor the valor of the
Maltese
people, King George VI awarded the George Cross to the "Island Fortress of
Malta" in 1942. The cross appears today on the Maltese flag.

The structure of government in Malta changed periodically during the 150
years
of British rule. In 1921, Malta became self-governing while power and
responsibility was shared between Britain and Maltese ministers. In 1936,
Malta
became a colonial regime. Malta earned its independence within the
Commonwealth in 1964, became a Republic in 1974, and proclaimed its
neutrality in 1979.