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Republic of Malta
Repubblika ta' Malta
The Country
Geography:
The Republic of Malta is a small island archipelago located in the central Mediterranean Sea. It is situated roughly mid-way between Italy and Libya, although Sicily is only 93 km (58 miles) to the north. Malta consists of three main islands: Malta, Gozo (Ghawdex) and Comino (Kemmuna) plus two small uninhabited islands. The islands have heavily indented rocky coastlines with low hills in the interior. The archipeligo occupies a total land area of 316 km2 (122 sq. miles) and has a population of 374,000 inhabitants (2000 estimate). The capital city and main port is Valletta on the main island of Malta.
National History:
Summary Narrative History
| Key Dates: |
| 6-8000 BC |
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Many prehistoric megaliths erected on Malta. |
| C. 900 BC |
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Malta colonised by the Phoenicians. Subsequently controlled by the Carthaginians and then the Greeks. |
| C. 218 BC |
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Malta captured by the Romans. Malta later formed part of the Byzantine Empire. |
| 870 AD |
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Malta overrun by Arab (Saracen) forces. |
| 1090 AD |
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Malta taken by the Norman Kingdom of Sicily. |
| 1530 |
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Malta given to the Knights Hospitallers of St John by the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V. |
| 1565 |
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The Knights on Malta hold out against a Turkish siege. |
| June 1798 |
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Malta is occupied French forces under Napoleon Bonaparte. |
| 1800 |
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British forces capture Malta from the French. |
| 1814 |
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Malta is recognised as a British colony in the Treaty of Paris. |
| 1921 |
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Malta receives dominion government. |
| 1933 |
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Malta reverts to the status of Crown Colony. |
| 1941-1942 |
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Malta is besieged and fiercely bombarded by German and Italian aircraft. |
| 15 April 1942 |
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George Cross medal awarded to the island for gallantry in World War 2. |
| September 1947 |
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Internal self-government for Malta established. |
| 21 September 1964 |
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Malta achieves full independence within the British Commonwealth. |
| 1965 |
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Malta becomes a member of the United Nations. |
| 1971 |
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The Maltese Labour party takes power. A policy of non-alignment is adopted. Close relations with China and Libya are developed. |
| 13 December 1974 |
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Malta becomes a Republic. |
| 31 March 1979 |
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Withdrawal of the last British military presence from Malta. |
| August 1980 |
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Ties with Libya ended due to territorial dispute. |
| 1987 |
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The pro-western Maltese Nationalist party regains power. |
Further National Information:
Yahoo Malta page
War, Peace & Security Malta Page
Markings
Civil Aircraft Registrations:
Under the British Empire, the registration sequence VP-Mxx was used from 1929. After independence, the registration prefix 9H-xxx was formally allocated in 1968, eg: 9H-AAG. There is a civil aircraft register listing here. [A full listing can also be found in Air-Britain 'Archive' magazine issues 1-3/1995, 2/1996 and 3/1999].
Aircraft Operators
Military Air Arms:
Air Force (Armed Forces of Malta No.2 Regiment Air Squadron)
Libyan Air Force detachment
Italian Air Force detachment
Central Government Agencies:
None at present.
Public Service Aviation:
To be added
Commercial Aviation:
Air Malta - link!
Private Aviation:
To be added
Industry
Aircraft Manufacturers:
None at present
Airfields
Airports, Airfields and Air Bases:
Civil Airports and Airfields-
Luqa International Airport
Military Air Bases and Airfields-
Military Air Bases Listing
On Show
Aviation Museums:
Several - including the Malta Aviation Museum at Ta'Qali.
Media
Aviation-Related Magazines:
Malta Aviation Magazines Guide
Aviation Bibliography:
Malta Aviation Bibliography - to be added
Web Links:
Aviation in Malta
The Malta Aviation Society
Malta International Airshow
Mark S Stephenson's Malta Aviation Page
FLIGHTLINE - Aviation Website
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