YourHolidays - Fun Facts about Malta

We have some interesting and fun facts about Malta you might not know.

- The word Malta comes from the ancient Greek word meaning "Honey". The island has bees only found in this region, which produce a unique type of honey for which the island is very well known for.

- One of the most interesting facts about Malta is that they filter their drinking water straight from the ocean due to the country having no surface waters like lakes or reservoirs.

- Malta was awarded the George Cross by King George VI for the country's bravery during the Second World War.

- The Capital city Valletta is a UNESCO World Heritage site. In fact, Malta has 3 UNESCO World Heritage Sites that include Valletta, the seven Megalithic Temples and Hal Saflieni Hypogeum.

- For movie buffs, you may be interested to learn that Malta has featured in productions like Gladiator, Troy, Captain Philips, Popeye, Assassins Creed and TV's Game of Thrones due to the beautiful and quiet coastline.

- Modern Mythologists consider Malta to be a part of Atlantis.

- A village was built in Malta for the musical production “Popeye.” The film set was erected in 1979 and today it has become a tourist attraction. It provides attractions such as boat rides, water trampolines, sunbathing decks, beach lido, food outlets, a winery offering free wine tastings, mini golf and Santa’s toy town.

- Malta is known for its great food and the local bakeries play a huge part in that. While there were so many different breads and pastries to try the ones that truly stuck out were Pastizzi and Qassatat.

- The story of Malta cannot be told without St. Paul’s shipwreck. In the New Testament, the event took place on the island in 60 A.D. Legend has it, St. Paul was on his way to Rome to be tried as a rebel when he was caught in a giant storm.

- Mdina once served as the capital of Malta and was first fortified back in 700 B.C. Founded by the Phoenicians, the historic city is even mentioned in the bible in the story of St. Paul. The walls and cathedral are so well preserved you may think you are walking through a museum instead of a small fort.

- Tarxien is a temple on Malta, this well-preserved beauty is the oldest free-standing structure in the world, dating to approximately 3150 BC, even older than the Egyptian Pyramids.

- The capital city of Malta, Valletta, has more than 300 monuments. The city is rewarded with the crown of the most concentrated historical areas in the world by UNESCO.