Unit 9, exercise 1 1 Where is it? How big is it? 4 Does it get many visitors? 2 What languages do people use? 5 How does it make money? 3 How many people live there? 6 What kinds of jobs does it offer? Unit 7, exercise 10c Malta The Republic of Malta is an island nation which is made up of seven islands, the largest and only inhabited ones being Malta, Gozo and Comino. The capital, Valetta, is on the main island of Malta. The Maltese islands are the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and North Africa that became isolated when sea levels rose at the end of the last Ice Age. The impressive coastline provides good harbours and beautiful grottos. The islands are in the south of Europe, 93 kilometres south of the coast of Sicily in the Mediterranean. Malta is also very close to Africa – Tunisia is less than 300 km away – and has a typical Mediterranean climate, with mild winters and very hot summers. It mainly rains in autumn and winter with summer being generally dry. The landscape, which consists of low hills, has its highest point at 253 m above sea level. During times of high rainfall there are some rivers which dry out quickly, so Malta has no permanent rivers or lakes. About 5900 BC, when people first came to these islands from Sicily, a significant culture started to develop. This is why Malta has several large stone temples which are among the oldest monuments in the world. There are remains of many other civilisations, including Greek, Roman, Phoenician and Arab. The Phoenicians, who colonised Malta between 800–700 BC, used the islands as a central outpost for trade in the Mediterranean. Throughout the centuries Malta was often invaded by different cultures. A major reason for this is its central position between Europe and Africa. In 60 AD St Paul, who was on his way to Rome, was shipwrecked on the island and brought Christianity to Malta. The Arabs conquered the islands in 870 AD and left an important mark on the language of the Maltese. In 1814 it became a British Colony and only gained independence in 1964. It joined the European Union in 2004 and is also a member of the British Commonwealth and the United Nations. The country is divided into five administrative regions that are further split into local councils. Nowadays, it has a population of about 460,000 people. The languages that are officially used are Maltese and English, but Italian is spoken by many people too. Maltese is a mixture of an old Sicilian-Arabic dialect, a little French and English. It includes many dialects that can be very different from one town to another. Malta does not have very much agriculture. It is one of the most densely populated countries in the world, which an EU study even declared to be a single urban area. Many people work in manufacturing and service industries, and tourism is one of the largest sources of income. Over 1.6 million people, who are attracted by its rich history and beautiful beaches, visit the country every year. Tourism infrastructure has increased dramatically, so that the islands can accommodate three times more tourists than there are inhabitants. Countless students, who spend their language holidays on this sunny island, are among the many visitors. Student B A = 1 point B = 2 points C = 3 points D = 4 points If you scored … 7–10 You must spend a lot of time feeling anxious. You should relax and enjoy life more. 11–16 You’re generally a careful person. You aren’t likely to have many accidents. 17–23 Think about what you’re doing. You’re likely to cause an accident if you’re not more careful. 24–28 You obviously enjoy living dangerously, but you need to take care. 139 A Activities Nur zu Prüfzwecken – Eigentum d s Verlags öbv
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