Magnificent Malta
Thursday, June 14, 2018
Yesterday, I arrived by plane in the island country of Malta. Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, located between Italy and Africa. (An archipelago is a group of very small islands located close together.) People live on the three main islands: Malta, Gozo, and Comino. Malta is a very small country. It has only half the number of people who live in the city of Indianapolis. Since Malta is made up of islands, the sea is very important to Malta and is a big part of life here. People in Malta definitely have a certain island way of living: happy, casual, and fun. The weather here is perfect: warm and sunny during the day, cool at night, and always a breeze off the sea.
The Mediterranean Sea touches so many different countries, cultures, and languages. Look it up on the map! The continents of Europe, Africa, and Asia all border on the Mediterranean. (Malta is considered to be part of Europe.) For this reason, Malta has been an important crossroads of the world for thousands of years. Thus, Maltese culture is a unique and exciting blend of many cultures including British, Italian, and Middle Eastern.
The language spoken in Malta is Maltese. (Though most Maltese people also speak English and Italian.) Maltese, interestingly, is a Semitic language, in the same language family as Hebrew and Arabic. However, it uses an alphabet that looks more like ours, and it has many words that are related to Italian and English. Speaking of the alphabet, over 2,000 years ago, Malta was ruled by the Phoenicians, who invented the first alphabet ever used! (When you hear teachers talk about "phonics," we are talking about letters and their sounds. The word "phonics" comes to us from "Phoenicians!")
In Malta, they also drive on the left hand side of the road, rather than the right. Americans and Europeans have to be careful when crossing the street here and be sure we look the correct way!
The language spoken in Malta is Maltese. (Though most Maltese people also speak English and Italian.) Maltese, interestingly, is a Semitic language, in the same language family as Hebrew and Arabic. However, it uses an alphabet that looks more like ours, and it has many words that are related to Italian and English. Speaking of the alphabet, over 2,000 years ago, Malta was ruled by the Phoenicians, who invented the first alphabet ever used! (When you hear teachers talk about "phonics," we are talking about letters and their sounds. The word "phonics" comes to us from "Phoenicians!")
In Malta, they also drive on the left hand side of the road, rather than the right. Americans and Europeans have to be careful when crossing the street here and be sure we look the correct way!
When I travel to a new place, I think it's important to try the food that is served in that place. I have been trying to sample some different Maltese foods here. Some of the foods in Malta are similar to dishes served in Sicily and southern Italy. Malta is close to those places and grows many of the same fruits and vegetables. (I wonder what people in these restaurants think as I am taking pictures of their food.)
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