Floriana

Floriana (Maltese: Il-Floriana or Il-Furjana), also known by its title Borgo Vilhena, is a fortified town in the South Eastern Region area of Malta, just outside the capital city Valletta. It has a population of 2,205 as of March 2014. Floriana is the birthplace of many famous Maltese, amongst which the composer of the national anthem, 'L-Innu Malti', Robert Samut; former Bishop of Malta Dun Mauro Caruana, the poet Oliver Friggieri, the writer and politician Herbert Ganado and Swedish Idol winner Kevin Borg.

History

The origins of Floriana date back to 1635, when the Italian military engineer Pietro Paolo Floriani from Macerata designed the Floriana Lines to serve as the outer defences of the capital Valletta. Construction of the fortifications began in 1636, and work continued until the early 18th century. In 1724, the Portuguese Grand Master António Manoel de Vilhena founded a suburb in the area between the Floriana Lines and the Valletta Land Front, and it was called Borgo Vilhena. The suburb eventually became a town in its own right, and it became known as Floriana after the military engineer.

Malta

Coordinates: 35°53′N 14°30′E / 35.883°N 14.500°E / 35.883; 14.500

Malta (ⁱ/ˈmɒltə/; Maltese: [ˈmɐltɐ]), officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European island country comprising an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The country covers just over 316 km² (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000 (despite an extensive emigration programme since the Second World War), making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries. The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km², is the smallest national capital in the European Union. Malta has two official languages: Maltese and English.

Malta's location has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French and British, have ruled the islands.

Malta (Amtrak station)

Malta, Montana is a station stop for the Amtrak Empire Builder in Malta, Montana. The station, platform, and parking are owned by BNSF Railway.

Notes and references

External links

Malta (river)

The Malta is a river of Latvia, 105 kilometres long.

See also

Coordinates: 56°12′36″N 27°22′51″E / 56.21000°N 27.38083°E / 56.21000; 27.38083