Two years of campaigning for eMALTA

Day 1,139, 05:46 • Published in United Kingdom United Kingdom • by Maltese Mission

This article goes out to celebrate 2 years of campaigning for eMalta. A period that has seen countless articles put out by this organisation throughout the eWorld. We have set up our own forums, established embassies, collected funds & petitioned admins. We have not, of course, achieved our main aim as of yet. We have however shared our pride in our little country, and maybe even made people more aware of it!

Some information about Malta....

Location:
Located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, the Maltese archipelago basically consists of three islands: Malta, Gozo and Comino. The total population of the Maltese Islands is 410,000, with a worldwide diaspora of around 1,000,000.

Malta:
The largest island of the group is Malta, from which the archipelago takes its name. Valletta, the capital, is the cultural, administrative and commercial centre of the archipelago. Malta is well served with harbours, chief of which is the Valletta Grand Harbour. Malta's international airport - Luqa - is situated five kilometres from the capital.



Gozo:
The second largest island, Gozo is topographically quite different from Malta. Quaintly attractive for its less industrialised way of life, Gozo can be reached from Malta by ferry-boat from Cirkewwa and Pieta, near Valletta, and by sea-plane.



Comino and Smaller Islands:
Comino, Cominotto, Filfla and St Paul's Islet are the other major features of the archipelago. Of these, only Comino, straddled between Malta and Gozo, sustains a very tiny population. Turned into a popular resort because of a couple of very fine beaches, Comino can be reached from Cirkewwa, either by boat or by excursion ferries during the summer months.



Position:
The distance between Malta and the nearest point in Sicily is 93 km. The distance from the nearest point on the North African mainland (Tunisia) is 288 km. Gibraltar is 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria is 1,510 km to the east.



This strategic position has allowed Malta to develop as an important trading post. The Malta Freeport is one of the Mediterranean's leading ports for container transhipments.

Its position has also led to a extremely rich history. It is the place where some of the earliest human remains have been discovered, the capital city itself is a UNESCO heritage site (being the first planned city in Europe and built by the Knights of St.John). Malta is famous for its two Great Sieges. A few hundred knights supported by a few thousand Maltese locals held of tens of thousands of Turkish invaders in 1565. The Maltese became famed in Europe for their bravery and courage. This was again proven in World War Two. Malta lies just 93 kilometers from the coast of Sicily, the home of several major axis airbases. The nearest allied relief base was Gibraltar, over 1000km away. Malta remained faithful to Britain and fought off what would become the second great siege of Malta. The island was highly important as its location at the heart of the Mediterranean was crucial to both the north African campaign as well as that of southern Europe. Malta became the most bombed place on Earth. Several times it came within a few days of running short of food, fuel and water. The nation became the first and only nation ever to receive the George Cross, awarded for its bravery. At one time, there were just 3 Gloster Gladiators protecting the islands against the near constant bombardment of hundreds of Axis planes. They became known as 'faith, hope and charity'. The Maltese people took shelter in catacombs and caves, continuing life between raids.




The Maltese Islands fall within the following co-ordinates:

Latitude: 36 degrees 00'00" N
Longitude: 14 degrees 36'00" E

Area of the Maltese Islands: 316 sq. km

Physical Features:
Malta has no mountains or rivers. A series of low hills with terraced fields on the slopes characterise the Island.


The coastline of Malta is well indented, thus providing numerous harbours, bays, creeks, sandy beaches and rocky coves. The length of the shoreline round Malta is 136 km, and 43km round Gozo.



Climate:
It is the climate, more than anything else, that has made Malta an important tourist resort in the centre of the Mediterranean. The average winter temperature is 12C (54F.) There are really only two seasons in Malta: the dry summer season, and the mild winter season. The average rainfall is 558.2 mm (22 inches). Rain rarely, if ever, falls during the summer months.

Some More Pictures:












Why we want eMalta made?
- The Maltese diaspora is actually over double the size of the population of the islands themselves. Connections from the island don't reflect the numbers of those who'd want to eLive there!
- Malta remains one of two EU countries not to be included (the other being Luxembourg)
- We believe we've campaigned harder than any other campaign that is yet to be successful!
- We believe could encourage more Maltese to play if the little nation was represented.

How you can help?
- Vote this article up
- Contact this organisation if you want to get involved actively

and most importantly of all:

SIGN OUR PETITION!!!!

http://forum.erepublik.com/showthread.php/106458-eMalta/page19



THANKYOU TO ONE AND ALL.

Maltese Mission Team.



r.i.p matteo debattista, co-founder of the campaign.