History

The central location of Malta in the Mediterranean Sea and its strategic importance has been recognized and used by many nations. Remains of tremendous megalith temples indicate that there must have been humans in the New Stone Age.
In the 8th century B.C. the Phoenician sailor power occupied the island. Around 480 B.C. the Carthaginians conquered the territory and built colonies before in 218 B.C. the Romans took Malta and it became part of the Roman world empire. After the end of the Roman world empire the Byzantines occupied the island until the Arabs seized the power in 870 A.D. Later, Malta became a colony of Sicily and was governed by different Spanish seigneurs.
Around 1530, the Knights of St. John who had to flee from Rhodes came to Malta. For almost 300 years the Order of Malta dominated over the island and left magnificent constructions. From 1800 on, after a short guest performance of Napoleon, Malta became British which still is noticeable today in many situations in the country.
Since the early 20th century the Maltese fought for independency. In the year 1947 London gave Malta back its autonomy and announced its independency on September 8, 1964.
On May 1, 2004 Malta became a member of the European Union. Since January 2008 the Euro is the official currency.