Malta's history has been determined by its strategic position at the near centre of the Mediterranean and its deep, natural harbours. These assets long attracted traders and settlers who travelled the Mediterranean, since the time of the ancient sea-faring Phoenicians, the first known people to settle on the islands, right up to the time of the British rule.
In between, the islands saw a host of other cultures, from the Romans and Arabs to the Knights of St John, and the French. All these cultures left their mark on the Islands; in its language, architecture, folklore and artifacts. Few other nations have such a wealth of cultural heritage in such a small, concentrated area. Malta also has the rare distinction of being a bi-lingual, English-speaking nation at the heart of the Mediterranean.
The Phoenicians might have been the first documented people to have settled here, but several thousands of years before, Malta was inhabited by a unique, temple-building culture whose megalithic structures, now Unesco World Heritage monuments, are found across the Islands.
Another early visitor was believed to be the Apostle St. Paul who was shipwrecked on Malta in A.D. 60 and brought Christianity to the island. The island's religious influence is widespread and is largely prevalent in people's lives.
The two periods that made the most impact on the life of the islands were that of the Order of the Hospitaller Knights of St John who ruled for nearly 300 years until 1798 when Napoleon arrived in Malta; and the British period from 1800 until 1964. Malta gained Independence in 1964, and then became a Republic in 1972.
