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By Ana Attard Mar 1, 2005, 19:20 THE MALTESE ISLANDS Located in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, the Maltese archipelago basically consists of three islands, Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino. (Location : Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, 93 km south of Sicily, Italy). The largest island of the group is Malta, from which the archipelago takes its name. The Maltese islands are densely populated. With a quick look at the landscape one immediately realises that one village almost blends into another. Presently the Maltese population amounts to circa 370 thousand. By world standards Malta is infinitely small - it seems to be just a very small city. However this must be considered in ratio to the islands? size. There are 67 villages which have a local council, 53 in Malta and 14 in Gozo.
This bears witness to the great devotion that the Maltese have had for the Roman Catholic religion and the important place religion is given in the life of the Maltese.
The second largest island is Gozo. It is topographically quite different from Malta, and is quaintly attractive for its less industrialised way of life. Gozo can be reached from Malta by ferry-boat from Cirkewwa and Pietà near Valletta. 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. The climate in Malta is warm and healthy. There are no biting winds, fog, snow, or frost. Rain falls for only short periods and averages about 578 mm in a whole year. The temperature averages 14.1° C in winter (Nov-April) and 32° C in summer (May-Oct). The sun shines for an average of 6.46 hrs each day in winter and 10.11 hrs in summer. The hottest period is from mid July to mid September. Anian Travel are dedicated to providing all visitors to our islands the highest quality service at the lowest prices possible. Should you require any information, please do not hesitate to contact us at ana@aniantravel.com or visit www.aniantravelmalta.com
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