Living in Malta can be considered as being very pleasant, comfortable and at the same time the island offers a relaxed lifestyle. Even though the geographic area in Malta is a mere 316 sq km, yet, the island offers incredible attractions.
The Maltese islands have three sites inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. These are the City of Valletta, the Megalithic Temples and the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum. The ancient Neolithic temples found in Malta are the oldest freestanding monuments in the world.
Maltese history was significantly influenced by the Knights of St. John who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798. The legacy left by the Knights of St. John is still visible nowadays. Amongst these legacies one finds, forts, bastions, aqueducts, various Langue Auberges, churches, cathedrals and watch towers.
The Maltese Islands must not be perceived to just offer historical sites. Malta offers a great mix of historical places and entertainment venues. The night life offered in Malta is unique and surpasses by far those in other countries. Night clubs and bars are open throughout the whole week till early morning hours. Besides, during the summer months a number of entertainment venues around Malta offer great open air parties.
In 2011 for the fifth consecutive year, MTV held its annual concert in Malta, The Isle of MTV. This is considered the largest free open air concert in Europe and has attracted some of the most prominent music stars amongst which one finds Lady Gaga, David Guetta, the Black eyed Peas, Kid Rock, Maroon 5, Akon and Scissor Sisters .
The Maltese entertainment scene is also characterised by a number of cinemas, theatres, bowling facilities, gyms, indoor swimming pools, wine bars, trade fair events, wine festivals and famous traditional festivities such as village feasts. Besides, Malta also offers a number of shopping arcades, the most renowned being The Point and Bay Street.
The Maltese islands offer a number of sandy and non-sandy beaches where one can enjoy to the full the summer months. The beaches in Malta offer a great opportunity for relaxation with family and friends. Besides, some of them also offer a vast range of water sports such as Jet Ski rental, canoeing, wind surfing and water skiing. Malta is highly renowned amongst divers who visit Malta specifically for the unique diving sites it offers. One of the most popular diving sites is Dwejra in Gozo.
The climate in Malta is typically Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers. Sunny climate with a daily average of five to six hours sunshine in mid-winter to more than 12 hours in summer.
Maltese cuisine is a mirror of Maltese history. Besides boasting and exquisite indigenous cuisine, the Maltese cuisine was also influenced substantially by the different cultures that ruled Malta. The influence of Italian cuisine is considerable and the restaurant scene offers a mix of speciality restaurants with foods from around the globe.
An important element for every individual, irrelevant of where he or she resides is, security. From this end, Malta offers a very safe environment where one can live. Besides, individuals can go out and enjoy themselves anytime during the day and night without any threat to their security and well being. The fact that Malta offers high security adds to the feel good factor of individuals. The Global Competitiveness Report (2011-2012), ranks organised crime in Malta as being the 9th least severe from the 142 countries surveyed.
Rankings released by the International Living Magazine for 2011, ranked Malta as the best country in the world for expatriates to live. International Living Magazine comments that: "Crime hardly exists, the locals are hospitable and the health care is excellent. There aren’t any property taxes and the US expats who benefit most from living here (Malta) are those who somehow retain some earnings from elsewhere that they then elect to get taxed in Malta, at 15%. "
Along with its top climate ranking, Malta’s many other virtues combine to earn it third place overall in the 2011 Quality of Life index, beaten only by New Zealand and the U.S.
One must also note that the cost of living in Malta is lower than the average recorded in the EU27. Statistics published by Eurostat show that for 2010 the cost of living in Malta was 78.9% of the EU27 average (EU27=100).
Updated: November 2011
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