Maltese Coins

An island in the Mediterranean sea, Malta has long been subject to outside influence from its neighbours and adventurers from across the seas, such as Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Maghrebins, the Spanish and the French. The British formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814 and the whole island was awarded the George Cross for its determined defence during the second world war. Malta gained independence in 1964, and became a republic in 1974.