Malta Flag

Malta Flag

Malta Flag

Malta's strategic location in the Mediterranean Sea caused it to be occupied by Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans and Arabs before Roger of Sicily conquered the islands in 1090, after which they remained under Sicilian rule for some centuries. A key stronghold during the Crusades, in 1530 the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V gave the islands to the knights of St John of Jerusalem. Napoleon having ended the knights' rule in 1798, the islands were annexed by the British in 1814, subsequently becoming an important base for the Royal Navy. Having endured heavy bombing raids by the Axis forces during World War II, Malta's valor was rewarded with the George Cross, a British bravery award. Malta became independent in 1964.

According to myth, the red and white, horizontal bands of the Maltese flag were originally squares that Roger of Sicily cut from his own chequered flag. It is more likely, however, that the colors were derived from the arms of the knights of Malta, a white Maltese cross on a red shield. During British colonial rule, Malta's flag bore a red-and-white shield device, to which a blue canton containing the George Cross medal was added in 1943. The blue canton was removed on Malta's independence, a narrow, red fimbriation being added to the George Cross.