John Baird: Canada's freedom agenda - Diplomat Magazine

ctic CircleDi spatches|MICROSTATESBalticSeaNorth SeaHenry M. TrotterMalta’s 408,000 residents, 6,000 of whom live in the capital of Valletta, pictured here, import most of their food and energy.7. Malta54MaltaThe attractions of this island chaininclude a Mediterranean climatethat produces hot, dry summersand mild, rainy winters; rugged, if notdramatic, coastlines that have had severalsupporting turns in Hollywood blockbusters;and countless historical sites thatspan the breadth of human history, fromItalythe Neolithic through the classical Greco-Roman era to modernity.Yes, Malta offers much to recommenditself to anyone who seeks a break fromthe ordinary. Its strategic location in themiddle of the Mediterranean, betweenSicily and the North African coast, hascertainly made the archipelago a prizedpossession over the centuries. Its historicalfunctions varied wildly: as the forwardfortress of the Christian Knights of Maltaagainst the expanding Muslim OttomanMediterranean Empire Seaduring the 16th Century, as anunsinkable British aircraft carrier duringthe Second World War or as a major shippingcentre today. This trade supplies asignificant share of the country’s GDP,along with tourism, agriculture, fishingand financial services.Granted, Malta is neither as rich noras influential as Luxembourg, the othermicrostate that holds membership in theEuropean Union and the Euro-zone. Its408,000 residents (most of whom live onthe eponymous main island, a rock of246 Black square Sea kilometres) import most oftheir food and energy from the outside.Malta also possesses limited fresh watersupplies. And if these infrastructure challengesare not demanding enough, Maltahas become a call of port for illegal immigrantscrossing the Mediterranean fromNorth Africa in rickety boats. Yet if the historyof this former British colony is any indication,its resourceful people will likelysurvive for a long time in a place that isas unique as their culture, forged throughcountless influences.WINTER 2012 | JAN-FEB-MAR