About the island of Gozo
With a coastline of just 43kms, the length of 14kms and width of 7kms, you would think there was not much to explore on the island of Gozo. Don’t be fooled, this is a vibrant island with passionate people and a constant hive of activity, even in the winter (if you could call it winter).
Gozo is the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago, Malta being the largest and Comino, a small, nearly uninhabited island nestled between the two, being the smallest and making up the Maltese Republic. Greek mythology influences largely on the island due to the fable of Homer’s “Odyssey”. The fabled island “Ogygia” was controlled by the nymph Calypso, who captured the Greek hero Odysseus as a prisoner of love and desire for seven years.
The islands are nestled deep in the Mediterranean, 93 km south of Italy and 290 km north of North Africa and it is reputed to be one of the Mediterranean’s best kept secrets. With a mild climate and long hot summers the Maltese islands make a perfect holiday and relaxation destination. Steeped in history and culture ancient ruins, museums, relics, cart tracks, temples and ruins are here to be explored.
According to archaeological finds, Gozo was first inhabited before the Neolithic period, proving that inhabitants found Gozo before Malta. Roughly 33,000 people live on Gozo within its 13 villages and main town of Victoria, formerly known as “Rabat”. The church, predominately Roman Catholic, has an extremely heavy influence on the islands.
Village life is mainly centred around bustling, vibrant squares, dominated by imposing churches. The official language is Maltese, but thanks to the heavy English occupancy during 2 world wars, English is spoken fluently by most inhabitants and is taught as a second language in schools from a very early age. The Euro was introduced to Malta on January 1st 2008, four years after Malta joined the European Union.
The electrical supply is 240 volts, single phase, 50 cycles. The 13 amp, three-pin rectangular sockets are used in Malta.
It is recommended you travel with your E111 card should you require medical attention during your stay.
