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Valletta, the capital city of Malta, is located on a peninsula between two harbors. At just 0.61 sq km (0.24 sq mi), it is the European Union's smallest capital city and a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With 320 monuments within .55 sq km, it is one of the most concentrated historic areas in the world. Valletta is noted for its fortifications, consisting of bastions, curtains, and cavaliers, along with the beauty of its Baroque palaces, gardens, and churches.

The old fortifications at the capital of Valletta date to the 16th century.

The Fountain of the Three Tritons, designed by Vincent Apap, stands outside of Valetta's main city gate. Fully constructed and completed in 1959, the fountain depicts three bronze half-human, half-mermen, two sitting while the third one kneeling, holding a bronze platter on a seaweed base. They symbolize strength and Malta’s relation to the Mediterranean Sea. In Greek mythology, Triton was Poseidon’s son and messenger of the sea. Over time, Triton(s) came to mean mermen in general.

A view of the statue of Neptune in the Presidential Palace courtyard in the center of Malta's capital city, Valletta. The Palace is the official office of the president of the Republic of Malta and has been the seat of authority in Malta since the 16th century, when it was known as the Magistral Palace. The site was among the first to be built in the new city of Valletta with construction occurring between 1566 and 1571. Under the British it served as the Governor's Palace. The House of Representatives used to be housed there until relocated to a new Parliament House at the entrance to Valletta.

Located in Palace Square, Valletta, the Sette Giugno (Italian for "Seventh of June") Monument commemorates the 1919 uprising against profiteering merchants and the colonial government. This event was a first step towards Maltese independence which arrived in 1964. Sculpted by Anton Agius and inaugurated on 7 June 1986, the monument features six men, two of whom stand defiantly holding the Maltese flag while the other four, representing the victims and the many who were injured in the riots, react to the events - with one succumbing to his wounds. Sette Giugno was made a national holiday in 1989.

The facade of the Collegiate Parish Church of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta. Saint Paul the Apostle is considered the spiritual father of the Maltese; his shipwreck on the island is described in the New Testament.

Statue of the Virgin Mary over the entrance to the Church of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta.

Closer view of the facade of the Collegiate Parish Church of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Valletta. Saint Paul the Apostle is considered the spiritual father of the Maltese; his shipwreck on the island is described in the New Testament.

Malta is renowned for the historic use of indigenous wheat-colored limestone in the construction of roads, houses, hospitals, government buildings, shops, and forts. Valletta, Malta’s capital, has a medieval cityscape and elegant flagstone streets reminiscent of the 16th century. It is a popular tourist destination for its ancient architecture, pedestrian shopping, restaurants, and international community.

Statue of Queen Victoria outside Malta’s National Library in Republic Square, Valletta. Erected in 1891, the monument commemorates Queen Victoria’s 50th jubilee and was paid for by public subscription. The statue, made of white marble on grey stone steps with two coats of arms in bronze, is the work of Sicilian sculptor Giuseppe Valenti and depicts the Queen sitting with a shawl of Maltese lace draped over her lap. Malta was a British colony for 150 years before gaining its independence in 1964 and declaring itself a republic in 1974.

Plaque outside of the Saint Francis of Assisi Church in Valletta. Completed in 1598, the church was rebuilt in 1681 to correct structural problems. In the 1920’s, it was enlarged to include a dome. With its fine pipe organ built in 1932 and restored in 2014, Saint Francis often serves as one of the sites for the Malta International Organ Festival.

A view of the dome and altar of the Saint Francis Church in Valletta. While the church was built in 1598, the dome was not added until the 1920s.