FILFLA: a disappearing islet of hope in Malta

Filfla off Malta's west coast

Shanghai Daily 28/10/2014:VALLETTA, Oct. 27 (Xinhua) -- Filfla is a tiny island situated 5km off the southern coast of Malta. It has a circumference of 800 metres, its cliffs are 60 metres high and it has a plateau surface of 2.5 hectares. Its name is said to originate from the Arab word 'felfel', a type of pepper which has a similar shape to that of the island.

Although this minuscule island might seem to be an insignificant, barren rock within the Maltese archipelago, it actually has a very rich and storied history.

Some of its history has been researched by John Joseph Borg, the principal curator of Malta's National Museum of Natural History. Borg discovered a document dating from 1575 in which pastor...read on.