{"population":553214,"blurb":{"text":"Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. The two official languages are Maltese and English but Maltese is recognised as the national language. The country's capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the European Union (EU) by both area and population.","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malta"},"vexillology":{"text":"The flag of Malta is a bicolour, with white in the hoist and red in the fly. A representation of the George Cross, awarded to Malta by George VI in 1942, is carried, edged with red, in the canton of the white stripe. The flag was first recognized in May of 1952. It is the only national flag to feature English-language text. It is one of two national flags, alongside Belize, to depict a human.","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malta"},"flagDesign":{"text":"The red hue in the Maltese flag is officially documented as Pantone 186 C, RGB (207,20,43), Hex #CF142B or Spot Colour - 50% rubine red • 50% warm red.\n\nThe constitution of Malta also states that the white side must be on the hoist pole while the red side must be \"in the fly\".\n\nTradition states that the colours of the flag were given to Malta by Roger I of Sicily in 1091. Roger's fleet landed in Malta on the completion of the Norman conquest of Sicily. It is said that local Christians offered to fight by Roger's side against the Arab defenders. In order to recognize the locals fighting on his side from the defenders, Roger reportedly tore off part of his chequered red-and-white flag. However, this story has been debunked as a 19th-century myth, possibly even earlier due to Mdina, Malta's old capital, associating its colours with Roger's in the late Middle Ages.\n\nThe white and red standard was reportedly used by Maltese insurgents during a rebellion against French occupation in September 1798.\n\nThe flag of the Knights of Malta, a white cross on a red field, was a more likely source of the Maltese colours, inspiring the red and white shield used during the British colonial period.…","url":"https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Flag_of_Malta"},"photos":["https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/82/Atlas_Van_der_Hagen-KW1049B12_087-INSULARUM_MELITAE_Vulgo_MALTAE_et_GOZAE.jpeg/500px-Atlas_Van_der_Hagen-KW1049B12_087-INSULARUM_MELITAE_Vulgo_MALTAE_et_GOZAE.jpeg","https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/95/%27Still_Life_of_Pomegranates%2C_Peaches%2C_Apples_and_other_Fruit%27_by_Francesco_Noletti.jpg/500px-%27Still_Life_of_Pomegranates%2C_Peaches%2C_Apples_and_other_Fruit%27_by_Francesco_Noletti.jpg","https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/9/97/9H-AEP_A320_Air_Malta_%2814806272801%29.jpg/500px-9H-AEP_A320_Air_Malta_%2814806272801%29.jpg","https://thumb.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/3/3b/BombDamageMalta.jpg/500px-BombDamageMalta.jpg"]}