List of cities in Malta

This is a list of cities in Malta. By the usual standards that most other countries use when designating a city, Malta's cities would be too small to be considered such, and in fact Malta is sometimes regarded as a single city-state.[1] Malta's cities are regarded as such because they received the designation of città at some point during their history. In Maltese law, no distinction is made between cities, towns, and villages; city status is purely honorary and colloquial. Malta is divided into 68 local councils. The local councils which formerly had city status all feature a mural crown on the crest of their coat of arms. The table shows the historical cities:

Within current
local council 		Historical city Year granted Image Population
(2014)[2] 		Notes
Birgu gg 1530 2,629 Capital city from 1530 to 1571, and one of the Three Cities. City status confirmed following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.[3]
Bormla Città Cospicua

(Conspicuous City)

1722 5,395 One of the Three Cities. City status granted in 1722 by Grand Master Marc'Antonio Zondadari.[4]
Mdina Città Notabile

(Notable City)

292 Capital city from antiquity to 1530.
Qormi Città Pinto

(Pinto's City)

1743 16,779 City status granted on 25 May 1743 by Grand Master Manuel Pinto da Fonseca, following a request made by Don Giuseppe Vella.[5]
Rabat Città Victoria

(Victoria's City)

1887 6,901 Capital city of Gozo. City status granted on 10 June 1887 by Queen Victoria, following a petition made by Bishop Pietro Pace and Chief Justice Adrian Dingli on occasion of Victoria's Golden Jubilee.[6]
Senglea Città Invicta

(Invincible City)

1565 2,784 One of the Three Cities. City status granted following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.[7]
Siġġiewi Città Ferdinand

(Ferdinand's City)

1797 8,367 City status granted on 30 December 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a petition made by Don Salvatore Corso and the inhabitants.[8]
Valletta Città Umilissima

(Humblest City)

1571 6,444 Capital city since 18 March 1571.[9]
Żabbar Città Hompesch

(Hompesch's City)

1797 15,404 City status granted on 14 September 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a request made by Don Carlo Caruana and the inhabitants. In 1801, the Hompesch Gate was built to commemorate this event.[8]
Żebbuġ Città Rohan

(Rohan's City)

1777 11,903 City status granted on 21 June 1777 by Grand Master Emmanuel de Rohan-Polduc, following a petition made by the inhabitants. In 1798, the De Rohan Arch was built to commemorate this event.[10]
Żejtun Città Beland

(Beland's City)

1797 11,508 City status granted on 30 December 1797 by Grand Master Ferdinand von Hompesch zu Bolheim, following a petition made by Don Giacomo Michele Tortella and the locals.[8] He named it after his mother's maiden name.
  1. ^ "Flags, Symbols and their uses". gov.mt. Government of Malta. Archived from the original on 29 June 2015.
  2. ^ "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". Government of Malta. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
  3. ^ Guillaumier, Alfie (1987). Bliet u Rħula Maltin (in Maltese). Valletta: Valletta Publishing & Promotion Co. Ltd. p. 41.
  4. ^ "Bormla (Città Cospicua)". lc.gov.mt. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015.
  5. ^ Zammit, Vincent (1992). Il-Gran Mastri - Ġabra ta' Tagħrif dwar l-Istorja ta' Malta fi Żmienhom - It-Tieni Volum 1680–1798 (in Maltese). Valletta: Valletta Publishing & Promotion Co. Ltd. pp. 427–428.
  6. ^ "The Conferment of The Title of City". Victoria Local Council. Archived from the original on 8 July 2015.
  7. ^ Guillaumier (1987), p. 324
  8. ^ a b c Zammit (1992), pp. 513–516
  9. ^ Gaul, Simon (2007). Malta, Gozo & Comino. New Holland Publishers. p. 100. ISBN 9781860113659.
  10. ^ "The De Rohan Arch". Haz-Zebbug.com. Archived from the original on 31 October 2015.