Luqa(Maltese:Ħal Luqa,[ˈħalluːʔa],lit. 'poplar') is a town located in theSouthern RegionofMalta,4.3 km away from the capitalValletta.With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014,[1]it is a small but densely populated settlement which is typical of Malta's older towns and villages. Luqa is centered around a main square which contains a church dedicated toSt. Andrew.[2]The patron saint's traditional feast is celebrated on the first Sunday of July, with the liturgical feast being celebrated on 30 November.[3]TheMalta International Airportis located in Luqa.
Luqa
Ħal Luqa Casal Luca | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top left:Tower of theParish Church of St Andrew,Dejma Cross,Neo-Baroque building,Tal-Ftajjar Chapel,and former British military building | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
 | |
| Coordinates:35°51′35″N14°29′21″E/ 35.85972°N 14.48917°E | |
| Country |  Malta |
| Region | Southern Region |
| District | Southern Harbour District |
| Borders | Birzebbuga,Għaxaq,Gudja,Kirkop,Marsa,Mqabba,Paola,Qormi,Safi,Santa Luċija,Siġġiewi,Tarxien,Zurrieq |
| Government | |
| •Mayor | John Schembri (PL) |
| Area | |
• Total | 6.7 km2(2.6 sq mi) |
| Population (Jan. 2019) | |
• Total | 6,162 |
| • Density | 920/km2(2,400/sq mi) |
| Demonym(s) | Ħalluqi (m), Ħalluqija (f), Ħalluqin (pl) |
| Time zone | UTC+1(CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2(CEST) |
| Postal code | LQA |
| Dialing code | 356 |
| ISO 3166 code | MT-25 |
| Patron saint | St. Andrew |
| Day of festa | First Sunday of July (main feast) 30 November (liturgical feast) |
| Website | Official website |
Notable residents of the town includedMichelangelo Sapiano(1826–1912), a well-known clockmaker and inventor whose work includes the clock in the parish church's belfry. The house where he lived is located on Pawlu Magri Street.[4]
History
editIn 1592 the village of Luqa was hit bya plague epidemic,which hit all the population of Malta and caused many deaths. A sign of this sad episode is the cemetery found in Carmel Street, Alley 4 where people were buried in a field changed into a cemetery. The village of Luqa originally formed part of the parish ofGudjauntil it was established as a separate parish by a decree issued byPope Urban VIIIon 15 May 1634.[citation needed]
Another tragedy for Luqa was thecholeraepidemic of 1850 where 13 people died. A cemetery is still present in Valletta Road as a reminder of this tragedy.[citation needed]
During the early 20th century Luqa took prominence because of the airport. TheRoyal Air Forceestablished RAF Station Luqa, an airfield with runways which later on evolved as a civilian airport. The RAF established military and civilian buildings in the area close to the airfield/airport and inĦal Farruġ.They used the airfield until it closed on 31 March 1979 when it was transferred to the Maltese Government to be transformed into a civilian airport. However they still used the domestic site for their own military force.[citation needed]
Many people died during the Second World War in Luqa, and many buildings destroyed due to heavy bombardment. A tragedy which is still remembered happened on 9 April 1942 when a bomb hit a wartime shelter and a well and the people inside the shelter were buried alive. The Local Council still remembers the people who died during WWII with a ceremony of the laying of bay wreaths together with the other local organisations and clubs.
The patron Saint of Luqa is St. Andrew (Sant' Andrija). Alocal niche dedicated to himis found in Luqa, which is two storeys high.[5]
Governance
editCitizens of Luqa vote for their local council every three years, which council consists of seven members, one of them being the mayor. The Mayor of Luqa is John Schembri.[6]
Economy
editAir MaltaandMedaviahave their head offices atMalta International Airportin Luqa.[7][8]
Zones in Ħal Luqa
edit- Għammieri
- Ħal Farruġ
- Ħal Luqa Industrial Estate
- Ta' Ħal Saflieni
- Taċ-Ċagħki
- Taċ-Ċawla
- Tal-Bandieri
- Wied Betti
- Wied il-Knejjes
- Xagħra tas-Simar
Geography and climate
editAs other parts of Malta, Luqa has aMediterranean climate(KöppenCsa),[9][10]with mild winters and hot summers. The annual average temperature is 19.3 °C (66.7 °F), making Luqa the warmest city inEurope.
| Climate data for Malta (Luqa in the south-east part of main island, 1981–2010) | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 15.6 (60.1) |
15.6 (60.1) |
17.3 (63.1) |
19.8 (67.6) |
24.1 (75.4) |
28.6 (83.5) |
31.5 (88.7) |
31.8 (89.2) |
28.5 (83.3) |
25.0 (77.0) |
20.7 (69.3) |
17.1 (62.8) |
23.0 (73.4) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 12.8 (55.0) |
12.5 (54.5) |
13.9 (57.0) |
16.1 (61.0) |
19.8 (67.6) |
23.9 (75.0) |
26.6 (79.9) |
27.2 (81.0) |
24.7 (76.5) |
21.5 (70.7) |
17.7 (63.9) |
14.4 (57.9) |
19.3 (66.7) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 9.9 (49.8) |
9.4 (48.9) |
10.6 (51.1) |
12.4 (54.3) |
15.5 (59.9) |
19.1 (66.4) |
21.7 (71.1) |
22.6 (72.7) |
20.8 (69.4) |
18.1 (64.6) |
14.6 (58.3) |
11.6 (52.9) |
15.5 (59.9) |
| Averageprecipitationmm (inches) | 98.5 (3.88) |
60.1 (2.37) |
44.2 (1.74) |
20.7 (0.81) |
16.0 (0.63) |
4.6 (0.18) |
0.3 (0.01) |
12.8 (0.50) |
58.6 (2.31) |
82.9 (3.26) |
92.3 (3.63) |
109.2 (4.30) |
595.8 (23.46) |
| Average precipitation days(≥ 1.0 mm) | 10 | 7 | 5 | 4 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 1 | 4 | 6 | 9 | 10 | 58 |
| Mean monthlysunshine hours | 159.0 | 171.0 | 224.0 | 247.0 | 300.0 | 328.0 | 365.0 | 338.0 | 260.0 | 221.0 | 185.0 | 156.0 | 2,954 |
| Source:Meteo Climate(1981–2010 Data),[11]German Meteorological Service(sunshine duration 1961-1990)[12] | |||||||||||||
Demographics
edit
See also
editReferences
edit- ^"Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014".Government of Malta.16 May 2014. Archived fromthe originalon 21 June 2015.
- ^Mahoney, Leonardo (1996).5,000 years of Architecture in Malta.Malta:VallettaPublishing. Format. p. 154.ISBN9990958157.ISBN9789990958157.
- ^Malta Annual FestivalsRetrieved on 18 March 2010.
- ^No Man is an IslandArchived2013-05-10 at theWayback MachineCuckoo Clock Information. Retrieved on 18 March 2010.
- ^"New Page 1".Archived fromthe originalon 4 August 2016.Retrieved22 March2016.
- ^Official website
- ^"Contact UsArchived2013-05-02 at theWayback Machine."Air Malta. Retrieved on 23 April 2013." Air Malta plc Level 2, Skyparks Business Centre Malta International Airport Luqa, Malta. LQA 9020 "
- ^"Contact UsArchived2012-07-29 at theWayback Machine."Medavia. Retrieved on April 23, 2013." P.O. Box 48, Malta International Airport Luqa LQA 4000 "
- ^Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) (22 September 2022)."Malta".The World Factbook.
- ^The Maltese Islands,Department of Information – Malta.
- ^"Luqa Weather Averages 1981–2010".Meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org.Retrieved4 April2020.
- ^"Climate Table of Luqa (Airport)"(PDF).Deutscher Wetterdienst.Retrieved4 April2020.
External links
edit
General
edit- Saint Andrew's Parish (A.D. 1634)
- Ħal Luqa Youth Centre (A.D. 2003)
- Luqa St. Andrew's FC (A.D. 1934)