Luqa
Ħal Luqa Casal Luca | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top left:Tower of the Parish 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″N 14°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 |
Luqa (Maltese: Ħal Luqa, [ˈħal luːʔa], lit. 'poplar') is a town located in the Southern Region of Malta, 4.3 km away from the capital Valletta. 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 to St. 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] The Malta International Airport is located in Luqa.
Notable residents of the town included Michelangelo 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
[edit]In 1592 the village of Luqa was hit by a 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 of Gudja until it was established as a separate parish by a decree issued by Pope Urban VIII on 15 May 1634.[citation needed]
Another tragedy for Luqa was the cholera epidemic 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. The Royal Air Force established 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 in Ħal 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). A local niche dedicated to him is found in Luqa, which is two storeys high.[5]
Governance
[edit]Citizens 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
[edit]Air Malta and Medavia have their head offices at Malta International Airport in 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
[edit]As other parts of Malta, Luqa has a Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csa),[9][10] with mild winters and hot summers. The annual average temperature is 19.3 °C (66.7 °F), making Luqa the warmest city in Europe.
| 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) |
| Average precipitation mm (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 monthly sunshine 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
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Estimated Population by Locality 31st March, 2014". Government of Malta. 16 May 2014. Archived from the original on 21 June 2015.
- ^ Mahoney, Leonardo (1996). 5,000 years of Architecture in Malta. Malta: Valletta Publishing. Format. p. 154. ISBN 9990958157. ISBN 9789990958157.
- ^ Malta Annual Festivals Retrieved on 18 March 2010.
- ^ No Man is an Island Archived 2013-05-10 at the Wayback Machine Cuckoo Clock Information. Retrieved on 18 March 2010.
- ^ "New Page 1". Archived from the original on 4 August 2016. Retrieved 22 March 2016.
- ^ Official website
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2013-05-02 at the Wayback Machine." Air Malta. Retrieved on 23 April 2013. "Air Malta plc Level 2, Skyparks Business Centre Malta International Airport Luqa, Malta. LQA 9020"
- ^ "Contact Us Archived 2012-07-29 at the Wayback 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. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
- ^ "Climate Table of Luqa (Airport)" (PDF). Deutscher Wetterdienst. Retrieved 4 April 2020.
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)
Band Clubs
[edit]- Saint Andrew's Band Club (L-Għaqda Mużikali Sant' Andrija - A.D. 1883)
- Union Philharmonic Society (Is-Soċjetà Filarmonika L-Unjoni - A.D. 1880)
| Authority control databases: Geographic |
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