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.
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 |
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
editIn 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
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 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
editAs 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
editSee also
editReferences
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
editGeneral
edit- Saint Andrew's Parish (A.D. 1634)
- Ħal Luqa Youth Centre (A.D. 2003)
- Luqa St. Andrew's FC (A.D. 1934)