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Saint Raphael Lake
Saint Raphael Lake (San Raflu) is a small rural area just outside the locality of Kerċem, at the south-west of the island of Gozo. The area is approximately above sea level, and (vertical distance) away from the sea. The area is surrounded by two of the most important bays in Gozo; the Dwejra Bay to the northwest, and the Xlendi Bay to the southeast. The area is situated on layers of Upper, Middle and Lower Globigerina limestone ( mt, Franka ta’ Fuq, tan-Nofs u ta’ Taħt), which make up the base of the whole San Raflu area. However, one also finds traces of Coralline limestone rock, which also makes up the Xlendi Cliffs. The high amount of limestone in the area also influences the soil, which is mainly xerorendzinas, a main characteristic of the Globigerina areas. In fact, this soil is a compound of the Globigerina limestone, the greensand, and several other organic material, and has very high levels of stone and chalk content, whilst keeping a very low level of humu ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Kerċem
Kerċem ( mt, Ta' Kerċem) is an administrative unit of Malta, on the island of Gozo, with a population of 1,938 people as of March 2014. The village of Kerċem lies close by to the south-west of Victoria, spread between the picturesque Lunzjata Valley, the green hills of Tal-Mixta, Għar Ilma and Ta' Dbieġi, and stretching up to the Pond of Għadira ta' San Rafflu and Xlendi cliffs. Archaeological discoveries show that the sizeable area of Kerċem was inhabited as early as the Għar Dalam phase (5000–4500 BC). The Roman Baths and an early Christian cemetery at Għar Gerduf, referred to by Gozitan historian Giovanni Pietro Francesco Agius de Soldanis as Roman Catacombs, are also significant discoveries. However, to date, these historic sites are not accessible to the public. Ta' Kerċem evolved into a village community in the late Middle Ages, around an ancient chapel dedicated to Pope Gregory the Great built around 1581. The site gained historical importance due to the ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Gozo
Gozo (, ), Maltese: ''Għawdex'' () and in antiquity known as Gaulos ( xpu, 𐤂𐤅𐤋, ; grc, Γαῦλος, Gaúlos), is an island in the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. The island is part of the Republic of Malta. After the island of Malta itself, it is the second-largest island in the archipelago. As of 2021, the island has a population of around 31,232 (out of Malta's total 443,227), and its inhabitants are known as Gozitans ( mt, Għawdxin). It is rich in historic locations such as the Ġgantija temples, which, along with the other Megalithic Temples of Malta, are amongst the world's oldest free-standing structures. The island is rural in character and less developed than the island of Malta. Gozo is known for its scenic hills, which are featured on its coat of arms. The Azure Window, a natural limestone arch, was a remarkable geological feature until its collapse on March 8, 2017. The island has other notable natural features, including the Inland Se ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Dwejra Bay
The Azure Window ( mt, it-Tieqa Żerqa, italic=no), also known as the Dwejra Window ( mt, it-Tieqa tad-Dwejra, italic=no), was a natural arch on the island of Gozo, located just off the shores of Malta. The limestone feature, which was in Dwejra Bay close to the Inland Sea, Gozo, Inland Sea and Fungus Rock, was one of the island's major tourist attractions until it collapsed in stormy weather on 8 March 2017. The arch, together with other natural features in the area, has appeared in a number of international films and media productions. The rock formation, which consisted of a pillar rising from the sea joined to the cliff by a horizontal slab, was created by the collapse of a sea cave, probably during the 19th century. The final collapse followed a century of natural erosion, during which large sections of the limestone arch had broken off and fallen into the sea. History Formation The Azure Window developed through sea erosion of a cliff face. The progress starts with an ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Xlendi Bay
Xlendi is an urban village in Malta situated in the south west of the island of Gozo. It is surrounded by the villages of Munxar, Fontana and Kerċem. The village is administered by Munxar, but has its own coat of arms and motto. From March 2010, Xlendi has had its own 5-person "mini council" responsible for the main activities of the area. Etymology The name ''Xlendi'' is of Byzantine origin as it is named after a galley of the period, that was wrecked along the coast, that was called ''Shilandi''. Evidence of this was retrieved near the entry of the bay, at the bottom of the sea, in the 1960s. Since then the site has become a popular diving site. Historical places Punic Tombs Also, tombs dating from Punic-Byzantine times were found in Xlendi, some at St. Simon Point (under St. Simon Street) and some others in Xlendi Valley. Romans used to port in Xlendi as it has features that can protect from the wind for its cliffs around the bay. In the middle of the bay there is a reef w ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Globigerina Limestone
The Geology of Malta consists of a sequence of sedimentary rocks of late Oligocene to late Miocene age cut through by a set of extensional faults of Pliocene age. Tectonics The Maltese archipelago is situated on the mainly shallow water continental platform between Sicily and North Africa that lies beneath the Sicily Channel, separating the Ionian Basin from the western Mediterranean Basin. The islands lie around 200 km to the south of the subduction boundary between the African Plate and the Eurasian Plate. The platform is crossed by a rift zone formed of three grabens: the Pantelleria graben, that of Malta, and that of Linosa. The faults bounding these grabens are associated with most of the earthquakes that affect the archipelago, although some earthquakes with epicentres in Sicily may have damaging effects, such as the 1693 Sicily earthquake.Galea, P. pp.725–740 Formation of the islands The Maltese archipelago, situated between Sicily and Tunisia, was create ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Raphael (archangel)
Raphael (, "God has healed"), ''Rəfāʾēl'', Tiberian: ''Răp̄āʾēl''; lit. 'God has healed'; grc, Ραφαήλ, ''Raphaḗl''; cop, ⲣⲁⲫⲁⲏⲗ, ''Rafaêl''; ar, رافائيل, ''Rāfā’īl'', or , ''Isrāfīl''; am, ሩፋኤል, ''Rufaʾel''. is an archangel first mentioned in the Book of Tobit and in 1 Enoch, both estimated to date from between the 3rd and 2nd century BCE. In later Jewish tradition, he became identified as one of the three heavenly visitors entertained by Abraham at the Oak of Mamre. He is not named in either the New Testament or the Quran, but later Christian tradition identified him with healing and as the angel who stirred waters in the Pool of Bethesda in John 5:2–4, and in Islam, where his name is Israfil, he is understood to be the unnamed angel of Quran 6:73, standing eternally with a trumpet to his lips, ready to announce the Day of Judgment. In Gnostic tradition, Raphael is represented on the Ophite Diagram. Origins in post ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Eastern Mosquitofish
The eastern mosquitofish (''Gambusia holbrooki'') is a species of freshwater fish, closely related to the western mosquitofish, ''Gambusia affinis''. It is a member of the family Poeciliidae of order Cyprinodontiformes. The eastern mosquitofish is native to the eastern and southern United States from Florida to Pennsylvania and inland to Alabama and Tennessee, while the western mosquitofish has a larger distribution throughout the United States. Description The Eastern mosquitofish is a small, light-colored fish with semitransparent fins. The females usually have a black stripe near their eye area and light spots can be seen on the caudal and dorsal fins of both sexes. Due to its similar size, shape, and reproductive habits, it can easily be mistaken for a guppy. Generally, males reach and females . These fish are a livebearer species, and as such, the females are larger and more rounded than the males. Pregnant females are also easily recognizable by their gravid spot; a darke ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
Discoglossus Pictus
The Mediterranean painted frog or simply painted frog (''Discoglossus pictus'') is a species of frog in the family Alytidae (formerly Discoglossidae). Distribution ''Discoglossus pictus'' is found Mediterranean Africa in northeast Morocco, northern Algeria, and Tunisia, in the islands of Sicily (Italy) and Malta; introduced populations exist in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. ''Discoglossus scovazzi'' from Morocco was previously considered a subspecies of ''D. pictus''. Initially, only the former was thought to occur in Morocco, but later research has shown that also ''D. pictus'' is present there. Description As the common name implies, these frogs can have colorful markings. Three pattern variations occur in this species - almost uniformly colored animals, animals with large, dark spots with bright edges, and animals with two dark brown longitudinal bands, one bright band along the back, and two bright bands along the sides. The belly is whitish. The body is stout ... [...More Info...] [...Related Items...] OR: [Wikipedia] [Google] [Baidu] |
