Ħal Far is one of the main

industrial estate An industrial park (also known as industrial estate, trading estate) is an area zoned and planned for the purpose of industrial development. An industrial park can be thought of as a more "heavyweight" version of a business park or office park ...

s in

Malta Malta ( , , ), officially the Republic of Malta ( mt, Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in the Mediterranean Sea. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya, and is often considered a part of Southern Europe. It lies ...

. It is at the southern extreme of Malta, between the localities of

Birżebbuġa Birżebbuġa (; sometimes shortened to B'Buġa) is a seaside town in the Southern Region of Malta, close to Marsaxlokk. It is approximately from the capital Valletta, and it has a population of 9,736 as of March 2014. The town is popular amon ...

, Safi and

Żurrieq Żurrieq ( mt, Iż-Żurrieq ) is a town in the Southern Region of Malta. It is one of the oldest towns in the country, and it has a population of 11,823 inhabitants as of March 2014. The first documentation about it being a parish dates back to ...

. In the past, Ħal Far housed the

RAF Hal Far The RAF Hal Far airfield was the first permanent airfield to be built on Malta. It was opened on 1 April 1929 as HMS ''Falcon'', a Royal Navy stone frigate, and was used by Fleet Air Arm crews. It was transferred to the Maltese Government and ...

airfield, which was known as HMS Falcon when in the service of the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

. The airfield was also used in 1954 and 1955 by the US Navy Squadron VP-11 for a tour of six months each year. VP-11 had a complement of 12 aircraft stationed there. The enlisted personnel lived in Quonset huts located within walking distance of the airport. The runway can still be seen and driven on, leading the Maltese to use for drag car racing. Parts of the airfield including the hangar have been converted into detention centres for refugees and asylum seekers. In this area, one can also find the historical ''Ħasan'' Cave, the Wardija Tower and the second largest

Playmobil Playmobil () is a German line of toys produced by the Brandstätter Group (Geobra Brandstätter GmbH & Co KG), headquartered in Zirndorf, Germany. The signature Playmobil toy is a tall (1:24 scale) human figure with a smiling face. A wide ran ...

factory in the world.

References

Industrial parks in Malta Birżebbuġa {{Malta-geo-stub