Luqa ( mt, Ħal Luqa, , ) is a town located in the Southern Region of

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 ...

, 4.3 km away from the capital

Valletta Valletta (, mt, il-Belt Valletta, ) is an administrative unit and capital of Malta. Located on the main island, between Marsamxett Harbour to the west and the Grand Harbour to the east, its population within administrative limits in 2014 wa ...

. With a population of 5,945 as of March 2014, 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 Andrew the Apostle ( grc-koi, Ἀνδρέᾱς, Andréās ; la, Andrēās ; , syc, ܐܰܢܕ݁ܪܶܐܘܳܣ, ʾAnd’reʾwās), also called Saint Andrew, was an apostle of Jesus according to the New Testament. He is the brother of Simon Peter ...

. The patron saint's traditional feast is celebrated on the first Sunday of July, with the liturgical feast being celebrated on 30 November. The

Malta International Airport Malta International Airport ( mt, L-Ajruport Internazzjonali ta' Malta, ) is the only airport in Malta and it serves the whole of the Maltese Islands. It is located on the island of Malta, southwest of the Maltese capital Valletta, in the town ...

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.

History

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 Gudja is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 3,148 as of March 2017. The village is located on high grounds, south of Valletta. It is administered by the Gudja Local Council. A number of schools, clubs, public garden ...

until it was established as a separate parish by a decree issued by Pope Urban VIII on 15 May 1634. Another tragedy for Luqa was the

cholera Cholera is an infection of the small intestine by some strains of the bacterium ''Vibrio cholerae''. Symptoms may range from none, to mild, to severe. The classic symptom is large amounts of watery diarrhea that lasts a few days. Vomiting and ...

epidemic of 1850 where 13 people died. A cemetery is still present in Valletta Road as a reminder of this tragedy. During the early 20th century Luqa took prominence because of the airport. The

Royal Air Force The Royal Air Force (RAF) is the United Kingdom's air and space force. It was formed towards the end of the First World War on 1 April 1918, becoming the first independent air force in the world, by regrouping the Royal Flying Corps (RFC) an ...

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 Ħal Farruġ is a hamlet located in the south east of Malta, within the limits of Luqa. Within the hamlet's general area, a total number of 24 streets can be found. The hamlet was run down in 1941 due to the construction of a new airport runwa ...

. 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. 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.

Governance

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.

Geography and climate

As other parts of Malta, Luqa has a

Mediterranean climate A Mediterranean climate (also called a dry summer temperate climate ''Cs'') is a temperate climate sub-type, generally characterized by warm, dry summers and mild, fairly wet winters; these weather conditions are typically experienced in the ...

(

Köppen Köppen is a German surname. Notable people with the surname include: * Bernd Köppen (born 1951), German pianist and composer * Carl Köppen (1833-1907), German military advisor in Meiji era Japan * Edlef Köppen (1893–1939), German author and ...

''Csa''), with mild winters and hot summers. The annual average temperature is , making Luqa the warmest city in

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

Economy

Air Malta Air Malta plc (stylized as airmalta) is the flag carrier airline of Malta, with its headquarters in Luqa and its hub at Malta International Airport. It operates services to destinations in Europe, the Middle East and North Africa. History ...

and

Medavia Mediterranean Aviation Company Limited, doing business as Medavia, is an Aviation Service Provider with its head office and base of operations at Safi Aviation Park, Carmelo Caruana Road, Safi, Malta. Current services include Part 145 Maintenance ...

have their head offices at

in Luqa.Contact Us
." Medavia. Retrieved on April 23, 2013. "P.O. Box 48, Malta International Airport Luqa LQA 4000"

Zones in Ħal Luqa

* Għammieri *

*Ħal Luqa Industrial Estate *Ta' Ħal Saflieni *Taċ-Ċagħki *Taċ-Ċawla *Tal-Bandieri *Wied Betti *Wied il-Knejjes *Xagħra tas-Simar

Demographics

Colors= id:lightgrey value:gray(0.9) id:darkgrey value:gray(0.8) id:sfondo value:rgb(1,1,1) id:barra value:rgb(0.6,0.7,0.8) ImageSize = width:455 height:303 PlotArea = left:50 bottom:50 top:30 right:30 DateFormat = x.y Period = from:0 till:6500 TimeAxis = orientation:vertical AlignBars = justify ScaleMajor = gridcolor:darkgrey increment:1000 start:0 ScaleMinor = gridcolor:lightgrey increment:200 start:0 BackgroundColors = canvas:sfondo BarData= bar:1901 text:1901 bar:1911 text:1911 bar:1921 text:1921 bar:1931 text:1931 bar:1948 text:1948 bar:1957 text:1957 bar:1967 text:1967 bar:1985 text:1985 bar:1995 text:1995 bar:2005 text:2005 bar:2011 text:2011 PlotData= color:barra width:20 align:left bar:1901 from: 0 till:3670 bar:1911 from: 0 till:3945 bar:1921 from: 0 till:3607 bar:1931 from: 0 till:4059 bar:1948 from: 0 till:4318 bar:1957 from: 0 till:5382 bar:1967 from: 0 till:5413 bar:1985 from: 0 till:5585 bar:1995 from: 0 till:6150 bar:2005 from: 0 till:6072 bar:2011 from: 0 till:5911 PlotData= bar:1901 at:3670 fontsize:XS text: 3670 shift:(-8,5) bar:1911 at:3945 fontsize:XS text: 3945 shift:(-8,5) bar:1921 at:3607 fontsize:XS text: 3607 shift:(-8,5) bar:1931 at:4059 fontsize:XS text: 4059 shift:(-8,5) bar:1948 at:4318 fontsize:XS text: 4318 shift:(-8,5) bar:1957 at:5382 fontsize:XS text: 5382 shift:(-8,5) bar:1967 at:5413 fontsize:XS text: 5413 shift:(-8,5) bar:1985 at:5585 fontsize:XS text: 5585 shift:(-8,5) bar:1995 at:6150 fontsize:XS text: 6150 shift:(-8,5) bar:2005 at:6072 fontsize:XS text: 6072 shift:(-8,5) bar:2011 at:5911 fontsize:XS text: 5911 shift:(-8,5) TextData= fontsize:S pos:(20,20) text:Census data

References

External links

General

Saint Andrew's Parish (A.D. 1634)

Ħal Luqa Youth Centre (A.D. 2003)

Luqa St. Andrew's FC (A.D. 1934)

Band Clubs

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 Towns in Malta Local councils of Malta