Special Interest Articles
A space where the students at RGJS news can explore specific topics, hold interviews or share their passion and knowledge. 

Malta is an island country located between Sicily and North Africa in the Mediterranean Sea. The two official languages are English and Maltese and its capital city is Valletta, the smallest capital in the European Union. It has a population of 574,250 and attracts many tourists with its warm climate.

History

Since 6500 BC, people have been living on Malta, originally inhabited by Mesolithic hunter -gatherers originating from Sicily.  The Maltese archaeologist Eleanor Scerri found hearths and stone tools in the Latnija Cave. She also found a species of red deer bones which is now extinct, marine and fish bones including edible astropods. The hunters had crossed 100 km of water to get to Malta. Dwarf hippos, giant swans and dwarf elephants’ extinction is linked to these people. 

Geography

Malta is part of an island chain of limestone coral found in Southern Europe and sits on the African tectonic plate in the Mediterranean. The island is 81 km or 500 miles south of Sicily and only the largest islands Malta, Gozo and Comino are inhabited. The other islands are Cominotto, Filfla and the St. Paul’s Islands.

Tourism

Malta is a popular tourist destination and is famous for its Blue Lagoon in Comino. Some of its key attractions are: Valletta the capital city and home to Baroque architecture, Mdina the ‘silent city’, and the Blue Lagoon.

As winter slowly comes to an end, animals begin preparing for the arrival of spring. During the cold months, many animals either hibernate, migrate to warmer places, or slow down their activity to save energy. As the weather starts to warm up and the days become longer, animals wake up from hibernation and begin searching for food again. Bears, hedgehogs, and some bats slowly become more active after resting for the winter.

Spring is also an important time for many animals because it is the season when they have their babies. Birds begin building nests in trees or bushes, carefully collecting twigs, leaves, and grass to make a safe home for their eggs. Other animals, such as rabbits and deer, prepare safe places to raise their young. Many animals grow thicker or new coats to adapt to the changing weather.

Overall, spring is a busy and exciting time in nature. Animals work hard to find food, build homes, and care for their young. After the quiet and cold winter months, spring brings new life, energy, and activity to the animal world.

The Solar System is a huge system in space made up of the Sun, eight planets, moons, and many other objects such as asteroids and comets. The Sun is at the centre of the Solar System and it gives light and heat to all the planets. The planets travel around the Sun in paths called orbits. The eight planets are Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, and Neptune.

Each planet is different in its own way. Some planets are rocky, like Earth and Mars, while others are huge gas giants like Jupiter and Saturn. Saturn is famous for its beautiful rings made of ice and rock. Jupiter is the biggest planet in the Solar System, while Mercury is the closest planet to the Sun.

Our planet, Earth, is the only planet known to support life because it has water, air, and the right temperature for living things. Scientists and astronauts study space to learn more about the Solar System and the universe. Even though we already know a lot, there are still many amazing discoveries waiting to be made.

Some holidays are very famous, like Christmas or Halloween. But there are also lots of weird and funny holidays that people celebrate, especially in the first few months of the year. There are many weird holidays that sound like they were invented during a very strange meeting.

One of the weirdest holidays is National Bubble Wrap Appreciation Day, which happens in January. On this day, people celebrate bubble wrap, the plastic with little bubbles that you pop. Honestly, most people already celebrate  whenever they get a package in the mail. The best part of bubble wrap is popping the bubbles, and for some people it helps them relax. Imagine celebrating a holiday just by sitting and popping plastic all day!

Another funny holiday is International Hug Day, also in January. The idea is simple: give people hugs. Friends hug, families hug, and even strangers might hug if they ask first. Of course, not everyone loves hugs, so it’s important to make sure the other person actually wants one. Still, it’s kind of nice that there’s a whole day dedicated to something as simple as a hug.

February also has some strange celebrations. One example is World Nutella Day. Nutella is a chocolate and hazelnut spread that people put on toast, pancakes, and sometimes just eat with a spoon. On this day, fans of Nutella share recipes, pictures, and snacks using it. If loving Nutella were a sport, I would definitely win a gold medal.

March might have one of the weirdest holidays of all: International Pancake Day. People celebrate by eating pancakes, of course. In some places there are even pancake races where people run while flipping pancakes in a frying pan. It sounds messy, but also really fun.

Weird holidays might seem pointless, but they actually make life more fun. They give people a reason to laugh, eat something tasty, or do something silly for a day. Even if they aren’t as important as big holidays, they still make the year a little more interesting. So yea, see you soon, I'm going to eat some pancakes with nutella while popping some bubble wrap.

In this B E A utiful article of mine, you will find out National animals of countries. If you want to find out some of them, keep reading.

First up … SCOTLAND!

The national animal of Scotland is a colourful unicorn. It was chosen for its symbolism of innocence, purity, masculinity and power in Celtic mythology. You might not believe that there is a National unicorn day, would you?

WELL GUESS WHAT, THERE IS!

National unicorn day is celebrated on April 9th. Some people might not believe unicorns are real but they actually are. Why else do you think they were chosen as the National animal of Scotland?

Next up is… CANADA!

The official National animal of Canada is the North American beaver (Castor canadensis).It represents industry, industriousness, and engineering prowess. Their habitat is a bit interesting. These semi-aquatic rodents are found throughout the country. They are very cute and I would love to see them one day. Whoever chose the North American beaver did a very good job!

For the last country… CHINA!

The giant panda (Ailuropoda melanoleuca) is widely recognised as the National animal of China, symbolizing the country’s wildlife conservations efforts, unique biodiversity, and cultural identity. Endemic to China, these bamboo-eating bears are beloved for their black-and-white appearance, representing peace and friendliness. They look and are friendly same for cute. If i ever see a baby one I would literally want to squish and hold it like a teddy bear.

This is Darshini signing off, peace.