Luqa Ħal Luqa Casal Luca | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top left:Tower of theParish Church of St Andrew,Dejma Cross, Neo-Baroque building,Tal-Ftajjar Chapel, and former British military building | |
 Flag  Coat of arms | |
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| Coordinates:35°51′35″N14°29′21″E / 35.85972°N 14.48917°E /35.85972; 14.48917 | |
| 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 | www |
Luqa (Maltese:Ħal Luqa[ħɐlˈluːʔɐ],lit. 'poplar') is a town located in theSouthern Region ofMalta, 4.3 km away from the capitalValletta. 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 toSt. 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] TheMalta International Airport is located in Luqa.
Notable residents of the town includedMichelangelo 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]
In 1592 the village of Luqa was hit bya 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 ofGudja until it was established as a separate parish by a decree issued byPope Urban VIII on 15 May 1634.[citation needed]
Another tragedy for Luqa was thecholera 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. TheRoyal 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 inĦal 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). Alocal niche dedicated to him is found in Luqa, which is two storeys high.[5]
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.[6]
Air Malta andMedavia have their head offices atMalta International Airport in Luqa.[7][8]
As other parts of Malta, Luqa has aMediterranean climate (KöppenCsa),[9][10] with mild winters and hot summers. The annual average temperature is 19.3 °C (66.7 °F).
| 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) |
| Averageprecipitation 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 monthlysunshine 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] | |||||||||||||
| International | |
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| Geographic | |
