| Valletta, the capital city, cultural center, and chief port of the Mediterranean island nation of Malta, was founded in the 1560s. The city lies at the tip of a long, narrow peninsula on the east coast of Malta's main island. Most of its buildings are made of native limestone, and the narrow streets form a grid pattern sloping to the water. Among the historic structures left standing in Valletta after heavy bombing by Axis nations during World War II are the 16th-century Cathedral of Saint John and the Palace of the Grand Masters. |