36°00N 14°13E; pop (2000e) 28 000 (with Comino); area 67 km²/26 sq mi. Island in the Maltese group, often called the Isle of Calypso; 6 km/4 mi NW of the main island of Malta; coastline, 43 km/27 mi; chief town, Victoria (Rabat); largely given over to agriculture; prehistoric temples, Ta' Pinu church a centre of pilgrimage to the Virgin Mary.
Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. Gozo is part of the country of Malta.
Geography
Gozo is 67 km² in size, which is approximately the same as Hong Kong Island. Gozo is famed for its grotto of Calypso, at a little distance from which are the ruins of a Cyclopean temple, a most conspicuous monument of antiquity.
Connection to the Maltese 'Mainland'
The construction of a bridge between the two islands was the subject of controversy for years. Regular ferries relay between the port of Ċirkewwa on Malta and Mġarr on Gozo, establishing services for goods, tourism and commuting. Permanent residents of Gozo are able to use the ferry at a subsidised rate, significantly lower than the standard fare.
History
Gozo has been inhabitated since the 5th millennium BC, as witnessed by the megalithic structures at Ġgantija.
In July 1551 Ottomans and Barbary pirates conquered Gozo and enslaved all 5,000 or 6,000 inhabitants, bringing them to Tarhuna Wa Msalata in Libya. Their departure port in Gozo was Mġarr ix-Xini.
The history of Gozo is strongly coupled with the history of Malta, since Gozo has been governed by Malta within recent history, with the exception of a short period of autonomy between October 28, 1798 and September 5, 1800.
Ecclesiastical history
The Roman Catholic Diocese of Gozo (in Latin Goulos-Gaudisiensis), comprises the Island of Gozo in the Mediterranean Sea (seventeen miles west of the harbour of Valetta, Malta) and islet of Comino.
Up to the year 1864, Gozo formed part of the Diocese of Malta, but Pius IX, acceding to the repeated prayer of the clergy and the people, erected it into a separate exempt diocese, i.e. On 16 March, 1863, Monsignor Francesco Michele Butigieg, a native of Gozo, was appointed titular Bishop of Lita and deputy auxiliary of the Archbishop-Bishop of Malta, for the Island of Gozo. He was consecrated at Rome on 3 May of the same year, on 22 September, 1864, was created first bishop of the new Diocese of Gozo, and on the 23rd day of the following month made his solemn entry into the new cathedral. Butigieg, Father Micallef, Superior General of the Augustinian Order, was made Bishop of Città di Castello and appointed administrator of the Diocese of Gozo. He left Gozo in May, 1867, and in 1871 became Archbishop of Pisa. Antonio Grech Delicata, titular Bishop of Chalcedon, a native of Malta, who in 1868 was appointed Bishop of Gozo, and as such assisted at the First Vatican Council. Canon Professor Pietro Pace, native of Gozo, was appointed to succeed Mgr.
The cathedral church of Gozo was built in 1697-1703, by Lorenzo Gafa. The "Massagiere di Maria", an Italian periodical, is recognized in the Diocese of Gozo as the official organ of the sanctuary of the Bl.
Sources and external links
Lots of Gozo Photo Galleries and Desktop Background Maltese Ministry for Gozo Gozo Business Chamber Gozo Information Gozo Beaches PhotoGlobe: Gozo A collection of commented photos together with GPS-based coordinates Zoomable Map of Gozo Gozo Channel Ferry services to and from Gozo v • d • e Malta IslandsMalta Island • Gozo • Comino • Cominotto • Filfla • Islands of St. Paul
| edit | Local Councils of Malta | |
|---|---|---|
| Malta Island | ||
| Attard | Balzan | Birgu (Vittoriosa) | Birkirkara | Birżebbuġa | Bormla (Cospicua) | Dingli | Fgura | Floriana | Gudja | Gżira | Għargħur | Għaxaq | Ħamrun | Iklin | Isla (Senglea) | Kalkara | Kirkop | Lija | Luqa | Marsa | Marsaskala | Marsaxlokk | Mdina | Mellieħa | Mġarr | Mosta | Mqabba | Msida | Mtarfa | Naxxar | Paola | Pembroke | Pietà | Qormi | Qrendi | Rabat | Safi | San Ġiljan (St. Julian's) | Santa Luċija | San Pawl il-Baħar (St. Paul's Bay) | San Ġwann | Santa Venera | Siġġiewi | Sliema | Swieqi | Ta' Xbiex | Tarxien | Valletta | Xgħajra | Żabbar | Żebbuġ | Żejtun | Żurrieq | ||
| Gozo Island | ||
| Fontana | Għajnsielem | Għarb | Għasri | Kerċem | Munxar | Nadur | Qala | Rabat (Victoria) | San Lawrenz | Sannat | Xagħra | Xewkija | | ||
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