Gozo is an island of the Maltese archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, second in size to the island of Malta. In Maltese, the island is called Ghawdex (pronounced áw-desh). Gozo is part of the country of Malta.


Gozo is famed for its character and places of interest. Some of these are the Calypso cave, the Azur Window in Dwejra and Ggantija Neolithic temples which is the oldest man made structure. It is more picturesque than the larger sister island of Malta, and the land is more fertile.

Gozo's finest attribute is the stunning Ramla Bay, whose lurid orange-red sand and crystal clear turquoise waters make it one of the finest beaches in Europe. Nearby San Blas is another world-class beach.

Gozo is almost certainly the island mentioned under the name "Cauda" in Acts 27:16 in the New Testament. According to the text, the ship taking the apostle Paul and his companions to Rome under Roman custody sailed along the sheltered side of the island to avoid a shipwreck.This mention in the book of Acts helps explain the rich ecclesiastical history of Gozo.

In July 1551 Ottomans under Turgut Reis and Sinan Pasha invaded and ravaged Gozo and enslaved most of its inhabitants, about 5000, bringing them to Tarhuna Wa Msalata in Libya, their departure port in Gozo was Mgarr ix-Xini. The island of Gozo was repopulated between 1565 and 1580 by people from mainland Malta, undertaken by the Knights of Malta.

The history of Gozo is strongly coupled with the history of Malta, since Gozo has been governed by Malta throughout history, with the brief exception of a period of autonomy granted to Gozo by Napoleon after his conquest of Malta, between 28 October 1798 and 5 September 1800.