Malta (island) built first fortifications in Malta. Malta was later ruled by the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Romans, Byzantines and Arabs before it was occupied by the County of Sicily in 1091. The island then became part of the Kingdom of Sicily until it was given to the Order of Saint John along with Gozo and Tripoli in 1530. In 1565, the Order and the Maltese withstood a major Ottoman invasion which became known as the Great Siege of Malta. The Order ruled Malta for over 250 years and built many great pieces of architecture, including the capital city Valletta. In 1798 the French
Cornwallis Island (Nunavut) the north end of McDougall Sound, which separates Cornwallis Island from nearby Bathurst Island. Cape Airy is located at the island's southwestern extremity. Also on the southwestern coast, Griffith Island lies directly across from the island's populated hamlet Resolute (Qausuittuq), separated by the wide Resolute Passage. The airport at Resolute acts as a communications hub for the central Arctic islands of Nunavut. This is Canada's second most northerly community. The first European to visit Cornwallis Island was Sir William Edward Parry in 1819, and is named for British Royal Navy admiral Sir William Cornwallis. Cornwallis Island is also home to