Malta part of the newly formed Kingdom of Sicily which also covered the island of Sicily and the southern half of the Italian Peninsula. The Catholic Church was reinstated as the state religion with Malta under the See of Palermo, and some Norman architecture sprung up around Malta especially in its ancient capital Mdina. Tancred, King of Sicily, the last Norman monarch, made Malta a fief of the kingdom and installed a count of Malta. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, it was during this time the men of Malta were militarised to fend off capture
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