Gudja

Gudja is a village in the Southern Region of Malta, with a population of 2,997 as of March 2013. The village is located on high grounds, south of Valletta. It is administered by the Gudja Local Council. A number of schools, clubs, public gardens and recreations places are found around the village. The Malta International Airport is located in the peripheries.The area has been inhabited since pre-historic times, evident from remains still in situ. Scarce Punic remains were found in an area known as Xlejli, within the villge. Several remains of the Roman period are scattered in the whereabouts, notoriously the Ħal Resqun Catacombs. The area was inhabited during the Arab and subsequent medieval periods, and the settling found today dates to the Order of St. John. The centre of the village further developed during the British period, after which a number of modern neighbourhoods were built.The village has a concentration of churches, some dating to the mediaval period, and other secular historic buildings such as Palazzo Dorell. Prominent buildings are now scheduled as Grade 1 or 2. Some buildings and a number of niches and statues are listed on the National Inventory of the Cultural Property of the Maltese Islands.Name and mottoGudja means a land located on a higher ground but not a hill, with an approximately round peripheries.