In that case it would derive from Liburna, an Illyrian type of a ship, which became livurna in Greek, and lifurna in Arabic.

The viper refers to the episode involving Saint Paul just after his shipwreck on Malta as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles.

This was in turn replaced by a gigantic concrete statue towering twelve metres above the hill, which remains to this day.

By the late sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries the Knights of the Order of Saint John, the rulers of Malta at the time, considered abandoning the old Citadel in the centre of the island and building a new town overlooking the port.

[3] They protested that they were too poor to pay the extra tax needed to finance the move and the disruption caused by the transfer of their homes from Victoria to Marsalforn would be too great.

[5] With the development of Mġarr harbour, Marsalforn lost its importance and for several centuries, it remained a quiet fishing town inhabited by a small community of fishermen and their families.

[7] The growth in the twentieth century of tourism on the Maltese island has led to a redirection of the town's economic function away from fishing.

Today, although fishing remains an important industry, increasingly tourism is becoming the dominant source of employment for the local people.

In the last thirty years the town has seen considerable urban expansion and has gradually extended along the crescent-shaped rocky bay towards Qbajjar.

This expansion has been spurred by the growth in tourism in Gozo which has meant that several hotels, guesthouses and apartments have been built in the town.

Moreover, the desire by wealthy Maltese and Gozitans for second homes in the town, combined with the increasingly large[clarification needed] presence of foreign investors in the local housing market, has fuelled high demand[clarification needed] for property in the town.

During the winter months, when tourist numbers are low and second homes are frequently not used, the town gains a quiet, peaceful feel.

The town might currently have around 500 to 1,000 permanent residents, with the Maltese people being the largest ethnic group, although no official statistics are provided as Marsalforn forms part of the locality of Żebbuġ.