A living room in Mosta is the coldest inhabited place on planet Earth, it has emerged.
The inhospitable living room is located on the north-west side of a house belonging to Paul and Joanna Mercieca, who have lived there for the past 35 years.
Scientists had previously believed the village of Oymyakon in Russia’s Yakutia region to be the coldest inhabited place on Earth.
But the record-low temperature of minus 72 degrees celsius recorded in Oymyakon pales in comparison to the minus 101 degrees registered in the Mosta living room at 8:00 p.m. yesterday.
Brushing off the icicles that had formed on his eyelashes, Mr Mercieca told Bis-Serjetà that the couple had learned to adapt to the extreme conditions.
“Long ago, our ancestors formed trade links with the Inuits of the Arctic Circle. To this day, they send us caribou hides and seal-skin boots in exchange for pastizzi, which are an even better source of fat than whale blubber.”
Asked why they didn’t just turn on a heater, Mrs Mercieca made no comment, as her mouth was frozen shut.
“Right, I’d better make sure Ursula is still sleeping soundly,” Mr Mercieca said, referring to the female polar bear hibernating in the couple’s bed.
Every winter, thousands of people across the island leave their freezing cold homes and go outside in a desperate attempt to find lack of shelter.
Some even venture as far as northern Europe, where indoor temperatures are comparatively balmy, thanks to a phenomenon known as ‘central heating’.
Several climatologists think Maltese houses could hold the secret to combating global warming.
“If developed nations commit to building 100 Maltese houses per year, we believe this will reverse the devastating effects of man-made climate change before it’s too late,” a recent UN report stated.
