Simplify the following text for a Grade 7 native English-speaking person.
Original: From 1972 until introduction of the Euro in 2008 , the currency was the Maltese Lira , which had replaced the Maltese pound .
Simplified: Malta had its own currency , called the Maltese Lira until 2008 . The Maltese Lira was better known as the Maltese Pound because of the strong links to the United Kingdom .