Malta is the smallest country in the European Union and one of the most densely populated places on earth. It sits in the middle of the Mediterranean, about 80 kilometres south of Sicily and 300 kilometres north of Libya, which explains most of its history.
Most of Malta is free to walk into. A few sites need booking and they fill up.
The basics
A republic in the middle of the Mediterranean
Malta has been independent since 21 September 1964 and a republic since 13 December 1974. It joined the European Union on 1 May 2004, entered the Schengen area on 21 December 2007 and adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.
Valletta is the capital and the smallest capital city in the EU. You can walk across it in about twenty minutes.
First time in Malta
Three inhabited islands
The country is an archipelago. Malta is the largest island, roughly 27 kilometres long and 14 wide. Gozo is greener and about a third of the size. Comino has only a handful of residents.
Cominotto, Filfla and St Paul’s Islands are uninhabited. The total land area is around 316 square kilometres, which is smaller than the Isle of Wight.
About Gozo
Maltese and English are both official
Maltese and English are both official. Maltese is a Semitic language written in the Latin alphabet, the only one of its kind. It has a lot of Italian and English mixed in. Italian is widely understood too.
The population passed half a million some years ago and keeps climbing, mostly through migration. That makes Malta one of the most crowded countries anywhere. You feel it on the roads.
50 Maltese phrases worth learning
More churches than days in the year
Malta is overwhelmingly Roman Catholic. The parish church is still the centre of most villages. The dome at Mosta is one of the largest in Europe.
Every village holds an annual festa (a village feast) for its patron saint, with bands, banners and serious fireworks. It is the single best free thing on the calendar.
The festa calendar
Malta at a glance
Country and people
- Official name
- Republic of Malta.
- Capital
- Valletta, the smallest capital city in the European Union.
- Population
- 588,254 at the end of 2025, up 2.4 per cent on the year before. Around 53 per cent are male, 14 per cent are under 18 and 18 per cent are 65 or over.
- Land area
- About 316 square kilometres across all the islands.
- Population density
- Roughly 1,860 people per square kilometre, among the highest in the world.
- Languages
- Maltese and English, both official. Italian is widely understood.
- Religion
- Predominantly Roman Catholic.
- Government
- Parliamentary republic. Independent since 1964, a republic since 1974.
Practical numbers
- Emergency number
- 112, for police, ambulance and fire. It works from any phone, free of charge.
- Country calling code
- +356. Maltese numbers are eight digits with no area codes, so you dial the same number wherever you are on the islands.
- Currency
- The euro, adopted on 1 January 2008.
- Time zone
- Central European Time, UTC+1, moving to UTC+2 for summer time. The same as most of mainland Europe.
- Electricity
- 230 volts, Type G three-pin plugs, the same as the United Kingdom and Ireland.
- Driving side
- The left, again as in the UK and Ireland.
- Tap water
- Safe to drink. It is heavily treated and tastes strongly of minerals, so many people drink it filtered or bottled.
- Highest point
- Ta’ Dmejrek near Dingli, about 253 metres above sea level.
Getting here and about
- Airport
- Malta International Airport at Luqa, one terminal, in the middle of the island.
- Nearest neighbours
- Sicily is about 80 kilometres north, Tunisia about 290 kilometres west and Libya about 300 kilometres south.
- Getting between islands
- The Gozo Channel car ferry runs from Ċirkewwa to Mġarr in about 25 minutes. Comino is reached by private operator boats only.
- Public transport
- Buses reach almost everywhere and are inexpensive. There are no trains or trams.
The temples here were built between roughly 3600 and 2500 BC, which makes them older than Stonehenge and older than the pyramids at Giza. Then came the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, the Knights of St John, the French and the British, all of whom left something behind.