Malta Island - State

Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (in Maltese Republika ta 'Malta, in English Republic of Malta), is an island country in southern Europe, a member of the European Union.

It is an archipelago located in the Mediterranean, in the Maltese channel, 80 km from Sicily, 284 km from Tunisia and 333 km from Libya, included in the Italian geographical region.

With an area of ​​315.6 km² it is one of the smallest and most densely populated states in the world.

Its capital is Valletta and the most populated city is Birchircara.

The main island is characterized by a large number of towns which, together with the capital, form a conurbation of 368 250 inhabitants. The country has two official languages, Maltese and English.

Italian, the official language until 1934, is widespread, spoken correctly by more than 66% of Maltese.

During the course of history, Malta's geographical position has given great importance to the archipelago, suffering the succession of the Phoenicians, Greeks, Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of Malta, French and English.

Malta is internationally known as a tourist destination for entertainment and above all for culture, given that there are three UNESCO world heritage sites: the capital Valletta, the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum and the megalithic temples.

Entry into the European Union took place on 1 May 2004 and from 1 January 2008 it became part of the Eurozone.

Malta is also a member of the Commonwealth.

Map: Malta Island - State