Malta /ˈmɔːltə/ (help·info), officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta Malta), is a densely populated developed European country in the European Union.[4][5][6] The Southern European island nation is an archipelago that includes the inhabited islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, along with a number of smaller, uninhabited islands. It is situated centrally in the Mediterranean Sea, 93 km south of Sicily (Italy) and 288 km north of Tunisia. Gibraltar is 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria 1,510 km to the east.[7]
Malta is just over 300 km² with an estimated population of over 400,000 people. Maltas de facto capital is Valletta and the biggest city is Birkirkara. The islands enjoy a Mediterranean climate.[8][9] The countrys official languages are Maltese and English, which replaced Italian in 1934. Malta has a long legacy of Roman Catholicism, which continues to be the official and dominant religion in Malta.
Throughout its history, Maltas location in the Mediterranean Sea has given it a strategic importance.[10] Consequently, a sequence of powers including the Phoenicians, Romans, Fatimids, Sicilians, Knights of St John, French and British have all conquered the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a Republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is a member of the European Union, which it joined in 2004, and also of the United Nations. Malta implemented the Schengen Agreement on December 21, 2007.[11]
Malta is known for its world heritage sites,[12] most prominently the Megalithic Temples which are the oldest free-standing structures in Europe.[13][14][15] According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul was shipwrecked on the island. Malta is also considered a hypothetical location for the mythical lost island of Atlantis |
