Malta

This article is about the country. For other uses, see Malta (disambiguation).

Republic of Malta
Repubblika ta' Malta (Maltese)
Motto: Virtute et constantia (Latin)
"Strength and persistence"
Anthem: L-Innu Malti (Maltese)
"The Maltese Hymn"
Location of Malta (green circle) – in Europe (light green & dark grey) – in the European Union (light green)  –  [Legend]
Location of Malta (green circle)

– in Europe (light green & dark grey)
– in the European Union (light green)  –  [Legend]

CapitalValletta
35°54′N 14°31′E / 35.900°N 14.517°E / 35.900; 14.517
Largest administrative unitSt. Paul's Bay[1]
Official languages
Other languagesMaltese Sign Language[3]
Italian
Ethnic groups
(2021[4])
Religion
(2021)[5][6]
  • 5.1% no religion
  • 3.9% Islam
  • 1.4% Hinduism
  • 1.1% other
Demonym(s)Maltese
GovernmentUnitary parliamentary republic
• President
Myriam Spiteri Debono
Robert Abela
LegislatureParliament of Malta
Independence 
from the United Kingdom
21 September 1964
• Republic
13 December 1974
Area
• Total
316[7] km2 (122 sq mi) (187th)
• Water (%)
0.001
Population
• 2021 census
542,051[8]
• Density
1,649/km2 (4,270.9/sq mi) (8th)
GDP (PPP)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $36.870 billion[9] (140th)
• Per capita
Increase $67,682[9] (20th)
GDP (nominal)2024 estimate
• Total
Increase $22.737 billion[9] (118th)
• Per capita
Increase $41,738[9] (25th)
Gini (2020)Negative increase 31.4[10]
medium inequality
HDI (2022)Increase 0.915[11]
very high (25th)
CurrencyEuro (€) (EUR)
Time zoneUTC+1 (Central European Time)
• Summer (DST)
UTC+2 (Central European Summer Time)
Drives onleft
Calling code+356
ISO 3166 codeMT
Internet TLD.mt[b]
  1. ^ 2021 Malta census Chapter 4: Racial Origin according to the most recent national census. Meanwhile 77.8% of the population were Maltese citizens or nationals.[12]
  2. ^ Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states

Malta (/ˈmɒltə/ ⓘ MOL-tə, /ˈmɔːltə/ MAWL-tə, Maltese: [ˈmɐːltɐ]), officially the Republic of Malta,[14] is an island country in Southern Europe located in the Mediterranean Sea, between Sicily and North Africa. It consists of an archipelago 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia,[15] and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya.[16][17] The two official languages are Maltese and English. The country's capital is Valletta, which is the smallest capital city in the EU by both area and population. With a population of about 542,000[8] over an area of 316 km2 (122 sq mi),[7] Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country by area[18][19] and the ninth most densely populated. Various sources consider the country to consist of a single urban region,[20][21] for which it is often described as a city-state.[22][23][24]

Malta has been inhabited since about 5900 BC.[25] Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great geostrategic importance, with a succession of powers having ruled the islands and shaped its culture and society.[26] These include the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, and Romans in antiquity; the Arabs, Normans, and Aragonese during the Middle Ages; and the Knights Hospitaller, French, and British in the modern era.[27][28] Malta came under British rule in the early 19th century and served as the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet. It was besieged by the Axis powers during World War II and was an important Allied base for North Africa and the Mediterranean.[29][30] Malta achieved independence in 1964,[31] and established its current parliamentary republic in 1974. It has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations since independence; it joined the European Union in 2004 and the eurozone monetary union in 2008.

Malta's long history of foreign rule and close proximity to both Europe and North Africa have influenced its art, music, cuisine, and architecture. Malta has close historical and cultural ties to Italy and especially Sicily; between 62 and 66 percent of Maltese people speak or have significant knowledge of the Italian language, which had official status from 1530 to 1934.[32][33] Malta was an early centre of Christianity, and Roman Catholicism is the state religion, although the country's constitution guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship.[34][35]

Malta is a developed country with an advanced high-income economy. It is heavily reliant on tourism, attracting both travelers and a growing expatriate community with its warm climate, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum,[36] Valletta,[37] and seven megalithic temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world.[38][39][40]

  1. ^ "Gazzetta tal-Gvern ta' Malta" (PDF) (in Maltese). 3 September 2019. Archived (PDF) from the original on 19 September 2020. Retrieved 22 January 2021.
  2. ^ "Language - VisitMalta". VisitMalta. Archived from the original on 1 October 2023. Retrieved 19 January 2024.
  3. ^ "Maltese sign language to be recognised as an official language of Malta". The Malta Independent. Archived from the original on 12 June 2018. Retrieved 11 June 2018.
  4. ^ "Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report: Population, migration and other social characteristics (Volume 1)". nso.gov.mt. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 4 February 2024. Retrieved 4 February 2024.
  5. ^ "Census of Population and Housing 2021 Final report: Religious Affiliation, pages 159-168" (PDF). nso.gov.mt. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  6. ^ "90% Caucasian, 83% Roman Catholic: Malta census statistics released". Times of Malta. 16 February 2023. Archived from the original on 22 February 2023. Retrieved 22 February 2023.
  7. ^ a b Zammit, Andre (1986). "Valletta and the system of human settlements in the Maltese Islands". Ekistics. 53 (316/317): 89–95. JSTOR 43620704.
  8. ^ a b "Population and migration: 2012-2022(including intercensal revisions)". nso.gov.mt. July 2022. Retrieved 8 July 2024.
  9. ^ a b c d "Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2024 (Malta)". imf.org. International Monetary Fund.
  10. ^ "Gini coefficient of equivalised disposable income – EU-SILC survey".
  11. ^ "Human Development Report 2023/24" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme. 13 March 2024. Archived (PDF) from the original on 13 March 2024. Retrieved 13 March 2024.
  12. ^ "Census of Population and Housing 2021 - Volume 1 - Final Report" (PDF). nso.gov.mt. 2023. p. 116. Archived (PDF) from the original on 26 June 2023. Retrieved 26 June 2023.
  13. ^ Lesley, Anne Rose (15 April 2009). Frommer's Malta and Gozo Day by Day. John Wiley & Sons. p. 139. ISBN 978-0-470-74610-3. Archived from the original on 4 September 2015. Retrieved 1 July 2015.
  14. ^ (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta [rɛˈpʊbːlɪkɐ tɐ ˈmɐːltɐ])
  15. ^ Cite error: The named reference ashby was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  16. ^ Bonanno, Anthony, ed. (2008). Malta and Sicily: Miscellaneous research projects (PDF). Officina di Studi Medievali. ISBN 978-88-88615-83-7. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 May 2012. Retrieved 23 February 2017.
  17. ^ Chapman, David; Cassar, Godwin (October 2004). "Valletta". Cities. 21 (5): 451–463. doi:10.1016/j.cities.2004.07.001. ISSN 0264-2751.
  18. ^ Sultana, Ronald G. (1998). "Career guidance in Malta: A Mediterranean microstate in transition" (PDF). International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling. 20: 3. doi:10.1023/A:1005386004103. S2CID 49470186. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 27 January 2017.
  19. ^ "The Microstate Environmental World Cup: Malta vs. San Marino". Environmentalgraffiti.com. 15 December 2007. Archived from the original on 25 January 2013. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  20. ^ Cite error: The named reference WUP was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  21. ^ Cite error: The named reference ESPON-EUC was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  22. ^ Cite error: The named reference GMB_Publishing was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  23. ^ Cite error: The named reference creativemalta was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  24. ^ Cite error: The named reference doi was invoked but never defined (see the help page).
  25. ^ "First inhabitants arrived 700 years earlier than thought". Times of Malta. Archived from the original on 23 March 2022. Retrieved 25 March 2020.{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  26. ^ "Malta | History, Language, Map, People, & Points of Interest | Britannica". www.britannica.com. 18 July 2024. Retrieved 18 July 2024.
  27. ^ Rudolf, Uwe Jens; Berg, Warren G. (2010). Historical Dictionary of Malta. Scarecrow Press. pp. 1–11. ISBN 978-0-8108-7390-2.
  28. ^ Boissevain, Jeremy (1984). "Ritual Escalation in Malta". In Eric R. Wolf (ed.). Religion, Power and Protest in Local Communities: The Northern Shore of the Mediterranean. Walter de Gruyter. p. 165. ISBN 978-3-11-009777-1. ISSN 1437-5370.
  29. ^ "George Cross Award Commemoration". VisitMalta.com. 14 April 2015. Archived from the original on 3 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  30. ^ "Should the George Cross still be on Malta's flag?". Times of Malta. 29 April 2012. Archived from the original on 27 April 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  31. ^ "Christmas Broadcast 1967". Archived from the original on 2 May 2015. Retrieved 20 April 2015.
  32. ^ European Commission (June 2012). Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and Their Languages (PDF) (Report). Eurobarometer Special Surveys. Archived from the original (PDF) on 6 January 2016. Retrieved 12 February 2015.
  33. ^ "Malta Skills Survey 2022 - Preliminary Report" (PDF). nso.gov.mt. Malta National Statistics Office. 15 June 2023. p. 40. Archived (PDF) from the original on 17 June 2023. Retrieved 20 June 2023.
  34. ^ "Constitution of Malta". Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government. Archived from the original on 1 October 2018. Retrieved 10 February 2018. – Article 40: "all persons in Malta shall have full freedom of conscience and enjoy the free exercise of their respective mode of religious worship."
  35. ^ "Malta". The World Factbook. Central Intelligence Agency. Archived from the original on 2 April 2021. Retrieved 16 May 2007.
  36. ^ "Hal Saflieni Hypogeum". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 30 December 2013. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  37. ^ "City of Valletta". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 25 March 2016. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  38. ^ "Megalithic Temples of Malta". UNESCO. Archived from the original on 7 January 2014. Retrieved 18 January 2014.
  39. ^ "Malta Temples and The OTS Foundation". OTSF. Archived from the original on 8 February 2014. Retrieved 31 March 2009.
  40. ^ Cite error: The named reference b1 was invoked but never defined (see the help page).


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