Malta
A sun-baked archipelago fortress at the heart of the Mediterranean
Malta is a tiny archipelago of honey-colored limestone in the central Mediterranean, halfway between Sicily and North Africa, packed with one of the highest population densities on Earth. Across just 320 square kilometers live about 540,000 people, in a country whose strategic position has made it a coveted prize for three thousand years. The fortified capital, Valletta, built by the Knights of St John, is a Baroque masterpiece, while Malta's Neolithic temples count among the oldest free-standing structures in the world.
The islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino are low and rocky, with no rivers or mountains, and the highest point, Ta'Dmejrek on the Dingli Cliffs, reaches only 253 meters. The terraced limestone landscape, dry and treeless, drops to dramatic sea cliffs and natural harbors that have shaped the country's maritime fortunes. A hot, dry Mediterranean climate and a chronic scarcity of fresh water define daily life. Tourism, shipping, financial services, and a growing technology sector drive the modern economy.
Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, and Normans all left their mark before the Knights of St John transformed Malta into a Christian fortress that withstood the Great Siege of 1565. The island became a vital British naval base and earned the George Cross for its endurance under heavy bombardment in the Second World War. Independence came in 1964, and Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and the eurozone in 2008. Its Semitic-rooted Maltese language, written in Latin script, is unique in Europe.