Lying 95 km to the south of Sicily and 293 km to the north of the African mainland, 1830 km to the east of Gibraltar and 1500 km to the west of Alexandria, Malta and its islands might be said to be situated in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea.

The islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino, all of which are inhabited, and the smaller uninhabited islets of Cominotto, Filfla, Manoel and St. Paul’s form the Maltese Archipelago. The total area of the archipelago is 320 km/s with the shoreline around Malta reaching 136 km and that of Gozo being 43 km. Indentations around this coastlin form sandy bays and beaches or rocky coves and, more importantly, deep natural harbours.

The islands’ capital city is Valletta – named after its founder Grand Master Jean Parisot de la Vallette, and was built by the Knights of the Order of St. John after the Knights, together with the Maltese, proclaimed victory over the Turkish Ottoman Empire in 1565. This magnificent city stands majestically on the peninsula known as Mount Sceberras overlooking the Marsamxett and Grand Harbour and is also on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Malta’s medieval City Mdina and its suburb Rabat can trace their origin back more than 4000 years. Rabat claims the origins of Christianity, as it was here that in A.D. 60, the Apostle St. Paul is said to have lived after being shipwrecked on the islands. Throughout the years, Mdina has had different names and titles, depending on its rulers – Melita to the Romans, Medina to the Arabs and later, after Valletta was built – Citta Vecchia – The Old City. Today it is most commonly known by its medieval name – Citta Notabile – The Noble City as it was in the past and still is today, home to Malta’s noble families. 

Set in an amazing cocktail of English, Italian and Semitic styles, the country’s main language – Maltese - has been formed through its influences from the number of rulers that have inhabited the Islands. Malta also provides a refreshing balance of convenience and local charm as almost everyone speaks either English or Italian.

The Maltese Islands are home to some of the oldest freestanding human structures in the world. The Ggantija Temples in Xaghra Gozo, which date back to circa 3600 BC, are the oldest in the world and in 1980, these Temples, along with the Hal Saflieni Hypogeum, were placed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. In 1991 this list was extended to include another 5 megalithic temples: Hagar Qim, Mnajdra, Tarxien, Ta’ Hagrat and Skorba.

Malta obtained its Independence on September 21, 1964, becoming a Republic on December 13, 1974, and a member of the European Union on May 1, 2004.