Let’s get one thing straight from the off – Malta is an absolutely fabulous little country. What it lacks in size it more than makes up for in terms of things to do, places to see and experiences to, er, experience.

For those of you who know little about this group of islands, here is a little background. Firstly Malta is compact. The entire country has a surface area of just 316 km². But rather than work against it, this small size just serves to make visiting Malta a more intense experience with everything accessible to everyone from everywhere.

The country is made up of three islands with Malta the largest, Gozo second and the tiny island of Comino wedged in between its two larger neighbours.

In terms of history, Malta has plenty of it with 7,000-year-old temples which outdate the pyramids and Stonehenge. There are also numerous fortified cities around the island, a legacy of the country’s long association with the knights.

Due to its geographical location at the heart of the Mediterranean, Malta has always been popular with the bigger European countries – a popularity that often involved people invading and occupying it.

Today, however, Malta is a totally independent country and fiercely proud of it. A member of the European Union, Malta’s economy is increasingly based on the service industry boasting, as it does, a fine pool of human resources. Information Technology is playing an increasing role in the Maltese economy as are industries like language teaching and call centres.

In terms of climate, Malta is what you would describe as typically Mediterranean. Hot, Long sunny days make up more than half the year with a summer that lasts for anything up to six months. And winters aren’t exactly cold either although they can be a bit on the damp side.

The local currency is the Euro, which was introduced in January 2008 replacing the Maltese lira. The time zone is central European – in other words GMT+1 and the official languages are Maltese and English.

Malta is also a very religious country with the vast majority of inhabitants Roman Catholic. So no great surprise then that there are enough churches scattered around to allow you to visit one every day for a year without ever going to the same one twice.

More than anything else though, Malta has one superb unique selling point – its people. You have to go a long way to find a more kind, warm and welcoming collection of individuals.

Now, here, for the stat heads amongst you, are some facts and figures about Malta:


Area
316 sq km (122 sq miles).

Population
397,000 (UN, 2005).

Population Density
1256 sq km.

Capital
Valletta.

Government
Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1964.

Languages
Maltese (a Semitic language) and English are the official languages. Italian is also widely spoken.

Religion
91 per cent Roman Catholic.

Currency
Euro

Drinking age
18

Driving age
18

Time
GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from the last Sunday in March to last Sunday in October).

Electricity
240 volts AC, 50Hz. UK-style three-pin plug are in use.

Head of Government
Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi since 2004.

Head of State
President George Abela

© 101 things to do in Malta