View source for Malta

{{Short description|Island country in Southern Europe}}
<!-- Should be 40 characters (including spaces) or fewer see [[WP:SD40]] -->
{{About|the country|other uses|Malta (disambiguation)}}{{pp-pc}}
{{pp-move|small=yes}}
{{Use British English|date=January 2025}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}
{{Infobox country
| conventional_long_name = Republic of Malta
| common_name                 = Malta
| native_name                 = {{native name|mt|Repubblika ta' Malta}}
| image_flag                  = Flag of Malta.svg
| image_coat                  = Coat of arms of Malta.svg
| coa_size                    = 90
| national_motto              = {{native phrase|la|Virtute et constantia}}<br />"By strength and persistence"
| national_anthem             = {{native name|mt|[[L-Innu Malti]]}}<br />"The Maltese Hymn"{{parabr}}{{center|[[File:Malta_National_Anthem.ogg]]}}
| image_map                   = EU-Malta.svg
| map_caption                 = {{map caption |location_color=green circle |region=Europe|region_color=dark grey |subregion=the [[European Union]] |subregion_color=light green |legend=EU-Malta.svg}}
| capital                     = [[Valletta]]
| coordinates                 = {{coord|35|54|N|14|31|E|type:city|display=inline,title}}
| official_languages          = {{hlist|[[Maltese language|Maltese]]|[[English language|English]]<ref>{{cite news |title=Language - VisitMalta |url=https://www.visitmalta.com/en/a/language/ |access-date=19 January 2024 |publisher=VisitMalta |archive-date=1 October 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231001013623/https://www.visitmalta.com/en/a/language/ |url-status=live }}</ref>|[[Maltese Sign Language]]<ref>{{Cite news |title=Maltese sign language to be recognised as an official language of Malta |work=The Malta Independent |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-03-17/local-news/Maltese-sign-language-to-be-recognised-as-an-official-language-of-Malta-6736155052  |access-date=11 June 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180612141941/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2016-03-17/local-news/Maltese-sign-language-to-be-recognised-as-an-official-language-of-Malta-6736155052 |archive-date=12 June 2018}}</ref>}}
| languages_type              = Other languages
| languages                   = [[Maltese Italian|Italian]]
| ethnic_groups               = {{unbulleted list|77.7% [[Maltese people|Maltese]]|22.3% other ethnic groups}}
| ethnic_groups_year          = 2021<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2022/Census%20of%20Population%20and%20Housing%20Preliminary%20Report/Census%20of%20population%202021.pdf|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20220809130759/https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2022/Census%20of%20Population%20and%20Housing%20Preliminary%20Report/Census%20of%20population%202021.pdf|url-status=dead|title=Census of population and housing 2021|archivedate=9 August 2022|accessdate=21 November 2025}}</ref>
| demonym                     = [[Maltese people|Maltese]]
| government_type             = [[Unitary parliamentary republic]]
| religion                    = {{unbulleted list|
{{Tree list}}
* 88.5% [[Christianity]]
** 82.6% [[Catholic Church in Malta|Catholicism]] ([[State Religion|official]])
** 5.9% other [[List of Christian denominations|Christian]]
{{Tree list/end}}
|5.1% [[Irreligion|no religion]]|3.9% [[Islam in Malta|Islam]]|1.4% [[Hinduism in Malta|Hinduism]]|1.1% other}}
| religion_ref                = <ref name="2021 census-1">{{Cite web |url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2023/Census%20of%20Population%202021%20volume1-final.pdf |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021 Final report: Religious Affiliation, pages 159-168 |website=nso.gov.mt |archive-date=19 February 2023 |access-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219094017/https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2023/Census%20of%20Population%202021%20volume1-final.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Census statistics">{{Cite web |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/90-caucasian-83-roman-catholic-malta-census-statistics-released.1014045 |title=90% Caucasian, 83% Roman Catholic: Malta census statistics released |website=Times of Malta |date=16 February 2023 |access-date=22 February 2023 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222220713/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/90-caucasian-83-roman-catholic-malta-census-statistics-released.1014045 |url-status=live}}</ref>
| religion_year               = 2021
| leader_title1               = [[President of Malta|President]]
| leader_name1                = [[Myriam Spiteri Debono]]
| leader_title2               = [[Prime Minister of Malta|Prime Minister]]
| leader_name2                = [[Robert Abela]]
| legislature                 = {{nowrap|[[Parliament of Malta]]}}
| sovereignty_type            = Independence
| sovereignty_note            = from the [[United Kingdom]]
| established_event1          = [[State of Malta]]
| established_date1           = 21 September 1964
| established_event2          = Republic
| established_date2           = 13 December 1974
| area_km2                    = 316<ref name="Zammit">{{Cite journal |last=Zammit |first=Andre |year=1986 |title=Valletta and the system of human settlements in the Maltese Islands |journal=Ekistics |volume=53 |issue=316/317 |pages=89–95 |jstor=43620704}}</ref>
| area_rank                   = 187th <!-- Should match [[List of countries and dependencies by area]] -->
| area_sq_mi                  = 122 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| percent_water               = 0.001
| population_estimate         = 
| population_census           = {{nowrap|519,562<ref name="NSO">{{Cite web |title=Population and migration: 2012-2022 (including intercensal revisions) |url=https://nso.gov.mt/intercensal-population-revisions-2012-2021/ |date=July 2022 |access-date=8 July 2024 |website=nso.gov.mt |last1=Migliore |first1=Sharon |archive-date=14 July 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240714135358/https://nso.gov.mt/intercensal-population-revisions-2012-2021/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>}}
| population_estimate_year    = 
| population_estimate_rank    = 167th <!--rank based on sovereign states only-->
| population_census_year      = 2021
| population_density_km2      = 1,649
| population_density_sq_mi = 4,270 <!--Do not remove per [[WP:MOSNUM]]-->
| population_density_rank     = 8th
| GDP_PPP                     = {{increase}} $36.870 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.MT">{{cite web|url=https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=181,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2023&ey=2025&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1|title=Report for Selected Countries and Subjects: April 2024 (Malta)|publisher=[[International Monetary Fund]]|website=imf.org|access-date=13 July 2024|archive-date=20 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250120001059/https://www.imf.org/en/Publications/WEO/weo-database/2024/April/weo-report?c=181,&s=NGDPD,PPPGDP,NGDPDPC,PPPPC,&sy=2023&ey=2025&ssm=0&scsm=1&scc=0&ssd=1&ssc=0&sic=0&sort=country&ds=.&br=1|url-status=live}}</ref>
| GDP_PPP_year                = 2024
| GDP_PPP_rank                = 140th
| GDP_PPP_per_capita          = {{increase}} $67,682<ref name="IMFWEO.MT" />
| GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank     = 20th
| GDP_nominal                 = {{increase}} $22.737 billion<ref name="IMFWEO.MT" />
| GDP_nominal_year            = 2024
| GDP_nominal_rank            = 118th
| GDP_nominal_per_capita      = {{increase}} $41,738<ref name="IMFWEO.MT" />
| GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = 25th
| Gini                        = 31.4 <!--number only-->
| Gini_year                   = 2020
| Gini_change                 = increase <!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| Gini_ref                    = <ref name="eurogini">{{Cite web|url=https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=MT|title=World Bank Open Data|website=World Bank Open Data|accessdate=5 January 2026|archive-date=22 January 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250122082024/https://data.worldbank.org/indicator/SI.POV.GINI?locations=MT|url-status=live}}</ref>
| HDI_year                    = 2023<!-- Please use the year to which the data refers, not the publication year-->
| HDI_change                  = increase<!--increase/decrease/steady-->
| HDI                         = 0.924 <!--number only-->
| HDI_ref                     = <ref>{{Cite web |date=26 May 2025 |title=Human Development Report 2023/2024 |url=https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/MLT |access-date=25 May 2025 |publisher=[[United Nations Development Programme]] |language=en |archive-date=12 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220812054834/https://hdr.undp.org/data-center/specific-country-data#/countries/MLT |url-status=live }}</ref>
| HDI_rank                    = 24th
| currency                    = [[Euro]] ([[Euro sign|€]])
| currency_code               = EUR
| time_zone                   = [[Central European Time|CET]]
| utc_offset                  = +1
| time_zone_DST               = [[Central European Summer Time|CEST]]
| utc_offset_DST              = +2
| calling_code                = [[Telephone numbers in Malta|+356]]
| patron_saints               = [[Paul the Apostle]], [[Saint Publius]], and [[Agatha of Sicily]]<ref name="Frommer">{{Cite book |last=Lesley |first=Anne Rose |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=Gr3g2SMGPZgC |title=Frommer's Malta and Gozo Day by Day |date=15 April 2009 |publisher=John Wiley & Sons |isbn=978-0-470-74610-3 |page=139}}</ref>
| cctld                       = [[.mt]]{{ref label|b|b}}
| footnote_a                  = {{note|a|}} 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.<ref name="Census2021_1_116">{{Cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing 2021 - Volume 1 - Final Report|url=https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Census-of-Population-2021-volume1-final.pdf|year=2023|access-date=26 June 2023|website=nso.gov.mt|page=116|archive-date=26 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626120134/https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Census-of-Population-2021-volume1-final.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref>
| footnote_b                  = {{note|b|}} Also .eu, shared with other European Union member states
}}

'''Malta''',{{efn|{{IPAc-en|audio=en-us-Malta.ogg|ˈ|m|ɒ|l|t|ə}} {{respell|MOL|tə}} or {{IPAc-en|ˈ|m|ɔː|l|t|ə}} {{respell|MAWL|tə}}, {{IPA|mt|ˈmɐːltɐ|lang|small=no}}.}} officially the '''Republic of Malta''',{{efn|{{langx|mt|Repubblika ta' Malta}} {{IPA|mt|rɛˈpʊbːlɪkɐ tɐ ˈmɐːltɐ|}}.}} is an [[island country]] in [[Southern Europe]] located in the [[Mediterranean Sea]], between [[Sicily]] and [[North Africa]]. It consists of an [[archipelago]] {{convert|80|km|mi|abbr=on}} south of [[Italy]], {{convert|284|km|mi|abbr=on}} east of [[Tunisia]],<ref name="ashby" /> and {{convert|333|km|mi|abbr=on}} north of [[Libya]].<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://kasa.officinastudimedievali.it/cd/risorse/Libro/Malta_and_Sicily.pdf |title=Malta and Sicily: Miscellaneous research projects |year=2008 |publisher=Officina di Studi Medievali |isbn=978-88-88615-83-7 |editor-last=Bonanno, Anthony |access-date=23 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120527173156/http://kasa.officinastudimedievali.it/cd/risorse/Libro/Malta_and_Sicily.pdf |archive-date=27 May 2012}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Chapman |first1=David |last2=Cassar |first2=Godwin |date=October 2004 |title=Valletta |journal=Cities |volume=21 |issue=5 |pages=451–463 |doi=10.1016/j.cities.2004.07.001| issn = 0264-2751 }}</ref> The two official languages are [[Maltese language|Maltese]] and [[English language|English]] but Maltese is recognised as the national language.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2018-10-25 |title=Constitution of Malta {{!}} European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights |url=https://fra.europa.eu/en/law-reference/constitution-malta-16 |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=fra.europa.eu |language=en |archive-date=15 June 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210615085834/https://fra.europa.eu/en/law-reference/constitution-malta-16 |url-status=live }}</ref> The country's capital is [[Valletta]], which is the [[List of national capitals by population|smallest capital city]] in the [[European Union]] (EU) by both area and population.

With a population of about 574,250<ref>{{Cite web |last=Migliore |first=Sharon |date=2025-07-10 |title=World Population Day: 11 July 2025 |url=https://nso.gov.mt/population/world-population-day-11-july-2025/ |access-date=2025-12-06 |website=NSO Malta |language=en |archive-date=3 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250803152942/https://nso.gov.mt/population/world-population-day-11-july-2025/ |url-status=live }}</ref> spread over an area of {{convert|316|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}},<ref name="Zammit" /> Malta is the world's [[List of countries and dependencies by area|tenth-smallest country by area]]<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Sultana|first=Ronald G.|year=1998|title=Career guidance in Malta: A Mediterranean microstate in transition|url=https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/39488/CG_in_Malta_Med_micro_state.pdf|journal=International Journal for the Advancement of Counselling|volume=20|page=3|doi=10.1023/A:1005386004103|s2cid=49470186 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170202051119/https://www.um.edu.mt/__data/assets/pdf_file/0005/39488/CG_in_Malta_Med_micro_state.pdf|archive-date=2 February 2017|access-date=27 January 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web|date=15 December 2007|title=The Microstate Environmental World Cup: Malta vs. San Marino|url=http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/the-microstate-environmental-world-cup-malta-vs-san-marino/613|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130125032047/http://www.environmentalgraffiti.com/offbeat-news/the-microstate-environmental-world-cup-malta-vs-san-marino/613|archive-date=25 January 2013|access-date=31 March 2009|website=Environmentalgraffiti.com}}</ref> and the [[List of countries and dependencies by population density|ninth-most densely populated]]. Various sources consider the country to consist of a single [[urban region]],<ref name="WUP" /><ref name="ESPON-EUC" /> for which reason it is often described as a [[city-state]].<ref name="GMB_Publishing" /><ref name="creativemalta" /><ref name="doi" />

Malta has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, during the [[Mesolithic]].<ref name=":0" /> Its location in the centre of the [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] has historically given it great [[Geostrategy|geostrategic]] importance, with a succession of powers having ruled the islands and shaped its culture and society.<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 July 2024 |title=Malta {{!}} History, Language, Map, People, & Points of Interest {{!}} Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/place/Malta |access-date=18 July 2024 |website=www.britannica.com |language=en |archive-date=8 May 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508095019/https://www.britannica.com/place/Malta |url-status=live }}</ref> These include the [[Phoenicia]]ns, [[Ancient Carthage|Carthaginians]], [[Ancient Greece|Greeks]], and [[Ancient Rome|Romans]] in [[Ancient Mediterranean Sea|antiquity]]; the [[Arabs]], [[Normans]], and [[Crown of Aragon|Aragonese]] during the [[Middle Ages]]; and the [[Knights Hospitaller]], [[French people|French]], and [[British people|British]] in the [[modern era]].<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Rudolf |first1=Uwe Jens |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=nwuUOVkaMB0C&pg=PA1 |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta |last2=Berg |first2=Warren G. |date=2010 |publisher=Scarecrow Press |isbn=978-0-8108-7390-2 |pages=1–11}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Boissevain |first=Jeremy |title=Religion, Power and Protest in Local Communities: The Northern Shore of the Mediterranean |date=1984 |publisher=Walter de Gruyter |isbn=978-3-11-009777-1 |editor-last=Eric R. Wolf |page=165 |chapter=Ritual Escalation in Malta |issn=1437-5370 |chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=zobO6LmDLikC&pg=PA163 }}</ref> Malta came under [[Crown colony|British rule]] in the early 19th century and served as the headquarters for the British [[Mediterranean Fleet]]. It was [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|besieged by the Axis powers during World War II]] and was an important Allied base for North Africa and the Mediterranean.<ref>{{Cite web |date=14 April 2015 |title=George Cross Award Commemoration |url=http://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2015-04/george-cross-award-commemoration-6501 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150403235953/http://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2015-04/george-cross-award-commemoration-6501 |archive-date=3 April 2015 |access-date=20 April 2015 |website=VisitMalta.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=29 April 2012 |title=Should the George Cross still be on Malta's flag? |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120429/education/Should-the-George-Cross-still-be-on-Malta-s-flag-.417564 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150427131704/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20120429/education/Should-the-George-Cross-still-be-on-Malta-s-flag-.417564 |archive-date=27 April 2015 |access-date=20 April 2015 |newspaper=[[Times of Malta]]}}</ref> Malta achieved independence in 1964,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Christmas Broadcast 1967 |url=http://www.royal.gov.uk/ImagesandBroadcasts/TheQueensChristmasBroadcasts/Queen's%20Christmas%20Broadcasts%20listing/ChristmasBroadcast1967.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150502141940/http://www.royal.gov.uk/ImagesandBroadcasts/TheQueensChristmasBroadcasts/Queen%27s%20Christmas%20Broadcasts%20listing/ChristmasBroadcast1967.aspx |archive-date=2 May 2015 |access-date=20 April 2015}}</ref> 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.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta – EU country profile {{!}} European Union |url=https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-countries/malta_en |access-date=2025-06-20 |website=european-union.europa.eu |language=en |archive-date=26 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250626083120/https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/eu-countries/malta_en |url-status=live }}</ref>

Malta's long history of foreign rule and its 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]]; and while Maltese and English are its official languages, 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.<ref name="Eurobarometer">{{cite report|author=European Commission |title=Special Eurobarometer 386: Europeans and Their Languages |date=June 2012 |series=Eurobarometer Special Surveys |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |access-date=12 February 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160106183351/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_386_en.pdf |archive-date= 6 January 2016 }}</ref><ref name="skills2022">{{Cite web|title=Malta Skills Survey 2022 - Preliminary Report|url=https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Skills-Preliminary.pdf|date=15 June 2023|access-date=20 June 2023|website=nso.gov.mt|publisher=Malta National Statistics Office|page=40|archive-date=17 June 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230617051708/https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Skills-Preliminary.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref> Malta was an [[Early Christianity|early centre of Christianity]], and [[Catholic Church in Malta|Catholicism]] is the state religion, although the country's [[Constitution of Malta|constitution]] guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship.<ref name="constitution">{{Cite web |title=Constitution of Malta |url=http://justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8566 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181001103554/http://justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8566 |archive-date=1 October 2018 |access-date=10 February 2018 |publisher=Ministry for Justice, Culture and Local Government}} – Article 40: "all persons in Malta shall have full freedom of conscience and enjoy the free exercise of their respective mode of religious worship."</ref><ref name="cia">{{Cite web |publisher=Central Intelligence Agency |title=Malta |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |access-date=16 May 2007 |website=[[The World Factbook]] |archive-date=2 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402195116/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |url-status=dead}}</ref>

Malta is a developed country with an advanced, [[economy of Malta|high-income economy]]. It is heavily reliant on tourism, attracting both travellers 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]],<ref>{{Cite web |title=Hal Saflieni Hypogeum |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/130 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131230211047/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/130 |archive-date=30 December 2013 |access-date=18 January 2014 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> Valletta,<ref>{{Cite web |title=City of Valletta |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/131 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160325160506/https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/131/ |archive-date=25 March 2016 |access-date=18 January 2014 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref> and seven [[Megalithic Temples of Malta|megalithic temples]], which are some of the [[List of oldest extant buildings|oldest free-standing structures in the world]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Megalithic Temples of Malta |url=https://whc.unesco.org/en/list/132 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140107201227/http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/132/ |archive-date=7 January 2014 |access-date=18 January 2014 |publisher=UNESCO}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta Temples and The OTS Foundation |url=http://www.otsf.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208014817/http://otsf.org/ |archive-date=8 February 2014 |access-date=31 March 2009 |publisher=OTSF}}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Sazonov |first=Vladimir |title=The Prehistoric Sacred Places/Temples of Malta and Western Asia (IX–Mid IV Millennia BC) |date=2025-02-06 |work=The Human and the Divine |pages=189–208 |url=https://brill.com/display/book/9789004678316/BP000008.xml |access-date=2025-10-06 |publisher=Brill |language=en |isbn=978-90-04-67831-6 |archive-date=12 April 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250412081853/https://brill.com/display/book/9789004678316/BP000008.xml |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="b1" />

{{anchor|Etymology|Names|}}<!--linked-->

==Name==
The [[English language|English]] name ''{{linktext|Malta}}'' derives from [[Italian language|Italian]] and [[Maltese language|Maltese]] {{lang|it|Malta}}, from medieval [[Arabic language|Arabic]] {{translit|ar|Māliṭā}} ({{lang|ar|[[:wikt:مالطا|مَالِطَا]]}}), from classical [[Latin language|Latin]] {{lang|la|{{linktext|Melita}}}},<ref>{{Cite journal|title=The Corps Disease: Brucellosis and Its Historical Association with the Royal Army Medical Corps |url=http://maltaramc.com/imggen/brucellosis.pdf |last=Vassallo |first=DJ |journal=Journal of the Royal Army Medical Corps |year=1992 |volume=138 |issue=3 |pages=140–150 |doi=10.1136/jramc-138-03-09 |pmid=1453384 |s2cid=41069698 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171223043726/http://maltaramc.com/imggen/brucellosis.pdf |archive-date=23 December 2017 |access-date=24 December 2017}}</ref> from [[latinization of names|Latinised]] or [[Doric Greek language|Doric]] forms<ref>{{L&S|Melita|ref}}</ref> of the [[ancient Greek language|ancient Greek]] {{translit|grc|Melítē}} ({{lang|grc|{{linktext|Μελίτη}}}}), of uncertain origin. The name {{translit|grc|Melítē}}{{mdash}}shared by the [[Croatia]]n [[islands of Croatia|island]] [[Mljet]] in antiquity{{mdash}}literally means "place of honey" or "sweetness", derived from the combining form of {{translit|grc|méli}} ({{lang|grc|{{linktext|μέλι}}}}, "honey" or any similarly sweet thing)<ref>{{LSJ|me/li^|μέλι|ref}}.</ref> and the [[suffix]] {{translit|grc|-ē}} ({{lang|grc|{{linktext|-η}}}}). The ancient Greeks may have given the island this name after Malta's [[Maltese honey bee|endemic subspecies]] of [[bee]]s.<ref name="malticross">{{Cite book |last=Castillo |first=Dennis Angelo |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5ns5LNtoiUC&pg=PA25 |title=The Maltese Cross: A Strategic History of Malta |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-313-32329-4 }}</ref> Alternatively, other scholars argue for derivation of the Greek name from an original [[Phoenician language|Phoenician]] or [[Punic language|Punic]] {{translit|phn|Maleth}} ({{lang|phn|{{linktext|𐤌𐤋𐤈}}}}, {{smallcaps|mlṭ}}), meaning "haven"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Pickles |first=Tim |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0LuvbRQ78sIC&pg=PA11 |title=Malta 1565: Last Battle of the Crusades |publisher=Osprey Publishing |year=1998 |isbn=978-1-85532-603-3 }}</ref>, "refuge"<ref>{{Cite book |last=Reece |first=Steve |title=Wordplay on Proper Names in Luke-Acts |publisher=E.J. Brill |year=2025 |isbn=978-90-04-74641-1 |location=Amsterdam |pages=144–150}}</ref> or "port"<ref>{{Cite web |title=Renaming Malta the Republic of Phoenicia |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111001/letters/Renaming-Malta-the-Republic-of-Phoenicia.387184 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235338/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111001/letters/Renaming-Malta-the-Republic-of-Phoenicia.387184 |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=28 February 2016 |website=The Times of Malta |date=October 2011 }}</ref>, in reference to the [[Grand Harbour]] and its primary settlement at [[Cospicua]] following the sea level rise that separated the [[Maltese islands]] and flooded their original coastal settlements in the 10th century{{nbsp}}BC.<ref name=vel>{{citation |last=Vella |first=John |contribution-url=https://www.athensjournals.gr/mediterranean/2023-9-1-2-Vella.pdf |contribution=Greek Words in Maltese Harbour Toponymy |title=Athens Journal of Mediterranean Studies |volume=9 |issue=1 |date=January 2023 |pages=25–52 |access-date=7 April 2024 |archive-date=18 April 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240418000713/https://www.athensjournals.gr/mediterranean/2023-9-1-2-Vella.pdf |url-status=live }}.</ref> The name was then applied to all of [[Malta Island|Malta]] by the Greeks and to [[Melite (ancient city)|its ancient capital]] at [[Mdina]] by the Romans.<ref name=vel/>

''Malta'' and its [[demonym]] ''{{linktext|Maltese}}'' are attested in English from the late 16th century.<ref>''Oxford English Dictionary'', s.v. "Malta, ''n.''", and "Maltese, ''n.'' & ''adj.''"</ref> [[List of English Bible translations|English Bible translations]], including the 1611 [[King James Version]], long used the [[Vulgate Latin]] form {{lang|la|Melita}}, although the 1525 [[Tyndale Bible]] used the transliteration {{translit|grc|Melite}} instead. ''Malta'' is widely used in more recent versions.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Smith, William |url=https://archive.org/details/adictionarygree13smitgoog |title=A Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography |publisher=John Murray |year=1872 |editor-last=John Murray |volume=II |page=[https://archive.org/details/adictionarygree13smitgoog/page/n342 320] |author-link=William Smith (lexicographer)}}</ref>

==History==
{{Main|History of Malta}}

===Prehistory===
{{See also|Megalithic Temples of Malta|Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum|Għar Dalam}}

Malta has been inhabited from at least {{Circa|6500 BC}}, with the arrival of [[Mesolithic]] hunter-gatherers likely originating from Sicily. Discoveries at [[Latnija Cave]] led by the Maltese archaeologist Eleanor Scerri included the remains of hearths, stone tools and an abundant and diverse range of animal bones. These included indigenous red deer that are now extinct, fish and marine mammals, as well as abundant edible marine [[gastropods]]. To arrive on Malta, these hunter-gatherers had to cross around {{convert|100|km}} of open water, documenting the longest yet-known sea crossing by hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean.<ref name=":0">{{Cite journal |last1=Scerri |first1=Eleanor M. L. |last2=Blinkhorn |first2=James |last3=Groucutt |first3=Huw S. |last4=Stewart |first4=Mathew |last5=Candy |first5=Ian |last6=Allué |first6=Ethel |last7=Burguet-Coca |first7=Aitor |last8=Currás |first8=Andrés |last9=Carleton |first9=W. Christopher |last10=Lindauer |first10=Susanne |last11=Spengler |first11=Robert |last12=Boxleitner |first12=Kseniia |last13=Asciak |first13=Gillian |last14=Colucci |first14=Margherita |last15=Gauci |first15=Ritienne |date=May 2025 |title=Hunter-gatherer sea voyages extended to remotest Mediterranean islands |journal=Nature |language=en |volume=641 |issue=8061 |pages=137–143 |doi=10.1038/s41586-025-08780-y |pmid=40205035 |issn=1476-4687|pmc=12043505 |bibcode=2025Natur.641..137S }}</ref> The extinction of the [[Hippopotamus melitensis|dwarf hippos]], [[Cygnus falconeri|giant swans]] and [[Palaeoloxodon falconeri|dwarf elephants]] has historically been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3096/palaeol.html |title=Palaeolithic Man in the Maltese Islands |author=A. Mifsud |author2=C. Savona-Ventura |author3=S. Mifsud |access-date=8 July 2019 |archive-date=17 January 1999 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/19990117003916/http://www.geocities.com/RainForest/3096/palaeol.html |url-status=bot: unknown }}</ref> However this seems unlikely since recent work suggests these animals went extinct many thousands of years before the arrival of the first people,<ref>{{Cite book |last1=van der Geer |first1=Alexandra |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444323986 |title=Evolution of Island Mammals |last2=Lyras |first2=George |last3=de Vos |first3=John |last4=Dermitzakis |first4=Michael |date=2010-08-03 |publisher=Wiley |isbn=978-1-4051-9009-1 |doi=10.1002/9781444323986 |archive-date=10 December 2019 |access-date=10 May 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191210055027/https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/book/10.1002/9781444323986 |url-status=live }}</ref> and no such animals were found in association with the earliest known Mesolithic hunter-gatherers.<ref name=":0" /> The claim for an earlier occupation of the island by [[Neanderthal]]s is widely rejected.<ref name=":0" /> <sup>Supplementary Information</sup> [[Early European Farmers|Neolithic Farmers]], also originating from Sicily, are thought to have arrived on the islands by around 5400 BC.<ref name=":0" /> Prehistoric farming settlements dating to the [[Early Neolithic]] include the [[Għar Dalam]] cave site in the uppermost layers associated with domesticated animals.<ref name="Skeates2010">{{Cite book |last=Skeates|first= Robin |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=HOjDB8M27wkC&pg=PA124 |title=An Archaeology of the Senses: Prehistoric Malta |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-19-921660-4 |pages=124–132 }}</ref> The Neolithic population on Malta grew [[cereals]], raised livestock and, in common with other ancient Mediterranean cultures, worshipped a [[mother goddess|fertility figure]].<ref>{{Cite web|title=History|publisher=Maltese Italian Chamber of Commerce|url=https://www.micc.org.mt/en/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1235&Itemid=821&lang=en|access-date=8 October 2021|archive-date=8 October 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211008001147/https://www.micc.org.mt/en/en/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=1235&Itemid=821&lang=en|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Ggantija Temples, Xaghra, Gozo.jpg|thumb|[[Ġgantija]] [[megalith]]ic temple complex]]
A culture of [[megalith]]ic temple builders then either supplanted or arose from this early period. Around 3500 BC, these people built some of the oldest existing free-standing structures in the world in the form of the megalithic [[Ġgantija]] temples on [[Gozo]];<ref name="otsf">{{Cite web |title=Old Temples Study Foundation |url=http://www.otsf.org/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140208014817/http://otsf.org/ |archive-date=8 February 2014 |access-date=31 March 2009 |publisher=OTSF}}</ref> other early temples include those at [[Ħaġar Qim]] and [[Mnajdra]].<ref name="b1">{{cite book |first=Daniel |last=Cilia |title=Malta Before History |year=2004 |publisher=Miranda Publishers |isbn=99909-85-08-1}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Sheehan |first=Sean |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=LRGrRy7S750C&pg=PA87 |title=Malta |publisher=Marshall Cavendish |year=2000 |isbn=978-0-7614-0993-9}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Archaeology and prehistory |url=http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpg/malta/arch.html  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081212031419/http://users.aber.ac.uk/jpg/malta/arch.html |archive-date=12 December 2008 |access-date=31 March 2009 |publisher=The University of Wales, Aberystwyth}}</ref> The temples have distinctive architecture, typically a complex [[trefoil]] design, and were used from 4000 to 2500 BC. Tentative information suggests that [[animal sacrifice]]s were made to the goddess of fertility, whose statue is now in the National Museum of Archaeology in Valletta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=National Museum of Archaeology |url=http://www.visitmalta.com/museum-of-archaeology |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100329164847/http://visitmalta.com/museum-of-archaeology |archive-date=29 March 2010 |website=Visitmalta.com}}</ref> Another archaeological feature of the Maltese Islands often attributed to these ancient builders is equidistant uniform grooves dubbed "cart tracks" or "cart ruts", which can be found in several locations throughout the islands, with the most prominent being those found in [[Misraħ Għar il-Kbir|Misraħ Għar il-Kbir ("Clapham Junction")]]. These may have been caused by wooden-wheeled carts eroding soft limestone.<ref>{{Cite web |date=20 April 2009 |title=Ancient mystery solved by geographers |url=http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/news/archive2009/april2009/title,94480,en.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101229050005/http://www.port.ac.uk/aboutus/newsandevents/news/archive2009/april2009/title%2C94480%2Cen.html |archive-date=29 December 2010 |access-date=14 November 2010 |website=Port.ac.uk}}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Mottershead, Derek |last2=Pearson, Alastair |last3=Schaefer, Martin |year=2008 |title=The cart ruts of Malta: an applied geomorphology approach |journal=Antiquity |volume=82 |issue=318 |pages=1065–1079 |doi=10.1017/S0003598X00097787 |s2cid=162827926}}</ref> The culture apparently disappeared from the islands around 2500 BC, possibly due to famine or disease.

After 2500 BC, the Maltese Islands were depopulated for several decades until an influx of [[Bronze Age]] immigrants, a culture that [[Cremation|cremated]] its dead and introduced smaller megalithic structures called [[dolmen]]s.<ref>{{cite web|first=Daniel|last=Cilia|url=http://web.infinito.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/linetime.html|title=Malta Before Common Era|work=The Megalithic Temples of Malta|access-date=28 January 2007|archive-date=7 June 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200607074024/http://web.infinito.it/utenti/m/malta_mega_temples/linetime.html|url-status=live}}</ref> They are claimed to belong to a population certainly different from that which built the previous megalithic temples. It is presumed the population arrived from [[Sicily]] because of the similarity of Maltese dolmens to some small constructions found there.<ref name="Piccolo-dolmens">{{Cite book |last1=Piccolo |first1=Salvatore |last2=Darvill |first2=Timothy |title=Ancient Stones, The Prehistoric Dolmens of Sicily |publisher=Brazen Head Publishing |year=2013 |isbn=978-0-9565106-2-4}}</ref>

===Phoenicians, Carthaginians, and Romans===
{{see also|Magna Graecia|Phoenicia|Cippi of Melqart|Ancient Rome|Sicilia (Roman province)|Byzantine Malta}}
[[File:Justinian555AD.png|thumb|right| The lands which comprise modern-day Malta were a part of the Byzantine Empire (the empire in 555 under [[Justinian the Great]], at its greatest extent since the fall of the [[Western Roman Empire]] (its [[vassal state|vassals]] in pink)).]]
[[Phoenicia]]n traders<ref name="ndmh">{{Cite news |date=6 February 2008 |title=Notable dates in Malta's history |publisher=Department of Information&nbsp;– Maltese Government |url=http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/islands/dates.asp |url-status=live |access-date=6 February 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125021207/http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/islands/dates.asp |archive-date=25 November 2009}}</ref> [[Phoenician colonization|colonised]] the islands under the name Ann ({{lang|phn|𐤀𐤍𐤍‎}}, {{sc|ʾnn}}){{sfnp|Culican|1992}}{{sfnp|Filigheddu|2006}}<ref name=vel/> sometime after {{nowrap|1000 BC}}<ref name="ashby">{{Cite journal |last=Ashby |first=Thomas |year=1915 |title=Roman Malta |url=https://zenodo.org/record/1449693 |journal=Journal of Roman Studies |volume=5 |pages=23–80 |doi=10.2307/296290 |jstor=296290 |s2cid=250349579 |access-date=30 August 2019 |archive-date=27 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210327063440/https://zenodo.org/record/1449693 |url-status=live |doi-access=free }}</ref> as a stop on their trade routes from the eastern [[Mediterranean Sea|Mediterranean]] to [[Cornwall]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Owen |first=Charles |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=OhRCAAAAIAAJ |title=The Maltese Islands |publisher=Praeger |year=1969 }}</ref> Their seat of government was apparently at [[Mdina]], which shared the island's name;{{sfnp|Culican|1992}}{{sfnp|Filigheddu|2006}} the primary port was at [[Cospicua]] on the [[Grand Harbour]], which they called Maleth.<ref name=vel/> After the [[Siege of Tyre (332 BC)|fall of Phoenicia]] in 332 BC, the area came under the control of [[Carthage]].<ref name="ashby" /><ref name="maltihist">{{Cite book |last=Terterov |first=Marat |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=kc7DO3TZEYcC&pg=PA4 |title=Doing Business with Malta |publisher=GMB Publishing Ltd |year=2005 |isbn=978-1-905050-63-5 }}</ref> During this time, the people on Malta mainly cultivated [[olive]]s and [[Ceratonia siliqua|carob]] and produced textiles.<ref name="maltihist" />

[[File:Roman Malta.jpg|thumb|[[Ancient Rome|Roman]] mosaic from the [[Domvs Romana]]]]

During the [[First Punic War]], the island was conquered by Roman general [[Marcus Atilius Regulus]] in harsh fighting.<ref name="ei">{{Cite web |title=Malta |url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/malta_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065621/http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/malta_(Enciclopedia-Italiana)/ |archive-date=1 January 2016 |access-date=2 November 2015 |website=Enciclopedia Italiana |language=it}}</ref> After the failure of his expedition, the island fell back in the hands of Carthage, only to be [[Capture of Malta (218 BC)|conquered again]] during the [[Second Punic War]] in {{nowrap|218 BC}} by the [[Roman consul]] [[Tiberius Sempronius Longus (consul 218 BC)|Tiberius Sempronius Longus]].<ref name=ei/> Malta became a {{lang|la|[[Civitas|Foederata Civitas]]}}, a designation that meant it was exempt from paying [[tribute]] or the rule of [[Roman law]], and fell within the jurisdiction of the [[Roman province|province]] of [[Sicilia (Roman province)|Sicily]].<ref name="malticross" /> Its capital at [[Mdina]] was renamed {{lang|la|[[Melita (ancient city)|Melita]]|italic=no}} after the Greek and Roman name for the island. Punic influence, however, remained vibrant on the islands with [[Cippi of Melqart]], pivotal in deciphering the [[Punic language]], dedicated in the second {{nowrap|century BC.}}<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=wmRVAAAAcAAJ |title=The Art Journal: The Illustrated Catalogue of the Industry of All Nations|volume= 2 |publisher=Virtue |year=1853 |page=vii}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Volume 16, Issue 1 |url=http://www.patrimonju.org/content.aspx?id=176541&subId=176539 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140221102448/http://www.patrimonju.org/content.aspx?id=176541&subId=176539 |archive-date=21 February 2014 |access-date=16 February 2014 |publisher=Fondazzjoni Patrimonju Malti}}</ref> Local Roman coinage, which ceased in the first {{nowrap|century BC,}}<ref name="cassar56–57">{{harvnb|Cassar|2000|pp=56–57}}</ref> indicates the slow pace of the island's Romanisation: the last locally minted coins still bear inscriptions in [[Ancient Greek]] and Punic motifs, showing the resistance of the Greek and Punic cultures.<ref>{{Cite web |title=218 BC – 395 AD Roman Coinage |url=http://www.centralbankmalta.org/timeline-coins |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150126230408/http://www.centralbankmalta.org/timeline-coins |archive-date=26 January 2015 |access-date=2 November 2015 |publisher=Bank of Malta}}</ref>

In the second century, Emperor [[Hadrian]] upgraded the status of Malta to a {{nowrap|[[municipium]]}} or free town: the island's local affairs were administered by four [[duumviri|duumvirs]] and a municipal senate, while a Roman [[procurator (Roman)|procurator]] living in [[Mdina]] represented the [[proconsul]] of Sicily.<ref name=ei/> In {{nowrap|AD 58,}} [[Paul the Apostle]] and [[Luke the Evangelist]] were shipwrecked on the islands.<ref name=ei/> Paul remained for three months, preaching the [[Early Christianity|Christian faith]].<ref name=ei/> The island is mentioned at the [[Acts of the Apostles]] as Melitene ({{langx|grc|Μελιτήνη}}).<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0031.tlg005.perseus-grc1:28.1|title=Acts, chapter 28, verse 1|website=Perseus.tufts.edu|access-date=20 February 2021|archive-date=14 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210414123234/https://www.perseus.tufts.edu/hopper/text?doc=urn:cts:greekLit:tlg0031.tlg005.perseus-grc1:28.1|url-status=live}}</ref>

In 395, when the [[Division of the Roman Empire|Roman Empire was divided for the last time]] at the death of [[Theodosius I]], Malta, following Sicily, fell under the control of the [[Western Roman Empire]].<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |year=1991 |title=Malta |encyclopedia=Oxford Dictionary of Byzantium |publisher=Oxford University Press |last=Brown |first=Thomas S. |editor-last=Kazhdan |editor-first=Alexander |page=1277 |isbn=978-0-19-504652-6}}</ref> During the [[Migration Period]] as the [[fall of the Western Roman Empire|Western Roman Empire declined]], Malta was conquered or occupied a number of times.<ref name="cassar56–57" /> From 454 to 464 the islands were subdued by the [[Vandals]], and after 464 by the [[Ostrogoths]].<ref name=ei/> In 533, [[Belisarius]], on his way to conquer the [[Vandal Kingdom]] in North Africa, reunited the islands under Imperial ([[Byzantine Empire|Eastern]]) rule.<ref name=ei/> Little is known about the [[Byzantine Malta|Byzantine rule in Malta]]: the island depended on the [[Sicily (theme)|theme of Sicily]] and had Greek governors and a small Greek garrison.<ref name=ei/> While the bulk of population continued to be constituted by the old, [[Latin Church|Latinized]] dwellers, during this period its religious allegiance oscillated between the Pope and the [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Patriarch of Constantinople]].<ref name=ei/> The Byzantine rule introduced [[Greeks|Greek]] families to the Maltese collective.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Edwards |first1=I. E. S. |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=n1TmVvMwmo4C&pg=RA1-PA723 |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |last2=Gadd |first2=C. J.|author2-link=C. J. Gadd |last3=Hammond |first3=N. G. L.|author3-link=N. G. L. Hammond |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1975 |isbn=978-0-521-08691-2 |author-link=I. E. S. Edwards}}</ref> Malta remained under the [[Byzantine Empire]] until 870, when it was conquered by the [[Arabs]].<ref name=ei/><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Troll, Christian W. |title=Christian Lives Given to the Study of Islam |last2=Hewer, C.T.R. |date=12 September 2012 |publisher=Fordham University Press |isbn=978-0-8232-4319-8 |page=258 |chapter=Journeying toward God}}</ref>

===Arab period and the Middle Ages===
{{see also|Arab–Byzantine wars|Islam in Malta}}
Malta became involved in the [[Arab–Byzantine wars]], and the conquest of Malta is closely linked with [[Muslim conquest of Sicily|that of Sicily]] that began in 827 after [[Euphemius (Sicily)|Admiral Euphemius]]' betrayal of his fellow Byzantines, requesting that the [[Aghlabids]] invade the island.<ref name="stan">{{Cite news |date=7 October 2007 |title=Brief history of Sicily |website=Archaeology.Stanford.edu |url=http://www.stanford.edu/group/mountpolizzo/handbookPDF/MPHandbook5.pdf |url-status=live |access-date=20 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119004221/http://www.stanford.edu/group/mountpolizzo/handbookPDF/MPHandbook5.pdf |archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref> The [[Muslims|Muslim]] chronicler and geographer [[Kitab al-Rawd al-Mitar|al-Himyari]] recounts that in 870, following [[Siege of Melite (870)|a violent struggle]] against the defending Byzantines, the Arab invaders, first led by Halaf al-Hadim, and later by Sawada ibn Muhammad,<ref name="Travel Malta">{{Cite book |title=Travel Malta |publisher=MobileReference |isbn=978-1-61198-279-4 |at=The Arab period and the Middle Ages}}</ref> pillaged the island, destroying the most important buildings, and leaving it practically uninhabited until it was recolonised by the Arabs from Sicily in 1048–1049.<ref name="Travel Malta" /> It is uncertain whether this new settlement resulted from demographic expansion in Sicily, a higher [[standard of living]] in Sicily (in which case the recolonisation may have taken place a few decades earlier), or a civil war that broke out among the Arab rulers of Sicily in 1038.<ref>{{cite book |last=Brincat |first=Joseph M. |title=Malta 870-1054: Al-Himyari's account and its linguistic implications |date=1995 |publisher=Said International |page=21 |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/55365/4/Malta_870_1054.pdf |access-date=8 December 2021 |archive-date=13 December 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211213162211/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/55365/4/Malta_870_1054.pdf |url-status=live}}</ref> The [[Arab Agricultural Revolution]] introduced new irrigation, cotton, and some fruits. The [[Siculo-Arabic]] language was adopted on the island from Sicily; it eventually evolved into the [[Maltese language]].<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wilson |first=Andrew |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=jIP9WiIOtKYC&pg=PA64 |title=Corpus Linguistics Around the World |publisher=Rodopi |year=2006 |isbn=978-90-420-1836-5 }}</ref>

===Norman conquest===
{{main|Norman invasion of Malta}}

[[File:Roger I of Sicily (Troina).jpg|thumb|upright|left|[[Roger I of Sicily]] returned Malta to Christian rule.]]
The [[Normans]] attacked Malta in 1091, as part of their [[Norman conquest of Sicily|conquest of Sicily]].<ref>[[Charles William Previté-Orton|Previté-Orton]] (1971), pg. 507–11</ref> The Norman leader, [[Roger I of Sicily]], was welcomed by Christian captives,<ref name="malticross" /> though contrary to myth he did not tear off a portion of his checkered red-and-white banner and present it to the [[Maltese people|Maltese]] in gratitude for having fought on his behalf, forming the basis of the modern [[flag of Malta]].<ref name="malticross" /><ref>Blouet, B. (1987) The Story of Malta. Third Edition. Progress Press, p.37.</ref>

Malta became part of the newly formed [[Kingdom of Sicily]], which also covered the island of Sicily and the southern [[Italian Peninsula]].<ref name="malticross" /> The [[Catholic Church]] was reinstated as the state religion, with Malta under the [[See of Palermo]], and some [[Norman architecture]] sprang up around Malta, especially in its ancient capital [[Mdina]].<ref name="malticross" /> [[King Tancred]] made Malta a [[fief]] of the kingdom and installed a [[Count of Malta]] in 1192. As the islands were much desired due to their strategic importance, it was during this time that the men of Malta were militarised to fend off attempted conquest; early Counts were skilled [[Republic of Genoa|Genoese]] [[privateer]]s.<ref name="malticross" />

The kingdom passed on to the [[Hohenstaufen]] dynasty from 1194 until 1266. As [[Emperor Frederick II]] began to reorganise his Sicilian kingdom, Western culture and religion started to exert their influence more intensely.<ref>Blouet, B. (1987) The Story of Malta. Third Edition. Malta: Progress Press, p.37-38.</ref> Malta was declared a county and a [[Marquess|marquisate]], but its trade was totally ruined. For a long time it remained solely a fortified [[garrison]].<ref>{{cite book|author-link=Robert Montgomery Martin|author=Martin, Robert Montgomery|year=1843|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=yDQGAAAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA568 |title=History of the colonies of the British Empire|publisher= W. H. Allen|page=569|quote=Malta remained for 72 years subject of the emperors of Germany. The island was after the period of Count Roger of the Normans afterward given up to the Germans, on account of the marriage between Constance, heiress of Sicily, and Henry VI, son of the Emperor Friedrick Barbarossa. Malta was elevated to a county and a marquisate, but its trade was now totally ruined, and for a considerable period of it remained solely a fortified garrison.}}</ref>

A mass expulsion of Arabs occurred in 1224, and the entire Christian male population of [[Celano]] in Abruzzo was deported to Malta in the same year.<ref name="malticross" /> In 1249 [[Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor]], decreed that all remaining Muslims be expelled from Malta<ref>{{Cite news |date=7 October 2007 |title=Time-Line |website=AboutMalta.com |url=http://www.aboutmalta.com/history/time-Line.htm |url-status=live |access-date=23 July 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161027030855/http://www.aboutmalta.com/history/time-Line.htm |archive-date=27 October 2016}}</ref> or compelled to convert.<ref>{{cite book|last=Goodwin|first= Stefan |year=2002|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=up9Fy-NBiLAC&pg=PA31 |title=Malta, Mediterranean bridge |publisher= Greenwood Publishing Group|page= 31|isbn=0-89789-820-6}}.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Peregin, Christian |date=4 August 2008 |title=Maltese makeover |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080804/local/maltese-makeover |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101009093951/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080804/local/maltese-makeover |archive-date=9 October 2010 |access-date=28 November 2009 |website=The Times of Malta}}</ref>

For a brief period, the kingdom passed to the [[Capetian House of Anjou]],<ref>{{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195224/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Scientia%20(Malta)/Scientia.%2017(1951)4(Oct.-Dec.)/01.pdf Malta under the Angevins]}}. melitensiawth.com</ref> but high taxes made the dynasty unpopular in Malta, due in part to [[Charles I of Naples|Charles of Anjou]]'s war against the Republic of Genoa, and the island of [[Gozo]] was sacked in 1275.<ref name="malticross" />

===Crown of Aragon and the Knights of Malta===
{{see also|County of Sicily|Kingdom of Sicily|Crown of Aragon|Hospitaller Malta|Great Siege of Malta|António Manoel de Vilhena}}
[[File:Bandiera del Regno di Sicilia 4.svg|thumb|Flag of the Aragonese [[Kingdom of Sicily]]]]
[[File:Atlas Van der Hagen-KW1049B12 087-INSULARUM MELITAE Vulgo MALTAE et GOZAE.jpeg|thumb|Map of Malta and Gozo produced by Dutch cartographer [[Nicolaes Visscher II]] in around 1690]]
Malta was ruled by the [[House of Barcelona]], the ruling dynasty of the [[Crown of Aragon]], from 1282 to 1409,<ref name="culturalheritage.gov.mt">{{Cite web |title=Superintendance of Cultural Heritage |url=http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/textpage.asp?p=3107&l=1&v=1 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120128125711/http://www.culturalheritage.gov.mt/textpage.asp?p=3107&l=1&v=1 |archive-date=28 January 2012 |access-date=29 November 2011 |publisher=[[Government of Malta]]}}</ref> with the Aragonese aiding the Maltese insurgents in the [[Sicilian Vespers]] in [[Battle of Malta (1283)|the naval battle]] in [[Grand Harbour]] in 1283.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Luttrell |first=Anthony |year=1970 |title=The House of Aragon and Malta: 1282–1412 |url=http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Journal%20of%20the%20Faculty%20of%20Arts/Journal%20of%20the%20Faculty%20of%20Arts.%204(1970)2/08.pdf |journal=Journal of the Faculty of Arts |volume=4 |issue=2 |pages=156–168 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171017195743/http://melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Journal%20of%20the%20Faculty%20of%20Arts/Journal%20of%20the%20Faculty%20of%20Arts.%204(1970)2/08.pdf |archive-date=17 October 2017 |url-status=usurped |access-date=8 July 2017}}</ref>

Relatives of the [[kings of Aragon]] ruled the island until 1409 when it formally passed to the Crown of Aragon. Early on in the Aragonese ascendancy, the sons of the monarchs received the title [[Count of Malta]]. During this time much of the local nobility was created. By 1397, however, the bearing of the comital title reverted to a feudal basis, with two families fighting over the distinction. This led King [[Martin I of Sicily]] to abolish the title. The dispute over the title returned when the title was reinstated a few years later and the Maltese, led by the local nobility, rose up against Count [[Gonsalvo Monroy]].<ref name="malticross" /> Although they opposed the Count, the Maltese voiced their loyalty to the [[List of monarchs of Sicily|Sicilian Crown]], which so impressed [[Alfonso V of Aragon|King Alfonso V]] that he did not punish the people for their rebellion. Instead, he promised never to grant the title to a third party and incorporated it back into the crown. The city of [[Mdina]] was given the title of ''Città Notabile''.<ref name="malticross" />

In September&nbsp;1429, [[Hafsid dynasty|Hafsid]] Berbers [[Siege of Malta (1429)|attempted to capture Malta]] but were repelled by the Maltese. The invaders pillaged the countryside and took about 3,000&nbsp;inhabitants as [[Slavery in Malta|slaves]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Cauchi |first=Mark |date=12 September 2004 |title=575th&nbsp;anniversary of the 1429 Siege of Malta |newspaper=Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040912/letters/575th-anniversary-of-the-1429-siege-of-malta.112708 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150722013314/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20040912/letters/575th-anniversary-of-the-1429-siege-of-malta.112708 |archive-date=22 July 2015}}</ref>

On 23 March 1530,<ref>Denaro, Victor F. (1963). {{usurped|1=[https://web.archive.org/web/20160302135025/http://www.melitensiawth.com/incoming/Index/Melita%20Historica/MH.03(1960-63)/MH.3(1963)4/orig02.pdf ''Yet More Houses in Valletta '']}}. Melita Historica. p. 22.</ref> [[Charles V, Holy Roman Emperor]], gave the islands to the [[Knights Hospitaller]] under the leadership of Frenchman [[Philippe Villiers de L'Isle-Adam]],<ref>de Vertot, Abbe (1728) ''The History of the Knights of Malta'' vol. II (facsimile reprint Midsea Books, Malta, 1989).</ref><ref name="autogenerated2">{{Cite web |title=Malta History |url=http://www.jimdiamondmd.com/malta_history.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120308000224/http://www.jimdiamondmd.com/malta_history.htm |archive-date=8 March 2012 |access-date=12 October 2008 |website=Jimdiamondmd.com}}</ref> in perpetual lease for which they had to pay an annual [[Tribute of the Maltese Falcon|tribute of a single Maltese Falcon]].<ref name="autogenerated6">{{Cite web |title=Malta History 1000 AD–present |url=http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120204113517/http://www.carnaval.com/malta/history/knights/ |archive-date=4 February 2012 |access-date=12 October 2008 |website=Carnaval.com}}</ref><ref name="odonnel">{{Cite news |title=La cesión de Malta a los Caballeros de San Juan a través de la cédula del 4 de marzo de 1530 |website=orderofmalta.int |url=http://www.orderofmalta.int/wp-content/uploads/archive/pubblicazioni/La_cesion_de_Malta.pdf |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150924074926/http://www.orderofmalta.int/wp-content/uploads/archive/pubblicazioni/La_cesion_de_Malta.pdf |archive-date=24 September 2015}}</ref><ref name="perez">{{Cite news |title=LA SOBERANA ORDEN DE MALTA A TRAVÉS DE DIEZ SIGLOS DE HISTORIA Y SU RELACIÓN CON LA ACCIÓN HUMANITARIA |website=uma.es |url=http://riuma.uma.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10630/4735/TESIS%20ORDEN%20DE%20MALTA%20%20A%20TRAV%C3%89S%20DE%20DIEZ%20SIGLOS.pdf?sequence=1 |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304023615/http://riuma.uma.es/xmlui/bitstream/handle/10630/4735/TESIS%20ORDEN%20DE%20MALTA%20%20A%20TRAV%C3%89S%20DE%20DIEZ%20SIGLOS.pdf?sequence=1 |archive-date=4 March 2016}}</ref><ref name="elpais">[http://elpais.com/diario/2005/08/14/revistaverano/1123970413_850215.html El halcón maltés regresará a España dos siglos después] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303224914/http://elpais.com/diario/2005/08/14/revistaverano/1123970413_850215.html |date=3 March 2016 }}. ''El Pais'' (14 August 2005). Retrieved 1 May 2017.</ref><ref name="tc1">{{Cite news |title=La verdadera historia del halcón maltés |url=http://www.trofeocaza.com/noticia/1154/Entrevistas/La-verdadera-historia-del-halcon-maltes.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530023226/http://www.trofeocaza.com/noticia/1154/Entrevistas/La-verdadera-historia-del-halcon-maltes.html |archive-date=30 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="tc2">{{Cite news |date=22 October 2014 |title=El halcón y el mar |website=trofeocaza.com |url=http://www.trofeocaza.com/noticia/545/Reportajes/El-halcon-y-el-mar.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160530023233/http://www.trofeocaza.com/noticia/545/Reportajes/El-halcon-y-el-mar.html |archive-date=30 May 2016}}</ref><ref name="abc">{{Cite news |title=El Rey volverá a tener otro halcón maltés en primavera |url=http://www.abc.es/20111011/contraportada/abcp-ignacio-palomo-alvarez-volvera-20111011.html |url-status=live |access-date=12 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151222084608/http://www.abc.es/20111011/contraportada/abcp-ignacio-palomo-alvarez-volvera-20111011.html |archive-date=22 December 2015}}</ref> These knights, a military religious order also known as the Order of St John and later as the Knights of Malta, had been driven out of [[Rhodes]] by the [[Ottoman Empire]] in 1522.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Hospitallers – religious order |encyclopedia=Encyclopedia Britannica |url=https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hospitallers |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170801180607/https://www.britannica.com/topic/Hospitallers |archive-date=1 August 2017 |access-date=3 July 2017}}</ref>

[[Knights Hospitaller|The Knights Hospitaller]] ruled Malta and Gozo between 1530 and 1798.<ref name="Devrim. 2008">{{Cite book |last=Atauz |first=Ayse Devrim |title=Eight thousand years of Maltese maritime history: trade, piracy, and naval warfare in the central Mediterranean |date=2008 |publisher=University Press of Florida |isbn=978-0-8130-3179-8}}</ref> During this period, the strategic and military importance of the island grew greatly as the small yet efficient fleet of the [[Knights Hospitaller|Order of Saint John]] launched their attacks from this new base targeting the shipping lanes of the Ottoman territories around the Mediterranean Sea.<ref name="Devrim. 2008" /><ref>{{Cite journal |last=McManamon |first=John |date=June 2003 |title=Maltese seafaring in mediaeval and post-mediaeval times |journal=Mediterranean Historical Review |volume=18 |issue=1 |pages=32–58 |doi=10.1080/09518960412331302203 |s2cid=153559318 |issn=0951-8967}}</ref>

In 1551, the population of the island of [[Gozo]] (around 5,000 people) were [[Barbary slave trade|enslaved]] by [[Barbary pirates]] and taken to the [[Barbary Coast]] in North Africa.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Niaz |first=Ilhan |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=aU4sAwAAQBAJ&pg=PA399 |title=Old World Empires: Cultures of Power and Governance in Eurasia |date=2014 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-1-317-91379-5 |page=399 }}</ref>

[[File:Matteo Perez d' Aleccio (1547-1616) - The Siege of Malta, Attack on the Post of the Castilian Knights, 21 August 1565 - BHC0257 - Royal Museums Greenwich.jpg|thumb|Ottoman attack on the post of the [[Langue (Knights Hospitaller)|Castilian knights]] on 21 August 1565]]

The knights, led by Frenchman [[Jean Parisot de Valette]], withstood the [[Great Siege of Malta]] by the Ottomans in 1565.<ref name=autogenerated2/> The knights, with the help of Portuguese, Spanish and Maltese forces, repelled the attack.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Angelo Castillo, Dennis |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=i5ns5LNtoiUC&pg=PA55 |title=The Maltese Cross: A Strategic History of Malta |publisher=Greenwood Publishing Group |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-313-32329-4 |page=55}}</ref><ref>Braudel, Fernand (1995) ''The Mediterranean and the Mediterranean World in the Age of Philip II'', vol. II. University of California Press: Berkeley.{{page}}</ref> After the siege they decided to increase Malta's [[fortification]]s, particularly in the inner-harbour area, where the new city of [[Valletta]], named in honour of Valette, was built. They also established [[watchtower]]s along the coasts&nbsp;– the [[Wignacourt towers|Wignacourt]], [[Lascaris towers|Lascaris]] and [[De Redin towers]]&nbsp;– named after the Grand Masters who ordered the work. The Knights saw the completion of many architectural and cultural projects, including the embellishment of Città Vittoriosa (modern [[Birgu]]) and the construction of new cities including Città Rohan (modern [[Ħaż-Żebbuġ]]). However, by the late 1700s the power of the Knights had declined.

===French period and British conquest===
{{Main|French occupation of Malta|Siege of Malta (1798–1800)}}

[[File:Napoleonbonapartemalta.jpg|thumb|upright=0.7|Bust of Bonaparte at [[Palazzo Parisio (Valletta)|Palazzo Parisio]] in Valletta]]
The Knights' reign ended when [[Napoleon I of France|Napoleon]] captured Malta on his way to [[Egypt]] during the [[French Revolutionary Wars: Campaigns of 1798|French Revolutionary Wars]] in 1798. During 12–18 June 1798, Napoleon resided at the [[Palazzo Parisio (Valletta)|Palazzo Parisio]] in Valletta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Palazzo Parisio |url=https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Pages/Palazzo-Parisio.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180106024002/https://foreignaffairs.gov.mt/en/Pages/Palazzo-Parisio.aspx |archive-date=6 January 2018 |access-date=21 August 2015 |website=gov.mt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Napoleon's bedroom at Palazzo Parisio in Valletta! |url=http://blog.maltaweathersite.com/2014/01/napoleons-bedroom-at-palazzo-parisio-in-valletta/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304195826/http://blog.maltaweathersite.com/2014/01/napoleons-bedroom-at-palazzo-parisio-in-valletta/ |archive-date=4 March 2016 |access-date=21 August 2015 |website=maltaweathersite.com}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Stagno-Navarra |first=Karl |date=24 January 2010 |title=Leaving it in neutral |url=http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2010/01/24/interview.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016010540/http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2010/01/24/interview.html |archive-date=16 October 2015 |access-date=21 August 2015 |website=MaltaToday}}</ref> He reformed national administration with the creation of a Government Commission, twelve municipalities, a public finance administration, the abolition of all feudal rights and privileges, the [[Abolitionism in France|abolition of slavery]] and the granting of freedom to all [[Turkish people|Turkish]] and [[Jews|Jewish]] slaves.<ref>{{Cite news |title=This day, May 15, in Jewish history |work=Cleveland Jewish News |url=http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/cjnconnect/blogs/article_057a78b4-3f44-5375-a20d-a850a62b2194.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140519165352/http://www.clevelandjewishnews.com/cjnconnect/blogs/article_057a78b4-3f44-5375-a20d-a850a62b2194.html |archive-date=19 May 2014}}</ref><ref name="stbenedict">{{Cite web |last=Sciberras |first=Sandro |title=Maltese History – F. The French Occupation |url=http://www.stbenedictcollege.org/stlucija/files/Sandro%20Sciberras/Form%203%20Option%20Maltese%20History/Unit%20F_%20Malta%20under%20the%20French%20+%20WS%2012p.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150503090732/http://www.stbenedictcollege.org/stlucija/files/Sandro%20Sciberras/Form%203%20Option%20Maltese%20History/Unit%20F_%20Malta%20under%20the%20French%20+%20WS%2012p.pdf |archive-date=3 May 2015 |access-date=23 November 2014 |publisher=St Benedict College}}</ref> On the judicial level, a family code was framed and twelve judges were nominated. [[Public education]] was organised along principles laid down by Bonaparte himself, providing for primary and secondary education.<ref name=stbenedict/><ref>{{Cite web |last=Weider |first=Ben |author-link=Ben Weider |title=Chapter 12 – The Egyptian Campaign of 1798 |url=http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/Life_Nap_Chap12.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160312073211/http://www.napoleonicsociety.com/english/Life_Nap_Chap12.htm |archive-date=12 March 2016 |website=International Napoleonic Society}}</ref> He then sailed for Egypt, leaving a substantial garrison in Malta.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Shosenberg |first=J.W. |date=April 2017 |title=NAPOLÉON'S EGYPTIAN RIDDLE |journal=Military History |volume=34 |issue=1 |page=25 |via=Ebsco}}</ref>

The French forces left behind became unpopular with the Maltese, due particularly to the French forces' hostility towards Catholicism and pillaging of local churches to fund war efforts. French financial and religious policies so angered the Maltese that they rebelled, forcing the French to depart. Great Britain, along with the [[Kingdom of Naples]] and the [[Kingdom of Sicily]], sent ammunition and aid to the Maltese, and Britain also sent [[Royal Navy|its navy]], which blockaded the islands.<ref name=stbenedict/>

On 28 October 1798, Captain Sir [[Alexander Ball]] successfully completed negotiations with the French garrison on Gozo for a surrender and transfer of the island to the British. The British transferred the island to the locals that day, and it was administered by Archpriest [[Saverio Cassar]] on behalf of [[Ferdinand I of the Two Sicilies|Ferdinand III of Sicily]]. [[Gozo (independent state)|Gozo remained independent]] until Cassar was removed by the British in 1801.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Schiavone |first=Michael J. |title=Dictionary of Maltese Biographies A-F |date=2009 |publisher=Publikazzjonijiet Indipendenza |isbn=978-99932-91-32-9 |pages=533–534}}</ref>

General [[Claude-Henri Belgrand de Vaubois]] surrendered his French forces in 1800.<ref name= stbenedict/> Maltese leaders presented the main island to Sir Alexander Ball, asking that the island become a British [[Dominion]]. The Maltese people created a [[Malta Protectorate#Declaration of Rights|Declaration of Rights]] in which they agreed to come "under the protection and sovereignty of the King of the free people, His Majesty the King of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Ireland". The Declaration also stated that "his Majesty has no right to cede these Islands to any power...if he chooses to withdraw his protection, and abandon his sovereignty, the right of electing another sovereign, or of the governing of these Islands, belongs to us, the inhabitants and aborigines alone, and without control."<ref name="stbenedict" /><ref name="1940-43">{{Cite book |last=Holland |first=James |url=https://archive.org/details/fortressmaltaisl00holl |title=Fortress Malta An Island Under Siege 1940–43 |publisher=Miramax |year=2003 |isbn=978-1-4013-5186-1}}</ref>

===British Empire and the Second World War===
{{Main|Malta Protectorate|Crown Colony of Malta|Siege of Malta (World War II)}}

[[File:BombDamageMalta.jpg|thumb|The heavily bomb-damaged Kingsway (now Republic Street) in Valletta during the [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|siege of Malta]], 1942]]
In 1814, as part of the [[Treaty of Paris (1814)|Treaty of Paris]],<ref name="stbenedict" /><ref name="DIC_11">{{Harvnb|Rudolf|Berg|2010|p=11}}</ref> Malta officially became a part of the British Empire and was used as a shipping way-station and fleet headquarters. After the [[Suez Canal]] opened in 1869, Malta's position halfway between the [[Strait of Gibraltar]] and Egypt proved to be its main asset, and it was considered an important stop on the way to India, a central trade route for the British. A [[Turkish Military Cemetery]] was commissioned by [[Sultan Abdul Aziz]] and built between 1873 and 1874 for the fallen Ottoman soldiers of the [[Great Siege of Malta]].

Between 1915 and 1918, during the [[First World War]], Malta became known as ''the Nurse of the Mediterranean'' due to the large number of wounded soldiers who were accommodated there.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Galea |first=Michael |date=16 November 2014 |title=Malta earns the title 'nurse of the Mediterranean' |work=[[The Times (Malta)|The Times]] |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141116/life-features/Malta-earns-the-title-nurse-of-the-Mediterranean-.544455 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160206134215/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141116/life-features/Malta-earns-the-title-nurse-of-the-Mediterranean-.544455 |archive-date=6 February 2016}}</ref> On 7 June 1919, the Maltese public rioted in response to a [[cost-of-living crisis]]; British troops eventually managed to suppress the riots, killing four in the process. The event, known as [[Sette Giugno]] ("7 June"), is commemorated every year and is one of five National Days.<ref>{{Cite encyclopedia |title=Malta definition of Malta in the Free Online Encyclopedia. |encyclopedia=Free Online Encyclopedia – List of Legal Holidays |url=http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Malta |access-date=8 July 2013 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130617220624/http://encyclopedia2.thefreedictionary.com/Malta |archive-date=17 June 2013 |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=SETTE GIUGNO |url=http://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2013-06/sette-giugno-6533  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140130231035/http://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2013-06/sette-giugno-6533 |archive-date=30 January 2014 |access-date=8 July 2013 |website=Visitmalta – The official tourism website for Malta, Gozo and Comino }}</ref> Until the [[Second World War]], Maltese politics was dominated by the [[Language Question (Malta)|Language Question]] fought out by [[Italophone]] and [[Anglophone]] parties.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Independence |url=http://www.maltavoyager.com/history_independence.html  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120119123912/http://www.maltavoyager.com/history_independence.html |archive-date=19 January 2012}}</ref>

Before the Second World War, Valletta was the location of the Royal Navy's Mediterranean fleet headquarters; however, despite [[Winston Churchill]]'s objections,<ref name="BJandCS-p36">{{Cite book |last1=Bierman, John |url=https://archive.org/details/battleofalameint00bier/page/36 |title=The Battle of Alamein: Turning Point, World War II |last2=Smith, Colin |publisher=Viking |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-670-03040-8 |page=[https://archive.org/details/battleofalameint00bier/page/36 36]}}</ref> the command was moved to [[Alexandria]], Egypt, in 1937 out of fear that it was too susceptible to air attacks from Europe.<ref name=BJandCS-p36/><ref>{{Cite book |last=Titterton, G. A. |title=The Royal Navy and the Mediterranean, Volume 2 |publisher=Psychology Press |year=2002 |isbn=978-0-7146-5179-8 |page=xiii}}</ref><ref name="ElliottP--pxx">{{Cite book |last=Elliott, Peter |title=The Cross and the Ensign: A Naval History of Malta, 1798–1979 |publisher=Naval Institute Press |year=1980 |isbn=978-0-87021-926-9}}</ref> During the war, Malta played an important role for the [[Allies of World War II|Allies]]; being a British colony, situated close to Sicily and the [[Axis Powers|Axis]] shipping lanes, Malta was bombarded by the Italian and German air forces. Malta was used by the British to launch attacks on the Italian Navy and had a submarine base. It was also used as a listening post, intercepting German radio messages including [[Enigma (machine)|Enigma]] traffic.<ref name="CP-p42-44">{{Cite book |last=Calvocoressi, Peter |title=Top Secret Ultra – Volume 10 of Ballantine Espionage Intelligence Library |publisher=Ballantine Books |year=1981 |isbn=978-0-345-30069-0 |edition=reprint |pages=42, 44}}</ref> The bravery of the Maltese people during the second [[Siege of Malta (World War II)|siege of Malta]] moved [[King George VI]] to [[Award of the George Cross to Malta|award the George Cross to Malta]] on a collective basis on 15 April 1942. Some historians argue that the award caused Britain to incur disproportionate losses in defending Malta, as British credibility would have suffered if Malta had surrendered, [[Battle of Singapore|as British forces in Singapore had done]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Siege of Malta in World War Two |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/siege_malta_06.shtml |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071229015847/http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/worldwars/wwtwo/siege_malta_06.shtml |archive-date=29 December 2007 |access-date=15 April 2007}}</ref> A depiction of the George Cross now appears on the [[Flag of Malta]] and the country's [[Coat of arms of Malta|arms]].

===Independence and Republic===
{{see also|State of Malta}}
[[File:Maglio gardens.jpg|thumb|Monument to the independence of Malta in [[Floriana]]]]
[[File:Tratado de Lisboa 13 12 2007 (081).jpg|thumb|Malta joined the European Union in 2004 and signed the [[Lisbon Treaty]] in 2007.]]

Malta achieved its independence as the [[State of Malta]] on 21 September 1964 ([[Independence Day (Malta)|Independence Day]]). Under its 1964 constitution, Malta initially retained [[Elizabeth II]] as [[Queen of Malta]] and thus head of state, with a [[governor-general]] exercising executive authority on her behalf. In 1971, the [[Malta Labour Party]] led by [[Dom Mintoff]] won the general elections, resulting in Malta declaring itself a republic on 13 December 1974 ([[Republic Day (Malta)|Republic Day]]) within the [[Commonwealth of Nations|Commonwealth]]. A defence agreement was signed soon after independence, and after being re-negotiated in 1972, expired on 31 March 1979 ([[Freedom Day (Malta)|Freedom Day]]).<ref>{{Cite book |last=Wolf |first=Eric R. |title=Religion, Power and Protest in Local Communities: The Northern Shore of the Mediterranean |date=1984 |isbn=978-3-11-086116-7 |page=206|publisher=Walter de Gruyter GmbH & Co KG }}</ref> Upon its expiry, the British base closed and lands formerly controlled by the British were given to the Maltese government.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Fenech |first=Dominic |date=February 1997 |title=Malta's external security |journal=GeoJournal |volume=41 |issue=2 |pages=153–163 |doi=10.1023/A:1006888926016 |bibcode=1997GeoJo..41..153F |s2cid=151123282 |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/15867 |archive-date=2 June 2025 |access-date=2 June 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250602204056/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar//handle/123456789/15867 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In the aftermath of the departure of the remaining British troops in 1979, the country intensified [[Malta and the Non-Aligned Movement|its participation in the Non-Aligned Movement]]. Malta adopted a policy of [[Neutral country|neutrality]] in 1980.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Breacher |first=Michael |title=A Study of Crisis |publisher=University of Michigan Press |year=1997 |isbn=978-0-472-10806-0 |page=611}}</ref> In that same year, three of Malta's sites, including the capital [[Valletta]], were inscribed on the [[UNESCO World Heritage List]]. In 1989, Malta was the venue of a [[Malta Summit|summit]] between US President [[George H. W. Bush]] and Soviet leader [[Mikhail Gorbachev]], their first face-to-face encounter, which signalled the end of the [[Cold War]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=3 December 1989 |title=1989: Malta summit ends Cold War |work=BBC: On This Day |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/3/newsid_4119000/4119950.stm |url-status=live |access-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181003190017/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/december/3/newsid_4119000/4119950.stm |archive-date=3 October 2018}}</ref> [[Malta International Airport]] was inaugurated and became fully operational on 25 March 1992, boosting the local aircraft and tourism industry. A [[2003 Maltese European Union membership referendum|referendum on joining the European Union]] was held on 8 March 2003, with 53.65% in favour.<ref>{{Cite news |date=9 March 2003 |title=Malta votes 'yes' to EU membership |publisher=CNN |url=http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/09/malta.yes/ |access-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20030313220750/http://www.cnn.com/2003/WORLD/europe/03/09/malta.yes/ |archive-date=13 March 2003}}</ref> Malta joined the [[European Union]] on 1 May 2004<ref>{{Cite web |title=The History of the European Union&nbsp;– 2000–today |url=http://europa.eu/abc/history/2000_today/index_en.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071011051104/http://europa.eu/abc/history/2000_today/index_en.htm |archive-date=11 October 2007 |access-date=12 October 2007}}</ref> and the [[eurozone]] on 1 January 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |date=16 May 2007 |title=Cyprus and Malta set to join eurozone in 2008 |url=http://www.euractiv.com/en/euro/cyprus-malta-set-join-eurozone-2008/article-163836 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090130041939/http://www.euractiv.com/en/euro/cyprus-malta-set-join-eurozone-2008/article-163836 |archive-date=30 January 2009 |access-date=12 October 2007 |work=Euractiv}}</ref>
{{Clear}}

==Geography==
{{Main|Geography of Malta}}

[[File:Malta from space via laser ESA378503.jpg|thumb|upright=1.3|Satellite photo of Maltese islands]]

Malta is an [[archipelago]] in the central Mediterranean (in its [[Eastern Mediterranean|eastern basin]]), some {{convert|80|km|0|abbr=on}} from southern Italy across the [[Malta Channel]]. Only the three largest islands—[[Malta Island|Malta]] ({{langx|mt|Malta|links=no}}), [[Gozo]] ({{lang|mt|Għawdex}}), and [[Comino]] ({{lang|mt|Kemmuna}})—are inhabited. The islands of the archipelago lie on the Malta plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of a [[land bridge]] between Sicily and North Africa that became isolated as sea levels rose after the [[Last Glacial Period|last ice age]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Island Landscape Dynamics: Examples from the Mediterranean |url=http://www.reading.ac.uk/nmsruntime/saveasdialog.aspx?lID=12783 |access-date=20 December 2011 |archive-date=26 September 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120926003836/http://www.reading.ac.uk/web/FILES/geog/GP183_Island_Landscapes_AMMINV_1Aa.pdf |first1=A.M. |last1=Mannion |first2=I.N. |last2=Vogiatzakis |date=August 2007 |website=University of Reading}}</ref> The archipelago is located on the [[African Plate|African tectonic plate]].<ref>{{Cite web |last=Commission for the Geological Map of the World |title=Geodynamic Map of the Mediterranean |url=http://earth.geology.yale.edu/RETREAT/maps/Mediterranean%20map2001sheet1%20tectonics&kinematics.jpg |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081217180807/http://earth.geology.yale.edu/RETREAT/maps/Mediterranean%20map2001sheet1%20tectonics%26kinematics.jpg |archive-date=17 December 2008 |access-date=28 November 2008}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Geothermal Engineering Research Office Malta |url=http://gerom.org/page.asp?ID=7 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160404163225/http://gerom.org/page.asp?ID=7 |archive-date=4 April 2016}}</ref> Malta was considered an island of North Africa for centuries.<ref>{{Cite book |last1=Falconer |first1=William |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=B3Q29kWRdtgC&pg=PA50 |title=Dissertation on St. Paul's Voyage |last2=Falconer |first2=Thomas |orig-date=1872 |publisher=BiblioLife |isbn=978-1-113-68809-5 |page=50 |date=Sep 20, 2009}}</ref>

Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The landscape consists of low hills with terraced fields. The highest point in Malta is [[Ta' Dmejrek]], at {{convert|253|m|ft|abbr=on}}, near [[Dingli]]. Although there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall, there are no permanent rivers or lakes on Malta. However, some watercourses have fresh water running all year round at [[Baħrija]] near [[Ras ir-Raħeb]], at l-Imtaħleb and {{lang|mt|San Martin|italic=no}}, and at Lunzjata Valley in Gozo.

[[Phytogeography|Phytogeographically]], Malta belongs to the Liguro-Tyrrhenian province of the Mediterranean region within the [[Boreal Kingdom]]. According to the [[World Wide Fund for Nature|WWF]], the territory of Malta belongs to the terrestrial [[ecoregion]] of [[Tyrrhenian–Adriatic sclerophyllous and mixed forests]].<ref name="DinersteinOlson2017">{{Cite journal |last1=Dinerstein |first1=Eric |last2=Olson |first2=David |last3=Joshi |first3=Anup |last4=Vynne |first4=Carly |last5=Burgess |first5=Neil D. |last6=Wikramanayake |first6=Eric |last7=Hahn |first7=Nathan |last8=Palminteri |first8=Suzanne |last9=Hedao |first9=Prashant |last10=Noss |first10=Reed |last11=Hansen |first11=Matt |display-authors=1 |year=2017 |title=An Ecoregion-Based Approach to Protecting Half the Terrestrial Realm |journal=BioScience |volume=67 |issue=6 |pages=534–545 |doi=10.1093/biosci/bix014 |issn=0006-3568 |pmc=5451287 |pmid=28608869 |last12=Locke |first12=Harvey |last13=Ellis |first13=Erle C |last14=Jones |first14=Benjamin |last15=Barber |first15=Charles Victor |last16=Hayes |first16=Randy |last17=Kormos |first17=Cyril |last18=Martin |first18=Vance |last19=Crist |first19=Eileen |last20=Sechrest |first20=Wes |last21=Price |first21=Lori |last22=Baillie |first22=Jonathan E. M. |last23=Weeden |first23=Don |last24=Suckling |first24=Kierán |last25=Davis |first25=Crystal |last26=Sizer |first26=Nigel |last27=Moore |first27=Rebecca |last28=Thau |first28=David |last29=Birch |first29=Tanya |last30=Potapov |first30=Peter |last31=Turubanova |first31=Svetlana |last32=Tyukavina |first32=Alexandra |last33=de Souza |first33=Nadia |last34=Pintea |first34=Lilian |last35=Brito |first35=José C. |last36=Llewellyn |first36=Othman A. |last37=Miller |first37=Anthony G. |last38=Patzelt |first38=Annette |last39=Ghazanfar |first39=Shahina A. |last40=Timberlake |first40=Jonathan |last41=Klöser |first41=Heinz |last42=Shennan-Farpón |first42=Yara |last43=Kindt |first43=Roeland |last44=Lillesø |first44=Jens-Peter Barnekow |last45=van Breugel |first45=Paulo |last46=Graudal |first46=Lars |last47=Voge |first47=Maianna |last48=Al-Shammari |first48=Khalaf F. |last49=Saleem |first49=Muhammad}}</ref>

The following uninhabited minor islands are part of the archipelago:

{{div col|colwidth=30em}}
* Barbaġanni Rock ([[Gozo]])
* [[Cominotto]] ({{lang|mt|Kemmunett}})
* Dellimara Island ([[Marsaxlokk]])
* [[Filfla]] ([[Żurrieq]])/([[Siġġiewi]])
* Fessej Rock
* [[Fungus Rock]] ({{lang|mt|Il-Ġebla tal-Ġeneral}}), ([[Gozo]])
* Għallis Rock ([[Naxxar]])
* [[Ħalfa Rock]] ([[Gozo]])
* Large Blue Lagoon Rocks ([[Comino]])
* [[Islands of St. Paul]]/Selmunett Island ([[Mellieħa]])
* [[Manoel Island]], which connects to the town of [[Gżira]], on the mainland via a bridge
* Mistra Rocks ([[San Pawl il-Baħar]])
* Taċ-Ċawl Rock ([[Gozo]])
* Qawra Point/Ta' Fraben Island ([[San Pawl il-Baħar]])
* Small Blue Lagoon Rocks ([[Comino]])
* Sala Rock ([[Żabbar]])
* Xrobb l-Għaġin Rock ([[Marsaxlokk]])
* Ta' taħt il-Mazz Rock
{{div col end}}

===Climate===
{{Main|Climate of Malta}}

Malta has a [[Mediterranean climate]] ([[Köppen climate classification]] ''Csa''),<ref name=cia/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.doi.gov.mt/en/islands/location.asp |title=The Maltese Islands|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070703093532/http://www.doi.gov.mt/en/islands/location.asp |archive-date=3 July 2007 |publisher= Department of Information&nbsp;– Malta}}</ref> with mild winters and hot summers, hotter in the inland areas. Rain occurs mainly in autumn and winter, with summer being generally dry.

The average yearly temperature is around {{convert|23|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|15.5|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night. In the coldest month&nbsp;– January&nbsp;– the typical maximum temperature ranges from {{convert|12|to|18|C|F}} during the day and minimum {{convert|6|to|12|C|F}} at night. In the warmest month&nbsp;– August&nbsp;– the typical maximum temperature ranges from {{convert|28|to|34|C|F}} during the day and minimum {{convert|20|to|24|C|F}} at night. Amongst all capitals in the continent of Europe, Valletta&nbsp;– the capital of Malta has the warmest winters, with average temperatures of around {{convert|15|to|16|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|9|to|10|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night in the period January–February. In March and December average temperatures are around {{convert|17|°C|°F|abbr=on}} during the day and {{convert|11|°C|°F|abbr=on}} at night.<ref name="Met Office">[https://www.maltairport.com/weather/ Weather of Malta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170625202533/https://www.maltairport.com/weather/ |date=25 June 2017 }}&nbsp;– MET Office in Malta International Airport</ref> Large fluctuations in temperature are rare. Snow is very rare, although snowfalls have been recorded in the last century, the last one in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ltd |first=Allied Newspapers |title=Updated – 'Snowflakes' reported in several parts of Malta – Met Office 'monitoring' situation |date=31 December 2014 |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141231/local/updated-snowflakes-reported-in-several-parts-of-malta-met-office.550143 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170930131435/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141231/local/updated-snowflakes-reported-in-several-parts-of-malta-met-office.550143 |archive-date=30 September 2017 |access-date=30 September 2017}}</ref>

The average annual sea temperature is {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}}, from {{convert|15|-|16|C|F}} in February to {{convert|26|°C|0|abbr=on}} in August. In the six months&nbsp;from June to November,&nbsp;the average sea temperature exceeds {{convert|20|°C|0|abbr=on}}.<ref name="weather2travel">{{cite web |title=Valletta Climate Guide |url=http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/malta/valletta.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20101003085828/http://www.weather2travel.com/climate-guides/malta/valletta.php |archive-date=3 October 2010 |access-date=5 June 2009}}</ref><ref name="maltaweather">{{cite web |title=Malta's Climate |url=http://www.maltaweather.com/?page_id=37 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016040844/http://www.maltaweather.com/?page_id=37 |archive-date=16 October 2015 |access-date=5 November 2015 |website=maltaweather.com}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.seatemperature.org/europe/malta/birzebbuga-december.htm |title=Birżebbuġa, Malta average sea temperature|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150321074136/http://www.seatemperature.org/europe/malta/birzebbuga-december.htm |archive-date=21 March 2015|website= seatemperature.org}}</ref>

The annual average [[relative humidity]] is high, averaging 75%, ranging from 65% in July (morning: 78% evening: 53%) to 80% in December (morning: 83% evening: 73%).<ref name="weatherbase.com">{{Cite web |title=Valletta, Malta Travel Weather Averages |url=http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?s=79561&refer=&units=metric |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160403141404/http://www.weatherbase.com/weather/weatherall.php3?refer=&s=79561&units=metric |archive-date=3 April 2016 |access-date=1 June 2015 |website=Weatherbase.com}}</ref>

[[Sunshine duration]] hours total around 3,000 per year, from an average 5.2 hours of sunshine duration per day in December to an average above 12 hours in July.<ref name=maltaweather /><ref name="noaa">{{Cite FTP |title=Climate Data for Luqa |url=ftp://dossier.ogp.noaa.gov/GCOS/WMO-Normals/RA-VI/ML/16597.TXT |server=National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration |url-status=dead |access-date=15 October 2012 }}</ref> This is about double that of cities in the northern half of Europe,{{Original research inline|date=March 2020}} for comparison: London&nbsp;– 1,461;<ref name="London_climate">{{Cite web |title=Met Office: Climate averages 1971–2000 |url=http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160303235458/http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/public/weather/climate/ |archive-date=3 March 2016 |access-date=20 September 2011 |publisher=[[Met Office]]}}</ref> however, in winter it has up to four times more sunshine; for comparison: in December, London has 37 hours of sunshine<ref name=London_climate/> whereas Malta has above 160.

{{Weather box
|location = Malta ([[Luqa]] in the south-east part of main island, 1991–2020)
|metric first = yes
|single line = yes
|width = auto
|Jan high C = 15.7
|Feb high C = 15.7
|Mar high C = 17.4
|Apr high C = 20.0
|May high C = 24.2
|Jun high C = 28.7
|Jul high C = 31.7
|Aug high C = 32.0
|Sep high C = 28.6
|Oct high C = 25.0
|Nov high C = 20.8
|Dec high C = 17.2
|year high C = 23.1
|Jan mean C = 12.9
|Feb mean C = 12.6
|Mar mean C = 14.1
|Apr mean C = 16.4
|May mean C = 20.1
|Jun mean C = 24.2
|Jul mean C = 26.9
|Aug mean C = 27.5
|Sep mean C = 24.9
|Oct mean C = 21.8
|Nov mean C = 17.9
|Dec mean C = 14.5
|year mean C = 19.5
|Jan low C = 10.1
|Feb low C = 9.5
|Mar low C = 10.9
|Apr low C = 12.8
|May low C = 15.8
|Jun low C = 19.6
|Jul low C = 22.1
|Aug low C = 23.0
|Sep low C = 21.2
|Oct low C = 18.4
|Nov low C = 14.9
|Dec low C = 11.8
|year low C = 15.9
|precipitation colour = green
|Jan precipitation mm = 79.3
|Feb precipitation mm = 73.2
|Mar precipitation mm = 45.3
|Apr precipitation mm = 20.7
|May precipitation mm = 11.0
|Jun precipitation mm = 6.2
|Jul precipitation mm = 0.2
|Aug precipitation mm = 17.0
|Sep precipitation mm = 60.7
|Oct precipitation mm = 81.8
|Nov precipitation mm = 91.0
|Dec precipitation mm = 93.7
|year precipitation mm = 580.7
|Jan precipitation days = 10.0
|Feb precipitation days = 8.2
|Mar precipitation days = 6.1
|Apr precipitation days = 3.8
|May precipitation days = 1.5
|Jun precipitation days = 0.8
|Jul precipitation days = 0.0
|Aug precipitation days = 1.0
|Sep precipitation days = 4.3
|Oct precipitation days = 6.6
|Nov precipitation days = 8.7
|Dec precipitation days = 10.0
|year precipitation days = 61
|unit precipitation days = 1.0&nbsp;mm
|Jan sun = 169.3
|Feb sun = 178.1
|Mar sun = 227.2
|Apr sun = 253.8
|May sun = 309.7
|Jun sun = 336.9
|Jul sun = 376.7
|Aug sun = 352.2
|Sep sun = 270.0
|Oct sun = 223.8
|Nov sun = 195.0
|Dec sun = 161.2
|year sun = 3054
|source 1 = ''Meteo Climate'' (1991–2020 Data),<ref>{{Cite web |title=Luqa Weather Averages 1991–2020 |url=http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1991-2020-1-p138.php |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625082326/http://meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org/listenormale-1991-2020-1-p138.php |archive-date=25 June 2022 |access-date=2 June 2015 |website=Meteo-climat-bzh.dyndns.org}}</ref> MaltaWeather.com (Sun data)<ref name="MaltaWeather">{{Cite web |title=Malta's Climate |url=http://www.maltaweather.com/information/maltas-climate/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150806124550/http://www.maltaweather.com/information/maltas-climate/ |archive-date=6 August 2015 |access-date=21 October 2013 |website=Maltaweather.com}}</ref>|date=October 2013}}

===Urbanisation===
[[File:Valletta, Malta.JPG|thumb|The main urban area of Malta. Valletta is the central peninsula.]]
According to [[Eurostat]], Malta is composed of two [[larger urban zones]] nominally referred to as "Valletta" (the main island of Malta) and "Gozo". The main urban area covers the entire main island, with a population of around 400,000.<ref>[http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex – functional urban areas"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903213351/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en |date=3 September 2015}} Eurostat, 2015.</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Population on 1 January by broad age group, sex and metropolitan regions |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822103143/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |archive-date=22 August 2016 |access-date=25 February 2019 |publisher=Eurostat}}</ref> The core of the urban area, the ''greater city'' of Valletta, has a population of 205,768.<ref name="Eurostat-city">[http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_cpop1&lang=en "Population on 1 January by age groups and sex – cities and greater cities"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150927224958/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_cpop1&lang=en |date=27 September 2015 }} Eurostat, 2015.</ref> According to the data from 2020 by [[Eurostat]], the Functional Urban Area and metropolitan region covered the whole island and has a population of 480,134.<ref name="Eurostat_FUA">{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Population on 1 January by age groups and sex – functional urban areas |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150903213351/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=urb_lpop1&lang=en |archive-date=3 September 2015 |access-date=5 March 2022 |website=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref><ref name="Eurostat-metro">{{cite web |date=2020 |title=Population on 1 January by broad age group, sex and metropolitan regions 2020 |url=http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160822103143/http://appsso.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/nui/show.do?dataset=met_pjanaggr3&lang=en |archive-date=22 August 2016 |access-date=5 March 2022 |website=[[Eurostat]]}}</ref> According to the United Nations, about 95 percent of the area of Malta is urban and the number grows every year.<ref name="WUP">[https://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007WUP_Highlights_web.pdf "World Urbanization Prospects"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170525185336/http://www.un.org/esa/population/publications/wup2007/2007WUP_Highlights_web.pdf |date=25 May 2017 }} – Department of Economic and Social Affairs/Population Division, United Nations (Table A.2; page 79)</ref> According to ESPON and EU Commission studies, "the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region".<ref name="ESPON-EUC">[http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/coheter/coheter_en.pdf "Interim Territorial Cohesion Report"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130423165806/http://ec.europa.eu/regional_policy/sources/docoffic/official/reports/coheter/coheter_en.pdf |date=23 April 2013 }} – Preliminary results of ESPON and EU Commission studies</ref>

Malta, with area of {{convert|316|km2|sqmi|abbr=on}} and population of over 0.5&nbsp;million, is one of the [[List of sovereign states and dependent territories by population density|most densely populated]] countries worldwide. It is in some sources<ref name="GMB_Publishing">{{Cite book |last1=Terterov |first1=Marat |url=https://archive.org/details/doingbusinesswit00tert_454 |title=Doing Business with Malta |last2=Reuvid |first2=Jonathan |date=2005 |publisher=[[GMB Publishing]] |isbn=978-1-905050-63-5 |page=[https://archive.org/details/doingbusinesswit00tert_454/page/n194 167] |url-access=limited}}</ref><ref name="creativemalta">{{Citation |last=Creativemalta.gov.mt |title=Draft National Strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries – Creative Malta |url=http://www.creativemalta.gov.mt/internationalisation/introduction |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728080308/http://www.creativemalta.gov.mt/internationalisation/introduction |access-date=17 August 2013 |archive-date=28 July 2013}}</ref><ref name="doi">{{Citation |title=Flags, Symbols and their uses |url=https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Pages/Flags-Symbols-and-their-use.aspx |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150629143728/https://www.gov.mt/en/About%20Malta/Pages/Flags-Symbols-and-their-use.aspx |publisher=Department of Information of Malta |access-date=25 February 2019 |archive-date=29 June 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |year=2012 |title=Creativity Works – A report on Malta's Creative Economy strategy for the Cultural and Creative Industries – Part 3 |url=http://www.maltaculture.com/files/uploads/misc/PART%203%20Education-%20Route%20to%20Market%20-%20Internationalisation%20(8).pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170211080057/http://www.maltaculture.com/files/uploads/misc/PART%203%20Education-%20Route%20to%20Market%20-%20Internationalisation%20(8).pdf |archive-date=11 February 2017 |access-date=9 February 2017 |publisher=Malta Ministry of Finance, Ministry of Tourism |page=121}}</ref><ref>[https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/mt.en.html Malta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140407084112/https://www.ecb.europa.eu/euro/coins/html/mt.en.html |date=7 April 2014}} – European Central Bank.</ref> referred to as a [[city-state]]. Sometimes Malta is listed in rankings concerning cities<ref name="GFC">{{cite web |url=http://www.longfinance.net/images/GFCI18_23Sep2015.pdf |title=The Global Financial Centres |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170227131528/http://www.longfinance.net/images/GFCI18_23Sep2015.pdf |archive-date=27 February 2017 |publisher=Qatar Financial Centre |year=2015}}</ref> or metropolitan areas.<ref name="inta-aivn.org">[https://www.inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Metropolisation/background%20documents/Metropolitan_Europe_BBSR_Study.pdf Metropolitan areas in Europe] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161020042128/https://www.inta-aivn.org/images/cc/Metropolisation/background%20documents/Metropolitan_Europe_BBSR_Study.pdf |date=20 October 2016}} – Federal Institute for Research on Building, Urban Affairs and Spatial Development, 2011.</ref>

===Flora===
{{main|Flora of Malta}}

[[File:Палеоцентаурея мальтийская.png|thumb|The [[Cheirolophus crassifolius|Maltese centaury]] ({{lang|mt|Widnet il&#x2011;Baħar}}) has been the national plant since 1971.]]
Malta contains only {{convert|4.6|km2}} of naturally regenerating forest, characterised by mature trees with a height of {{convert|2|to|5|m}}. The overall area occupied by trees is estimated to be {{convert|32|km2}}, which constitutes approximately 1.44% of the total land area of the archipelago. The most common indigenous tree species are the willow ([[Salix alba]]), poplar ([[Populus alba]]), olive (''[[Olive|Olea europaea]]''), carob (''[[Ceratonia siliqua]]''), oak (''[[Quercus ilex|Quericus ilex]] &'' [[Quercus rotundifolia]]), Aleppo pine (''[[Pinus halepensis]]''), laurel ([[Laurus nobilis]]) and fig (''[[Common fig|Ficus carica]]''), while the most common non-native trees are [[eucalyptus]], [[acacia]], [[date palm]] and [[Opuntia ficus-indica|opuntia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Global Forest Resources Assessment 2020 |page=22 |url=https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/33a5491a-bdfd-48a5-a6aa-b79599458add/content |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240728180427/https://openknowledge.fao.org/server/api/core/bitstreams/33a5491a-bdfd-48a5-a6aa-b79599458add/content |archive-date=28 July 2024 |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=openknowledge.fao.org |url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Mifsud |first=Stephen |date=23 August 2002 |title=Wild Plants of Malta – Plant Family Index |url=https://maltawildplants.com/ |access-date=6 February 2025 |website=maltawildplants.com |language=en-US |archive-date=6 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250206011446/https://maltawildplants.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The Maltese islands are also home to a wide diversity of indigenous, sub-endemic and endemic plants.<ref>{{Cite web|title=State of the Environment Report 2005 - Sub-report 9: Biodiversity |url=https://era.org.mt/en/Documents/SOER%2005%20Sub%20Report%209%20-%20Biodiversity.pdf.pdf |date=January 2006 |website=[[Environment and Resources Authority]] |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180107021301/https://era.org.mt/en/Documents/SOER%2005%20Sub%20Report%209%20-%20Biodiversity.pdf.pdf |archive-date=7 January 2018 |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref> They feature many traits typical of a Mediterranean climate, such as drought resistance. Endemic plants include the national flower {{lang|mt|widnet il-baħar}} (''[[Cheirolophus crassifolius]]''), {{lang|mt|sempreviva ta' Malta}} ([[Helichrysum panormitanum subsp. melitense|''Helichrysum panormitanum'' subsp. ''melitense'']]), {{lang|mt|żigland t' Għawdex}} (''[[Hyoseris frutescens]]'') and {{lang|mt|ġiżi ta' Malta}} ([[Matthiola incana|''Matthiola incana'' subsp. ''melitensis'']]) while sub-endemics include {{lang|mt|kromb il-baħar}} ([[Jacobaea maritima|''Jacobaea maritima'' subsp. ''sicula'']]) and {{lang|mt|xkattapietra}} (''[[Micromeria microphylla]]'').<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mifsud |first=Stephen |title=Wild Plants of Malta and Gozo – Main Page |url=http://www.maltawildplants.com/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190201065313/http://www.maltawildplants.com/ |archive-date=1 February 2019 |access-date=24 January 2019 |website=Maltawildplants.com}}</ref> The biodiversity of Malta is severely endangered by habitat loss, invasive species, and human intervention.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maltese Biodiversity under threat |date=13 February 2011 |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-02-13/news/maltese-biodiversity-under-threat-287673/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190124203324/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2011-02-13/news/maltese-biodiversity-under-threat-287673/ |archive-date=24 January 2019 |access-date=24 January 2019 |website=The Malta Independent}}</ref>

==Government and politics==
{{Main|Politics of Malta|Government of Malta}}

{{See also|Law of Malta|Foreign relations of Malta}}

{{multiple image
 | align         = right
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 | image1        = Myriam Spiteri Debono on April 20, 2024 (cropped).jpg
 | width1        = 120
 | caption1      = [[Myriam Spiteri Debono]]<br />[[President of Malta]]<br />since 4 April 2024
 | image2        = Robert Abela - Official Portrait 2022 (cropped).jpg
 | width2        = 120
 | caption2      = [[Robert Abela]]<br />[[Prime Minister of Malta]]<br />since 13 January 2020
}}
[[File:Malta’s Parliament building in Valletta (cropped).jpg|thumb|The [[Parliament House (Malta)|Parliament House]] in Valletta]]
Malta is a republic<ref name="constitution" /> whose [[parliamentary system]] and [[public administration]] are closely modelled on the [[Westminster system]]. The [[unicameral]] parliament is made up of the [[president of Malta]] and the [[House of Representatives of Malta|House of Representatives]] ({{langx|mt|Kamra tad-Deputati}}).

The House of Representatives has 65 members, elected for a five-year term in 13 five-seat electoral divisions, called {{lang|mt|distretti elettorali}}, with constitutional amendments that allow for mechanisms to establish strict proportionality amongst seats and votes of political parliamentary groups. Members of the House of Representatives are elected by direct universal suffrage through [[single transferable vote]] every five years, unless the House is dissolved earlier by the president either on the advice of the [[Prime Minister of Malta|prime minister]] or through a motion of no confidence. Malta had the second-highest [[voter turnout]] in the world (and the highest for nations without [[mandatory voting]]), based on election turnout in national [[lower house]] elections from 1960 to 1995.<ref>Mark N. Franklin. "Electoral Participation", in ''Controversies in Voting Behavior''</ref>

The President of Malta, a largely ceremonial position, is appointed for a five-year term by a resolution of the House of Representatives carried by a simple majority. The president is the head of state. [[Myriam Spiteri Debono]] was elected on 27 March 2024 President of the Republic by members of parliament in an [[indirect election]].<ref>{{cite news |last=Magri |first=Giulia |title=Parliament unanimously approves Myriam Spiteri Debono as Malta's next President |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/parliament-approves-myriam-spiteri-debono-malta-next-president.1089991 |access-date=31 March 2024 |work=Times of Malta |date=27 March 2024 |archive-date=15 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250715212806/https://timesofmalta.com/article/parliament-approves-myriam-spiteri-debono-malta-next-president.1089991 |url-status=live }}</ref> The 80th article of the [[Constitution of Malta]] provides that the president appoint as prime minister "the member of the House of Representatives who, in his judgment, is best able to command the support of a majority of the members of that House".<ref name="constitution" />

Maltese politics is a [[two-party system]] dominated by the [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour Party]] ({{langx|mt|Partit Laburista}}), a centre-left [[social democratic]] party, and the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist Party]] ({{langx|mt|Partit Nazzjonalista}}), a centre-right [[Christian democratic]] party. The Labour Party has been the governing party since 2013 and is currently led by Prime Minister [[Robert Abela]], who has been in office since 13 January 2020. There are also a number of small political parties in Malta that have no parliamentary representation.

Corruption, money laundering, and government maladministration in Malta have significantly increased since the Labour Party returned to power.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Labour's meltdown risk |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/130783/labours_meltdown_risk |access-date=28 January 2025 |website=MaltaToday.com.mt |archive-date=18 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250318205519/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/comment/blogs/130783/labours_meltdown_risk |url-status=live }}</ref> In fact, Malta's record of clean governance has decreased since 2013, and the country is now considered one of the worst EU member states in tackling corruption according to [[Transparency International]]. The same association reported that Malta dropped to its lowest ever ranking of 65th place in a report published in February 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |date=30 January 2024 |title=Malta |url=https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/malta |access-date=28 January 2025 |website=Transparency.org |language=en |archive-date=15 January 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250115110531/https://www.transparency.org/en/countries/malta |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Cummings |first=James |date=11 February 2025 |title=Malta slips to lowest ever place in international corruption index |url=https://timesofmalta.com/article/malta-slips-lowest-ever-place-international-corruption-index.1104982 |access-date=11 February 2025 |website=Times of Malta |language=en-GB |archive-date=11 February 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250211180545/https://timesofmalta.com/article/malta-slips-lowest-ever-place-international-corruption-index.1104982 |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[International Institute for Democracy and Electoral Assistance|International IDEA]]'s Global State of Democracy (GSoD) Indices and Democracy Tracker, Malta performs in the mid to high range on overall democratic measures, with particular weaknesses in the absence of corruption and civic engagement.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/country/malta |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.idea.int |language=en}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Global State of Democracy Indices {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.idea.int |archive-date=25 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250825020600/https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/gsod-indices |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Home {{!}} The Global State of Democracy |url=https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |access-date=2025-09-29 |website=www.idea.int |archive-date=8 September 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250908102653/https://www.idea.int/democracytracker/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Administrative divisions===
{{main|Local councils of Malta|Districts of Malta|Regions of Malta}}

[[File:Malta - administrative division.svg|thumb|[[Local councils of Malta|Administrative divisions]] of Malta]]
Malta has had a system of local government since 1993,<ref>{{Cite web |title=Local Council Act of Malta |url=http://www.maltadata.com/loc-act.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130616004627/http://www.maltadata.com/loc-act.pdf |archive-date=16 June 2013 |access-date=20 October 2013}}</ref>{{dubious|date=August 2025}} based on the [[European Charter of Local Self-Government]]. The country is divided into [[Regions of Malta|six regions]] (one of them being Gozo), with each region having its own Regional Council, serving as the intermediate level between local government and national government.<ref>{{Cite book |url=http://www.lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Protocol.revised.pdf |title=Protokol Lokali u Reġjonali |publisher=Dipartiment tal-Informazzjoni|pages=5–6 |language=mt |access-date=2 April 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120617100535/http://www.lc.gov.mt/mediacenter/PDFs/1_Protocol.revised.pdf |archive-date=17 June 2012}}</ref> The regions are divided into [[Local councils of Malta|local councils]], of which there are currently 68 (54 in Malta and 14 in [[Gozo]]). The [[Districts of Malta|six districts]] (five on Malta and the sixth being Gozo) serve primarily statistical purposes.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta |url=http://www.aer.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/MainIssues/Regional_Democracy/AER_Regionalism_Report/Report_by_country/MALTA_2010.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130208122702/http://www.aer.eu/fileadmin/user_upload/MainIssues/Regional_Democracy/AER_Regionalism_Report/Report_by_country/MALTA_2010.pdf |archive-date=8 February 2013 |access-date=2 April 2015 |publisher=[[Assembly of European Regions]]}}</ref>

Each council is made up of a number of councillors (from 5 to 13, depending on and relative to the population they represent). A mayor and a deputy mayor are elected by and from the councillors. The executive secretary, who is appointed by the council, is the executive, administrative and financial head of the council. Councillors are elected every four years through the single transferable vote. Due to system reforms, no elections were held before 2012. Since then, elections have been held every two years for an alternating half of the councils.

Local councils are responsible for the general upkeep and embellishment of the locality (including repairs to non-arterial roads), allocation of local wardens, and refuse collection; they also carry out general administrative duties for the central government, such as the collection of government rents and funds, and answer government-related public inquiries. Additionally, a number of individual towns and villages in the Republic of Malta have [[List of twin towns and sister cities in Malta|sister cities]].

===Military===
{{Main|Armed Forces of Malta}}

[[File:Malta armed forces marine ships 02.jpg|thumb|Maltese patrol ship at [[Hay Wharf]], [[Floriana]]]]
The objectives of the [[Armed Forces of Malta]] (AFM) are to maintain a military organisation with the primary aim of defending the islands' integrity according to the defence roles as set by the government in an efficient and cost-effective manner. This is achieved by emphasising the maintenance of Malta's territorial waters and airspace integrity.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Defence Roles |url=https://afm.gov.mt/en/forcestructure/Pages/Defence-Roles.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508010819/https://afm.gov.mt/en/forcestructure/Pages/Defence-Roles.aspx |archive-date=8 May 2019 |website=Afm.gov.mt}}</ref>

The AFM also engages in combating terrorism, fighting against illicit drug trafficking, conducting anti-illegal immigrant operations and patrols, and anti-illegal fishing operations, operating [[search and rescue]] (SAR) services, and physical or electronic security and surveillance of sensitive locations. Malta's search-and-rescue area extends from east of [[Tunisia]] to west of [[Crete]], an area of around {{cvt|250000|km2}}.<ref>[https://afm.gov.mt/en/operationsanddeployments/national/Pages/Operations-Centre.aspx AFM Operations Centre – SAR Region] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190508004339/https://afm.gov.mt/en/operationsanddeployments/national/Pages/Operations-Centre.aspx |date=8 May 2019 }}. Afm.gov.mt. Retrieved 28 December 2019</ref>

As a military organisation, the AFM provides backup support to the [[Malta Police Force]] (MPF) and other government departments/agencies in situations as required in an organised, disciplined manner in the event of national emergencies (such as natural disasters) or internal security and bomb disposal.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Armed Forces of Malta |url=http://afm.gov.mt/en/Pages/AFM.aspx |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161126145312/http://afm.gov.mt/en/Pages/AFM.aspx |archive-date=26 November 2016 |website=Afm.gov.mt}}</ref>

In 2020, Malta signed and ratified the UN [[treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Chapter XXVI: Disarmament&nbsp;– No. 9 Treaty on the Prohibition of Nuclear Weapons |url=https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |publisher=United Nations Treaty Collection |access-date=30 October 2020 |archive-date=6 August 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190806220546/https://treaties.un.org/Pages/ViewDetails.aspx?src=TREATY&mtdsg_no=XXVI-9&chapter=26&clang=_en |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=21 September 2020 |title=Nuclear arms prohibition treaty ratified by foreign minister |work=Malta Today |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/104847/nuclear_arms_prohibition_treaty_ratified_by_foreign_minister |access-date=30 October 2020 |archive-date=3 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201103124622/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/104847/nuclear_arms_prohibition_treaty_ratified_by_foreign_minister |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Human rights===
{{Main|Human rights in Malta}}

Malta is regarded as one of the most [[LGBT rights in Malta|LGBT-supportive]] countries in the world,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/57877/malta_ranked_first_in_european_rainbow_map_of_lgbtiq_rights|title=Malta ranks first in European 'rainbow map' of LGBTIQ rights|work=MaltaToday.com.mt|access-date=3 August 2023|archive-date=9 October 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151009221030/http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/57877/malta_ranked_first_in_european_rainbow_map_of_lgbtiq_rights|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-09-27/local-news/UN-equality-head-praises-Malta-as-beacon-of-human-rights-for-LGBTIQ-issues-6736179515|date=27 September 2017|title=UN equality head praises Malta as 'beacon of human rights for LGBTIQ issues'|website=The Malta Independent|access-date=2 October 2017|archive-date=29 September 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170929044521/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2017-09-27/local-news/UN-equality-head-praises-Malta-as-beacon-of-human-rights-for-LGBTIQ-issues-6736179515|url-status=live}}</ref> and was the first nation in the [[European Union]] to prohibit [[conversion therapy]].<ref>{{cite news|last=Benjamin|first=Butterworth|title=Malta just became the first country in Europe to ban 'gay cure' therapy|url=http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/06/malta-just-became-the-first-country-in-europe-to-ban-gay-cure-therapy/|newspaper=[[Pink News]]|date=6 December 2016|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161206160701/http://www.pinknews.co.uk/2016/12/06/malta-just-became-the-first-country-in-europe-to-ban-gay-cure-therapy/|archive-date=6 December 2016}}</ref> Malta also constitutionally bans discrimination based on disability.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8879&l=1 |title=Equal Opportunities (Persons with Disability) Act (Cap. 413) |publisher=[[Ministry of Justice (Malta)|Ministry of Justice]] |access-date=31 May 2019 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150418073347/http://justiceservices.gov.mt/DownloadDocument.aspx?app=lom&itemid=8879&l=1 |archive-date=18 April 2015 }}</ref>
Maltese legislation recognises both civil and canonical (ecclesiastical) marriages. Annulments by the ecclesiastical and civil courts are unrelated and are not necessarily mutually endorsed. Malta voted in favour of divorce legislation in [[2011 Maltese divorce referendum|a referendum held on 28 May 2011]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=29 May 2011 |title=Malta votes 'Yes' in divorce referendum |work=[[BBC News Online]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13588834 |url-status=live |access-date=1 June 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110601223233/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-13588834 |archive-date=1 June 2011}}</ref>

[[Abortion in Malta]] is illegal. It and [[Poland]] are the only European Union members with near-total bans on the procedure. There are no exceptions for [[rape]] or [[incest]].<ref>{{Cite news |date=12 August 2022 |title=Malta: The only EU country where abortion is illegal leaves women scared |work=[[BBC News Online]] |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62479624 |first1=Jessica |last1=Parker |first2=Sira |last2=Thierij |access-date=2 October 2022 |archive-date=2 October 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221002235747/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-62479624 |url-status=live }}</ref> On 21 November 2022, the government led by the Labour Party proposed a bill that "introduces a new clause into the country's criminal code allowing for the termination of a pregnancy if the mother's life is at risk or if her health is in serious jeopardy";<ref>{{Cite web |date=21 November 2022 |title=Malta proposes bill to ease EU's strictest anti-abortion law |url=https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-religion-europe-malta-4a20fcad6313c1414a843dbbb364e726 |author=Kevin Schembri Orland |access-date=22 November 2022 |website=AP NEWS |language=en |archive-date=21 November 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221121220924/https://apnews.com/article/abortion-health-religion-europe-malta-4a20fcad6313c1414a843dbbb364e726 |url-status=live }}</ref> the bill passed in June 2023 with amendments restricting the exception to situations where the woman's life is at risk.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 June 2023 |title=Malta to allow abortion but only when woman's life is at risk |url=https://www.theguardian.com/world/2023/jun/28/malta-to-allow-abortion-but-only-when-womans-life-is-at-risk |access-date=9 February 2024 |work=[[The Guardian]] |language=en-GB |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==Economy==
{{Main|Economy of Malta}}

[[File:Malta - Valletta - Triq il-Papa Piju V - Central Bank of Malta 03 ies.jpg|right|thumb|Central Bank of Malta, Pope Pius V Street in Valletta]]
Malta is classified as an [[advanced economy]] according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF).<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 October 2010 |title=IMF World Economic Outlook (WEO)&nbsp;– Recovery, Risk, and Rebalancing, October 2010&nbsp;– Table of Contents |url=http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/02/index.htm |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110430141938/http://www.imf.org/external/pubs/ft/weo/2010/02/index.htm |archive-date=30 April 2011 |access-date=1 June 2011 |publisher=IMF}}</ref> Malta's major resources are [[limestone]], a favourable geographic location and a productive labour force. Malta [[Agriculture in Malta|produces]] only about 20 percent of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies because of the drought in the summer, and has no domestic energy sources, aside from the potential for solar energy from its plentiful sunlight. The economy is dependent on foreign trade (serving as a freight trans-shipment point), manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Economy of Malta {{!}} Development and Entry to the European Union |url=http://www.malta.com/en/about-malta/economy |access-date=8 April 2020 |website=Malta.com |archive-date=25 September 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110925180935/http://www.malta.com/en/about-malta/economy |url-status=live }}</ref> [[Films shot in Malta|Film production]] has contributed to the Maltese economy.<ref>{{Cite news |date=21 July 2010 |title=Unprecedented growth for Malta's film industry |work=The Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100721/local/unprecedented-growth-for-maltas-film-industry.318866 |url-status=live |access-date=1 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006123230/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20100721/local/unprecedented-growth-for-maltas-film-industry.318866 |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref>

Access to [[biocapacity]] in Malta is below the world average. In 2024, Malta had 0.42 global hectares of biocapacity per person within its territory, contrasted with a global average of {{convert|1.6|hectare}} per person.<ref name="footprintdata">{{Cite web |title=Open Data Platform |url=https://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=134&type=BCpc,EFCpc |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=data.footprintnetwork.org |archive-date=19 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191119124027/http://data.footprintnetwork.org/#/countryTrends?cn=134&type=BCpc,EFCpc |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite journal |last1=Lin |first1=David |last2=Hanscom |first2=Laurel |last3=Murthy |first3=Adeline |last4=Galli |first4=Alessandro |last5=Evans |first5=Mikel |last6=Neill |first6=Evan |last7=Mancini |first7=MariaSerena |last8=Martindill |first8=Jon |last9=Medouar |first9=FatimeZahra |last10=Huang |first10=Shiyu |last11=Wackernagel |first11=Mathis |date=2018 |title=Ecological Footprint Accounting for Countries: Updates and Results of the National Footprint Accounts, 2012–2018 |journal=Resources |language=en |volume=7 |issue=3 |page=58 |doi=10.3390/resources7030058 |doi-access=free|bibcode=2018Resou...7...58L }}</ref> Additionally, residents of Malta exhibited an [[ecological footprint]] of consumption of 5.12 global hectares of biocapacity per person, resulting in a sizable biocapacity deficit.<ref name=footprintdata/>

[[File:BlueEurozone.svg|thumb|right|Malta is part of a [[monetary union]], the [[eurozone]] (dark blue).]]

In preparation for Malta's membership in the [[European Union]], which it joined on 1 May 2004, it [[Privatization|privatised]] some state-controlled firms and liberalised markets.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta Post |url=https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/MaltaPost.aspx |access-date=3 April 2020 |website=privatisation.gov.mt |language=en |archive-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117124614/https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/MaltaPost.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Maltacom |url=https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/Maltacom.aspx |access-date=3 April 2020 |website=privatisation.gov.mt |archive-date=9 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609211301/http://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/Maltacom.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta Freeport |url=https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/malta-freeport.aspx |access-date=3 April 2020 |website=privatisation.gov.mt |archive-date=17 November 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151117111406/https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/malta-freeport.aspx}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta International Airport |url=https://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/Malta-International-Airport.aspx |access-date=3 April 2020 |website=Privatisation.gov.mt |archive-date=9 June 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160609201831/http://privatisation.gov.mt/en/past-projects/Pages/Malta-International-Airport.aspx}}</ref> Malta has a financial regulator, the [[Malta Financial Services Authority]] (MFSA), with a strong business development mindset, and the country has been successful in attracting gaming businesses, aircraft and ship registration, credit-card issuing banking licences and also fund administration. Malta has made strong headway in implementing EU Financial Services Directives including UCITs IV and Alternative Investment Fund Managers (AIFMs). As a base for alternative asset managers who must comply with new directives, Malta has attracted a number of key players including IDS, Iconic Funds, Apex Fund Services and TMF/Customs House.<ref>{{Cite web |date=5 May 2010 |title=Malta funds |url=http://www.financemalta.org/funds |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130304201347/http://www.financemalta.org/funds |archive-date=4 March 2013 |access-date=12 March 2013 |website=Financemalta.org}}</ref>

Malta does not have an annual property tax; however, it does still tax property in transactions. Maltese real estate sales totaled over €320 million in May 2025, the second highest monthly total since 2023.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fenech |first=Robert |date=2025-06-13 |title=Maltese real estate sales top €320 million in May |url=https://maltainvest.mt/maltese-real-estate-sales-top-e320-million-in-may/ |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=Malta Invest |language=en-US |archive-date=10 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250710103035/https://maltainvest.mt/maltese-real-estate-sales-top-e320-million-in-may/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

According to [[Eurostat]] data, Maltese nominal GDP per capita stood at €39,350 in 2024, 9% higher than the EU average.<ref name="Eurostat 2012">{{Cite web |title=Purchasing power parities and GDP per capita - preliminary estimate |url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/statistics-explained/index.php?title=Purchasing_power_parities_and_GDP_per_capita_-_preliminary_estimate |access-date=2025-07-15 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en}}</ref>

The National Development and Social Fund from the Individual Investor Programme, a [[Immigrant investor programs|citizenship by investment programme]] also known as the "citizenship scheme", became a significant income source for the government of Malta, adding {{Euro|432{{nbsp}}million}} to the budget in 2018.<ref>{{Cite news |date=28 September 2018 |title=Passport sale fund rakes in more than €400m |work=Times Malta |url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/passport-sale-fund-rakes-in-more-than-400m.690224 |url-status=live |access-date=10 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190925155616/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/passport-sale-fund-rakes-in-more-than-400m.690224 |archive-date=25 September 2019}}</ref>

===Banking and finance===
{{see also|List of banks in Malta}}
[[File:Malta - St. Julian's (Triq it-Torri (Sliema)) 03 ies.jpg|thumb|right|[[Portomaso Business Tower]], the second tallest building in Malta]]
The two largest commercial banks are [[Bank of Valletta]] and [[HSBC Bank Malta]]. [[Digital banking|Digital banks]] such as [[Revolut]] have also increased in popularity.<ref name="mtdigital">{{Cite news |last=Pace |first=Yannick |date=1 August 2019 |title=Revolut rampage: 100,000 Maltese are now using the digital bank |work=[[Malta Today]] |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/business/business_news/96651/revolut_rampage_100000_maltese_are_now_using_the_digital_bank_ |url-status=live |access-date=22 November 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190802185132/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/business/business_news/96651/revolut_rampage_100000_maltese_are_now_using_the_digital_bank_ |archive-date=2 August 2019}}</ref> The [[Central Bank of Malta]] (Bank Ċentrali ta' Malta) has two key areas of responsibility: the formulation and implementation of monetary policy and the promotion of a sound and efficient financial system. The Maltese government entered [[ERM II]] on 4 May 2005, and adopted the euro as the country's currency on 1 January 2008.<ref>{{Cite news |date=10 July 2007 |title=Cyprus and Malta to adopt euros |publisher=BBC News |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6288084.stm |url-status=live |access-date=12 October 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070919073627/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/business/6288084.stm |archive-date=19 September 2007}}</ref>

===Currency===
{{main|Maltese euro coins|Euro gold and silver commemorative coins (Malta)}}

[[Maltese euro coins]] feature the [[Maltese cross]] on €2 and €1 coins, the [[coat of arms of Malta]] on the €0.50, €0.20 and €0.10 coins, and the [[Mnajdra]] Temples on the €0.05, €0.02 and €0.01 coins.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 June 2006 |title=Maltese Cross on the Euro coins |url=http://www.dailymalta.com/wt/2006/06/maltese-cross-on-euro-coins.shtml |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080410170038/http://www.dailymalta.com/wt/2006/06/maltese-cross-on-euro-coins.shtml |archive-date=10 April 2008 |access-date=12 October 2007 |url-status=usurped |website=Malta Media}}</ref>

Malta has produced collectors' coins with face value ranging from {{Euro|10}} to {{Euro|50}}. These coins continue an existing national practice of minting of silver and gold commemorative coins. Unlike normal issues, these coins are not accepted in all the eurozone.

From its introduction in 1972 until the introduction of the Euro in 2008, the currency was the [[Maltese lira]], which had replaced the Maltese pound. The pound replaced the [[Maltese scudo]] in 1825.

===Tourism===
{{main|Tourism in Malta}}

[[File:Mellieha Bay beach Malta 1.jpg|thumb|[[Mellieħa Bay]] beach]]
Malta is a popular tourist destination, with 1.6&nbsp;million tourists per year,<ref>{{Cite web |title=UNWTO Tourism Highlights, 2015 Edition |url=http://mkt.unwto.org/en/publication/unwto-tourism-highlights-2014-edition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150315072518/http://mkt.unwto.org/en/publication/unwto-tourism-highlights-2014-edition |archive-date=15 March 2015 |access-date=4 March 2015 |website=unwto.org}}</ref> three times more tourists visit than there are residents. Tourism infrastructure has increased dramatically over the years and a number of hotels are present on the island, although overdevelopment and the destruction of traditional housing is of growing concern. In 2019, Malta had a record year in tourism, recording over 2.1 million tourists in one single year.<ref>{{Cite web |date=7 November 2019 |title=Malta braced for record number of tourists in 2019 |url=https://bay.com.mt/malta-braced-for-record-number-of-tourists-in-2019/ |access-date=3 August 2021 |website=89.7 Bay |language=en-US |archive-date=3 August 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210803221720/https://bay.com.mt/malta-braced-for-record-number-of-tourists-in-2019/}}</ref>

In recent years, Malta has advertised itself as a [[medical tourism]] destination,<ref>{{Cite web |title=M for Malta and medical tourism |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=61027 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216064632/http://www.independent.com.mt/news.asp?newsitemid=61027 |archive-date=16 December 2009 |access-date=7 January 2008}}</ref> and a number of [[health tourism provider]]s are developing the industry. However, no Maltese hospital has undergone independent [[international healthcare accreditation]]. Malta is popular with British medical tourists,<ref>{{Cite web |date=2 May 2008 |title=Malta popular with UK medical tourists |url=http://www.treatmentabroad.net/medical-tourism/news/november-2007/malta-popular-with-uk-medical-tourists |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091216023654/http://www.treatmentabroad.net/medical-tourism/news/november-2007/malta-popular-with-uk-medical-tourists/ |archive-date=16 December 2009 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=Treatmentabroad.net}}</ref> pointing Maltese hospitals towards seeking UK-sourced accreditation, such as with the [[Trent Accreditation Scheme]].

Tourism in Malta contributes around 11.6 percent of the country's gross domestic product.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta Contribution of travel and tourism to GDP (% of GDP), 1995-2019 – knoema.com |url=https://knoema.com//atlas/Malta/topics/Tourism/Travel-and-Tourism-Total-Contribution-to-GDP/Contribution-of-travel-and-tourism-to-GDP-percent-of-GDP |access-date=3 August 2021 |website=Knoema |language=en-US |archive-date=25 June 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220625082341/https://knoema.com//atlas/Malta/topics/Tourism/Travel-and-Tourism-Total-Contribution-to-GDP/Contribution-of-travel-and-tourism-to-GDP-percent-of-GDP |url-status=live}}</ref>

The country's variety of landscapes and destinations has also become a significant draw for filmmakers, earning it the reputation as "the Hollywood of the Mediterranean".<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta - A unique destination dubbed the Mediterranean Hollywood |url=https://onsitemalta.com/malta-as-a-filming-destination/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Onsite Malta |language=en-US |archive-date=30 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730042724/https://onsitemalta.com/malta-as-a-filming-destination/ |url-status=live }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=July 2025}} Films shot on the island include Ridley Scott's ''[[Napoleon (2023 film)|Napoleon]]'' and both ''Gladiator'' films, [[Gladiator (2000 film)|''Gladiator'']] and ''[[Gladiator II]],''<ref>{{Cite web |date=2024-11-24 |title=Gladiator 2 Filming Locations: Where the Sequel Was Shot & Filmed? |url=https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/gladiator-2-filming-locations-where-012259533.html |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Yahoo Entertainment |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=MaltaDaily |date=2024-11-02 |title="Malta is a Character": Denzel Washington & Stars Praise Malta |url=https://maltadaily.mt/malta-is-a-character-denzel-washington-stars-praise-malta/ |access-date=2025-07-27 |website=Malta Daily |language=en-GB |archive-date=30 July 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250730043719/https://maltadaily.mt/malta-is-a-character-denzel-washington-stars-praise-malta/ |url-status=live }}</ref> ''[[Jurassic World Rebirth|Jurassic World: Rebirth]]'', ''[[Troy (film)|Troy]]'', and [[Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest|''Pirates of the Caribbean; Dead Man's Chest'']], along with fantasy TV series ''[[Game of Thrones]]''.

===Science and technology===
Malta signed a co-operation agreement with the [[European Space Agency]] (ESA) for more-intensive co-operation in ESA projects.<ref name="Malta signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA">{{cite web |url=http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMH012YRYG_index_0.html |title=Malta signs Cooperation Agreement with ESA |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120226030046/http://www.esa.int/esaCP/SEMH012YRYG_index_0.html |archive-date=26 February 2012 |website=Esa.int |access-date=7 June 2012}}</ref> The Malta Council for Science and Technology (MCST) is the civil body responsible for the development of science and technology on an educational and social level. Most science students in Malta graduate from the [[University of Malta]] and are represented by S-Cubed (Science Student's Society), UESA (University Engineering Students Association) and ICTSA (University of Malta ICT Students' Association).<ref>{{Cite web |title=SCubed – Science Student Society |url=http://www.scubed.org.mt/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702053422/http://www.scubed.org.mt/ |archive-date=2 July 2015 |access-date=1 July 2015}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=ICTSA |url=http://www.ictsamalta.org/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150702151353/http://www.ictsamalta.org/ |archive-date=2 July 2015 |access-date=1 July 2015 |website=ictsamalta.org}}</ref> Malta was ranked 27th in the [[Global Innovation Index]] in 2025.<ref>{{Cite web |title=GII Innovation Ecosystems & Data Explorer 2025 |url=https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/malta |access-date=2025-10-16 |website=WIPO |archive-date=8 August 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250808150208/https://www.wipo.int/gii-ranking/en/malta |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last1=Dutta |first1=Soumitra |url=https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |title=Global Innovation Index 2025: Innovation at a Crossroads |last2=Lanvin |first2=Bruno |publisher=[[World Intellectual Property Organization]] |year=2025 |isbn=978-92-805-3797-0 |page=19 |language=en |doi=10.34667/tind.58864 |access-date=2025-10-17 |archive-date=12 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251012035001/https://www.wipo.int/web-publications/global-innovation-index-2025/en/index.html |url-status=live }}</ref>

===Transport===
{{Main|Transport in Malta}}

{{See also|Buses in Malta}}

Owing to the British colonial rule, traffic in Malta [[Driving on the left or right|drives on the left]]. Malta has a high level of motorisation; according to the National Statistics Office, the number of licensed motor vehicles per 1,000 residents fell from 784 in 2022 to 778 in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2025 |title=Motor Vehicles |url=https://nso.gov.mt/transport-hub-road-transport-motor-vehicles/ |access-date=19 April 2026 |website=NSO Malta |publisher=National Statistics Office (Malta) |archive-date=11 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011155309/https://nso.gov.mt/transport-hub-road-transport-motor-vehicles/ |url-status=live }}</ref> There were 778 licensed motor vehicles per 1,000 residents in 2023.<ref>{{cite web |date=14 May 2025 |title=Motor Vehicles |url=https://nso.gov.mt/transport-hub-road-transport-motor-vehicles/ |access-date=19 April 2026 |website=NSO Malta |publisher=National Statistics Office (Malta) |archive-date=11 October 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251011155309/https://nso.gov.mt/transport-hub-road-transport-motor-vehicles/ |url-status=live }}</ref> Malta has {{convert|3,096|km}} of road; as of 2021, {{convert|444|km}} were classified as other rural unpaved roads.<ref>{{cite web |date=20 October 2023 |title=Directive 2010/40/EU Progress Report 2023 Malta |url=https://transport.ec.europa.eu/document/download/e8f4c1ac-877a-4b31-993d-329579d0ac3e_en?filename=2024_mt_its_progress_report_2023.pdf |access-date=19 April 2026 |website=European Commission |publisher=Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport}}</ref>
[[File:Malta Buses (cropped).jpg|thumb|Maltese ''[[Otokar]]'' and ''[[King Long]]'' buses]]
[[Malta bus|Buses]] (''xarabank'' or ''karozza tal-linja'') are the primary method of public transport, established in 1905. Malta's vintage buses operated in the Maltese islands up to 2011 and became popular tourist attractions.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Simons |first=Jake Wallis |date=1 July 2011 |title=End of the road: no more fares for Malta's vintage buses |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/malta/8606494/End-of-the-road-no-more-fares-for-Maltas-vintage-buses.html |url-status=live |access-date=23 May 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180524154249/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/destinations/europe/malta/8606494/End-of-the-road-no-more-fares-for-Maltas-vintage-buses.html |archive-date=24 May 2018 |website=Telegraph.co.uk}}</ref> To this day they are depicted on many Maltese advertisements and merchandise for tourists.

The bus service underwent extensive reform in July 2011. The management structure changed from having self-employed drivers driving their own vehicles to a service being offered by a single company through a public tender.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Ministeru għall-Infrastruttura Transport u Komunikazzjoni&nbsp;– Transport Pubbliku |url=https://mitc.gov.mt/page.aspx?pageid=52  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120113172538/https://mitc.gov.mt/page.aspx?pageid=52 |archive-date=13 January 2012 |access-date=15 September 2011 |website=Mitc.gov.mt}}</ref> The public tender was won by [[Arriva Malta]], which introduced a fleet of brand new buses, built by [[King Long]] especially for service by Arriva Malta and including a smaller fleet of [[articulated bus]]es brought in from [[Arriva London]]. It also operated two smaller buses for an intra-Valletta route only and 61 nine-metre buses, which were used to ease congestion on high-density routes. Overall Arriva Malta operated 264 buses. On 1 January 2014 Arriva ceased operations in Malta due to financial difficulties, having been nationalised as ''Malta Public Transport''.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 December 2013 |title=Arriva Future Decided |work=di-ve.com news |url=http://www.di-ve.com/news/arriva-future-decided |url-status=live |access-date=25 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160627050948/http://www.di-ve.com/news/arriva-future-decided |archive-date=27 June 2016}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |last=Sansone |first=Kurt |date=23 December 2013 |title=New Year in, Arriva out |work=[[The Times (Malta)|The Times]] |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131223/local/New-Year-in-Arriva-out.500112 |url-status=live |access-date=25 August 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160323134727/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20131223/local/New-Year-in-Arriva-out.500112 |archive-date=23 March 2016}}</ref> The government chose Autobuses Urbanos de León ([[Alsa (bus company)|Alsa]] subsidiary) as its preferred bus operator for the country in October 2014.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Dalli |first=Kim |date=1 October 2014 |title=New bus operator to start in January |work=[[The Times (Malta)|The Times]] |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141001/local/New-bus-operator-to-start-in-January.537947 |url-status=live |access-date=4 October 2014 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006092710/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20141001/local/New-bus-operator-to-start-in-January.537947 |archive-date=6 October 2014}}</ref> From October 2022, the bus system is free of charge for residents of Malta.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/budget-2022-free-bus-service-for-all-by-next-year.907165|title=Budget 2022: Free bus service for all by October 1 next year|newspaper=[[Times of Malta]]|access-date=25 June 2022|archive-date=16 June 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220616142249/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/budget-2022-free-bus-service-for-all-by-next-year.907165|url-status=live}}</ref>

As of 2021, an underground [[Malta Metro]] is being planned, with a projected total cost of €6.2 billion.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/watch-live-government-announces-metro-study-results.905092|title=Government unveils 25-station, €6.2 billion underground Metro proposal|website=Times of Malta|date=October 2021|access-date=2 October 2022|archive-date=1 October 2022|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221001234913/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/watch-live-government-announces-metro-study-results.905092|url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:047.Freeport.jpg|thumb|[[Malta Freeport]], one of the largest European ports]]

Malta has three large natural harbours on its main island:
* The [[Grand Harbour]] (or Port il-Kbir), located at the eastern side of the capital city of Valletta, has been a harbour since [[Roman Empire|Roman]] times. It has several extensive [[Dock (maritime)|docks]] and [[Wharf|wharves]], as well as a cruise liner terminal. A terminal at the Grand Harbour serves ferries that connect Malta to [[Pozzallo]] and [[Catania]] in Sicily.
* [[Marsamxett Harbour]], located on the western side of Valletta, accommodates a number of yacht marinas.
* [[Marsaxlokk Harbour]] (Malta Freeport), at [[Birżebbuġa]] on the south-eastern side of Malta, is the islands' main cargo terminal. Malta Freeport is the [[List of world's busiest container ports|11th busiest container ports in continent of Europe and 46th in the World]] with a trade volume of 2.3&nbsp;million [[Twenty-foot equivalent unit|TEU's]] in 2008.<ref>{{Cite web |title=AAPA World Port Rankings 2008 |url=http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Statistics/WORLD%20PORT%20RANKINGS%2020081.pdf |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140323125150/http://aapa.files.cms-plus.com/Statistics/WORLD%20PORT%20RANKINGS%2020081.pdf |archive-date=23 March 2014 |access-date=14 November 2010}}</ref>

There are also two human-made harbours that serve a passenger and car ferry service that connects [[Ċirkewwa]] Harbour on Malta and [[Mġarr (Gozo)|Mġarr Harbour]] on [[Gozo]].

[[Malta International Airport]] (Ajruport Internazzjonali ta' Malta) is the only airport serving the Maltese islands. It is built on the land formerly occupied by the [[RAF Luqa]] air base. A heliport is also located there. The heliport in Gozo is at [[Xewkija]]. The former [[RAF Ta Kali]] airfield at [[Ta' Qali]] houses a national park, [[Ta' Qali Stadium|stadium]], the Crafts Village visitor attraction and the [[Malta Aviation Museum]].

[[File:9H-AEP A320 Air Malta (14806272801).jpg|thumb|left|An Air Malta [[Airbus A320]]]]

From 1 April 1974 to 30 March 2024, the national airline was [[Air Malta]], which was based at Malta International Airport and operated services to 22 destinations in Europe and North Africa. The owners of Air Malta were the [[Government of Malta]] (98 percent) and private investors (2 percent).

On 31 March 2024, [[KM Malta Airlines]] took over as the national airline of Malta. All former [[Air Malta]] Airplanes and other assets were transferred to the new airline, together with the staff. KM Malta Airlines is based at Malta International Airport and operates services to 18 destinations in Europe.

In June 2019, [[Ryanair]] has invested into a fully-fledged airline subsidiary, called [[Malta Air]], operating a low-cost model. The Government of Malta holds one share in the airline.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Updated {{!}} Ryanair setting up fully-fledged Malta subsidiary |url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/95535/ryanair_setting_up_fullyfledged_malta_subsidiary |access-date=3 August 2021 |website=MaltaToday.com.mt |archive-date=10 June 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190610144159/http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/95535/ryanair_setting_up_fullyfledged_malta_subsidiary |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Communications===
The mobile penetration rate in Malta exceeded 100% by the end of 2009, reaching 102.1%.<ref>{{cite report |title=MCA Annual Report and Financial Statements 2009 |year=2009 |publisher=Malta Communications Authority |page=28}}</ref> Malta's mobile sector has used GSM, UMTS (3G), and LTE (4G) technologies.<ref>{{cite web |title=Electronic communications regulations |publisher=Malta Communications Authority}}</ref>

In early 2012, the government called for a national Fibre to the Home (FttH) network to be built, with a minimum broadband service being upgraded from 4&nbsp;Mbit/s to 100&nbsp;Mbit/s.<ref>{{Cite web |date=6 November 2012 |title=Investment in fibre networks stimulates national FttH ambitions in Malta – BuddeBlog |url=http://www.buddeblog.com.au/frompaulsdesk/investment-in-fibre-networks-stimulates-national-ftth-ambitions-in-malta/ |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140201213926/http://www.buddeblog.com.au/frompaulsdesk/investment-in-fibre-networks-stimulates-national-ftth-ambitions-in-malta/ |archive-date=1 February 2014 |access-date=26 March 2013 |website=Buddeblog.com.au}}</ref>

=== Energy ===
{{main|Energy in Malta}}

Malta relied on [[coal]] until 1996 for electricity generation. In 1992, a new power station was built on the Delimara peninsula in [[Marsaxlokk]]. Originally the [[Delimara Power Station]] in 2015 used [[oil]] for electricity generation, before being converted to [[LNG]] in 2017. The power station also includes two [[gasoil]]-fired plants, which are used as standby power generation capacity during emergencies or lack of other power sources. Since 2015, the [[Malta–Sicily interconnector]] allows Malta to be connected to the [[Synchronous grid of Continental Europe|European power grid]] and import a significant share of its electricity.<ref>{{cite report
 |title=National Report Malta 2015
 |publisher=Council of European Energy Regulators (CEER)
 |url=https://www.ceer.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/C15_NR_Malta_EN.pdf
 |year=2015
 |archive-date=1 September 2024
 |access-date=26 December 2025
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240901044919/https://www.ceer.eu/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/C15_NR_Malta_EN.pdf
 |url-status=live
 }}
{{cite web
 |title=Security of Supply
 |publisher=Energy and Water Agency (Malta)
 |url=https://energywateragency.gov.mt/security-of-supply/
 |access-date=2025-12-26
 |archive-date=19 May 2024
 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240519144657/https://energywateragency.gov.mt/security-of-supply/
 |url-status=live
 }}
{{cite web
 |title=Electricity Supply 2024
 |date=8 October 2025
 |publisher=National Statistics Office (Malta)
 |url=https://nso.gov.mt/energy/electricity-supply-2024/
 |access-date=2025-12-26
 }}</ref> In 2024, Malta consumed 3106 GWh, of which 970 GWh was imported through the interconnector.<ref>{{Cite web |date=2025-10-08 |title=Electricity Supply: 2024 |url=https://nso.gov.mt/energy/electricity-supply-2024/ |access-date=2026-01-12 |website=Malta National Statistics Office |language=en-GB}}</ref>

Just 9.2% of Malta's electricity in 2024 was from domestic renewable generation, almost all of which is photovoltaic panels.<ref>{{Cite web |last= |first= |date=2025-10-08 |title=Electricity Supply: 2024 |url=https://nso.gov.mt/energy/electricity-supply-2024/ |access-date=2026-01-12 |website=Malta National Statistics Office |language=en-GB}}</ref> There are efforts to boost this renewable generation share to 25% by leveraging offshore platforms and battery storage by 2030<ref>{{cite web |title=National Policy for the Deployment of Offshore Renewable Energy Launched at the National Energy Conference |url=https://energywateragency.gov.mt/national-policy-for-the-deployment-of-offshore-renewable-energy-launched-at-the-national-energy-conference/ |website=The Energy & Water Agency |publisher=Government of Malta |access-date=7 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250307150228/https://energywateragency.gov.mt/national-policy-for-the-deployment-of-offshore-renewable-energy-launched-at-the-national-energy-conference/ |archive-date=7 March 2025 |date=24 October 2024 |url-status=live}}</ref> but 9.2% represents a drop in generation share from 2023 when renewables accounted for 10% of the electricity generated.<ref>{{cite web |date=8 October 2024 |title=Electricity Supply: 2023 |url=https://nso.gov.mt/energy/electricity-supply-2023/ |access-date=4 March 2025 |archive-date=25 March 2025 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20250325155018/https://nso.gov.mt/energy/electricity-supply-2023/ |url-status=live }}</ref>

A waste-to-energy plant that runs off of biogas generated by organic waste is planned to contribute a further 4.5% to the electricity grid as a source of net carbon-neutral energy.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.ecohive.com.mt/#sectionEnergy|title=Welcome to EcoHive &#124; ECOHIVE|website=www.ecohive.com.mt|accessdate=21 November 2025|archive-date=11 November 2025|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20251111205949/https://www.ecohive.com.mt/#sectionEnergy|url-status=live}}</ref>

==Demographics==
{{Main|Demographics of Malta}}

{{bar box
|title=Self-identified racial origin - 2021 census<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report: Population, migration and other social characteristics (Volume 1) |url=https://nso.gov.mt/mt/themes_publications/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-report-population-migration-and-other-social-characteristics/ |date=16 February 2023 |access-date=5 February 2024 |website=nso.gov.mt |archive-date=4 February 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204200023/https://nso.gov.mt/mt/themes_publications/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-report-population-migration-and-other-social-characteristics/ |url-status=live }}</ref>
|titlebar=#ddd
|left1='''Racial origin'''
|float=right
|bars=
{{bar percent|[[Caucasian race|Caucasian]]|purple|89.1}}
{{bar percent|[[Asians|Asian]]|grey|5.2}}
{{bar percent|[[Arabs|Arab]]|maroon|1.7}}
{{bar percent|[[Demographics of Africa|African]]|blue|1.5}}
{{bar percent|[[Hispanic]] or Latino|Gold|1.3}}
{{bar percent|More than one racial origin|black|1.2}}
|caption= 
}}
As of the 2021 census, [[Maltese people|Maltese]]-born natives make up the majority of the island with 386,280 people out of a total population of 519,562.<ref name="auto">{{Cite web|title=Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report: Population, migration and other social characteristics (Volume 1)|url=https://nso.gov.mt/mt/themes_publications/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-report-population-migration-and-other-social-characteristics/|date=16 February 2023|access-date=5 February 2024|website=nso.gov.mt|archive-date=4 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240204200023/https://nso.gov.mt/mt/themes_publications/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-report-population-migration-and-other-social-characteristics/|url-status=live}}</ref> However, there are minorities, the largest of which by birthplace were: 15,082 from the United Kingdom, Italy (13,361), India (7,946), Philippines (7,784) and Serbia (5,935). Among racial origins for the non-Maltese, 58.1% of all identified as Caucasian, 22.2% Asian, 6.3% Arab, 6.0% African, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino and 2.9% more than one race.<ref name="auto"/>

{{As of|2005}}, 17 percent were aged 14 and under, 68 percent were within the 15–64 age bracket whilst the remaining 13 percent were 65 years and over<!--Table 8: Total population by broad age group and locality as at 27 November 2005-->. Malta's population density of 1,282 per square km (3,322/sq&nbsp;mi) <!--Table 6: Population density: 1995–2005-->is by far the highest in the EU<!--Table 15: Population density in Europe--> and one of the highest in the world. 
[[File:Malta, 2010 - panoramio - Bengt Nyman (23).jpg|thumb|left|Valletta, Malta's capital]]
The Maltese-resident population for 2004 was estimated to make up 97.0 per cent of the total resident population.<ref name="Demo2004">{{Cite book |last=National Statistics Office |url=http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=1542 |title=Demographic Review 2004 |publisher=National Statistics Office |year=2005 |isbn=978-99909-73-32-7 |page=59 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060907101948/http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=1542 |archive-date=7 September 2006 }}</ref> All censuses since 1842 have shown a slight excess of females over males. Population growth has slowed down, from +9.5 per cent between the 1985 and 1995 censuses, to +6.9 per cent between the 1995 and 2005 censuses (a yearly average of +0.7 per cent)<!--Commentary p. xvii & Chart 3: Percentage population change between censuses-->. The birth rate stood at 3860 (a decrease of 21.8 per cent from the 1995 census) and the death rate stood at 3025. Thus, there was a natural population increase of 835 (compared to +888 for 2004, of which over a hundred were foreign residents).<ref name="NSO 20060711">{{Cite press release |title=World Population Day&nbsp;– 2006: Special Observances |date=10 July 2006 |publisher=National Statistics Office |url=http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=1719 |access-date=12 July 2006 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927190022/http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=1719 |archive-date=27 September 2007 }}</ref>
<!--May be used in any future section on the pension problem-->The population's age composition is similar to the age structure prevalent in the EU<!--Chart 11. Comparative distribution bet Malta and EU25-->. Malta's [[Dependency ratio|old-age-dependency-ratio]] rose from 17.2 percent in 1995 to 19.8 percent in 2005, reasonably lower than the EU's 24.9 percent average; 31.5 percent of the Maltese population is aged under 25 (compared to the EU's 29.1 percent); but the 50–64 age group constitutes 20.3 percent of the population, significantly higher than the EU's 17.9 percent. Malta's old-age-dependency-ratio is expected to continue rising steadily in the coming years<!--Commentary p. xxvii-->.

In 2021, the population of the Maltese Islands stood at 519,562.<ref name="NSO" />

The [[total fertility rate]] (TFR) {{As of|2016||lc=y|since=}} was estimated at 1.45 children born/woman, which is below the replacement rate of 2.1.<ref name="cia.gov">{{Cite web |title=The World Factbook – Central Intelligence Agency |url=https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |access-date=16 May 2007 |website=The World Factbook |archive-date=2 April 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402195116/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |url-status=dead}}</ref> In 2012, 25.8 per cent of births were to unmarried women.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Eurostat – Tables, Graphs and Maps Interface (TGM) table |url=http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141006114113/http://epp.eurostat.ec.europa.eu/tgm/table.do?tab=table&plugin=1&language=en&pcode=tps00018 |archive-date=6 October 2014 |website=Europa (web portal)}}</ref> The [[life expectancy]] in 2018 was estimated at 83.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Key Figures For Malta 2019 – Visuals & Word |url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/Key%20Figures%20for%20Malta%20-%202019%20Edition/Malta%20In%20Figures%20-%202019.pdf |access-date=31 January 2020 |publisher=National Statistics Office – Malta |archive-date=22 March 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220322014632/https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/Key%20Figures%20for%20Malta%20-%202019%20Edition/Malta%20In%20Figures%20-%202019.pdf  }}</ref>

===Languages===
{{Main|Languages of Malta}}

{{See also|#Education}}
[[File:Il-Kantilena.png|thumb|''[[Il-Kantilena]]'' by [[Pietru Caxaro]], the oldest text in the [[Maltese language]], 15th century]]
The [[Maltese language]] ({{langx|mt|Malti|links=no}}) is one of the two constitutional [[languages]] of Malta and is considered the national language. The second official language is English and hence laws are enacted both in Maltese and English. However, article 74 of the Constitution states that "if there is any conflict between the Maltese and the English texts of any law, the Maltese text shall prevail."<ref name="constitution" /> Many speakers of English use a local dialect, [[Maltese English]].

Maltese is a [[Semitic language]] descended from the now extinct Sicilian-Arabic ([[Siculo-Arabic]]) dialect (from [[southern Italy]]) that developed during the [[Emirate of Sicily]].<ref name="MED">Joseph M. Brincat [http://macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/February2005/27-LI-Maltese.htm Maltese&nbsp;– an unusual formula] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151208063739/http://macmillandictionaries.com/MED-Magazine/February2005/27-LI-Maltese.htm |date=8 December 2015 }}, MED Magazine (February 2005)</ref> The [[Maltese alphabet]] consists of 30 letters based on the [[Latin alphabet]].

In 2022, Malta National Statistics Office states that 90 percent of the Maltese population has at least a basic knowledge of Maltese, 96 percent of English, 62 percent of Italian, and 20 percent of French.<ref name="skills2022"/> This widespread knowledge of [[second language]]s makes Malta one of the most multilingual countries in the [[European Union]]. A study collecting public opinion on what language was "preferred" discovered that 86 percent of the population preferred Maltese, 12 percent English, and 2 percent Italian.<ref name=LinguisticView/> Italian television channels from Italy-based broadcasters, such as [[Mediaset]] and [[RAI]], reach Malta and remain popular.<ref name="LinguisticView">Ignasi Badia i Capdevila (2004) [https://web.archive.org/web/20120312145908/http://www6.gencat.cat/llengcat/noves/hm04primavera-estiu/a_badia2_3.htm A view of the linguistic situation in Malta]. NovesSl. Retrieved 24 February 2008</ref><ref>[http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1045691.stm Country profile: Malta] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120607062334/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/country_profiles/1045691.stm |date=7 June 2012 }}. BBC News</ref><ref>{{Cite web |date=September 2005 |title=Europeans and languages |url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_237.en.pdf  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070128095746/http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_237.en.pdf |archive-date=28 January 2007 |access-date=29 January 2007 |publisher=European Commission |page=4}}</ref>

[[Maltese Sign Language]] is used by signers in Malta.<ref name="paggio">{{Cite book |last1=Paggio |first1=Patrizia |url=http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/182 |title=The languages of Malta |last2=Gatt |first2=Albert |date=2018 |publisher=Language Science Press |isbn=978-3-96110-070-5 |veditors=Paggio P, Gatt A |format=pdf |doi=10.5281/zenodo.1181783 |access-date=15 November 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181115195121/http://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/182 |archive-date=15 November 2018 |url-status=live |doi-access=free}}</ref>

According to the 2021 census, among the population aged 5 and over, the main languages spoken from early childhood were the following.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report: Population, migration and other social characteristics |url=https://nso.gov.mt/themes_publications/census-of-population-and-housing-2021-final-report-population-migration-and-other-social-characteristics-volume-1/ |access-date=2025-06-28 |website=NSO Malta |language=en-US}}</ref>
{| class="wikitable"
! rowspan="2" |Citizenship 
! colspan="2" |Maltese
! colspan="2" |English
! colspan="2" |Italian
! colspan="2" |German
! colspan="2" |French
! colspan="2" |Arabic
! colspan="2" |Other
! colspan="2" |Total
|-
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
!absolute
!%
|-
|'''Total'''
|'''352,346'''
|'''70.9'''
|'''50,242'''
|'''10.1'''
|'''13,397'''
|'''2.7'''
|'''10,427'''
|'''2.1'''
|'''4,521'''
|'''0.9'''
|'''8,514'''
|'''1.7'''
|'''57,818'''
|'''11.6'''
|'''497,265'''
|100.0
|-
|Maltese
|351,356
|91.0
|29,930
|7.8
|1,037
|0.3
|255
|0.1
|183
|0.0
|1,053
|0.3
|2,277
|0.6
|386,091
|100.0
|-
|Non‐Maltese
|990
|0.9
|20,312
|18.3
|12,360
|11.1
|10,172
|9.1
|4,338
|3.9
|7,461
|6.7
|55,541
|50.0
|111,174
|100.0
|}

===Religion===
{{main|Religion in Malta}}

{{Pie chart
| thumb = right
| caption = Religion in Malta (2021 census)<ref name="2021 census-2">{{Cite web|url=https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2023/Census%20of%20Population%202021%20volume1-final.pdf|title=Census of Population and Housing 2021 Final report: Religious Affiliation, pages 159-168|website=nso.gov.mt|archive-date=19 February 2023|access-date=22 February 2023|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230219094017/https://nso.gov.mt/en/nso/Media/Salient-Points-of-Publications/Documents/2023/Census%20of%20Population%202021%20volume1-final.pdf}}</ref><ref name="Census statistics"/><ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/121338/census_2021_maltese_citizens_overwhelmingly_identify_as_roman_catholics#.Y_aUpXbP02w |title=Census 2021: Maltese citizens overwhelmingly identify as Roman Catholics |website=maltatoday.com.mt |access-date=22 February 2023 |archive-date=22 February 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230222221916/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/national/121338/census_2021_maltese_citizens_overwhelmingly_identify_as_roman_catholics#.Y_aUpXbP02w |url-status=live}}</ref>
| label1 = [[Catholic Church|Catholicism]]
| value1 = 82.6
| color1 = Purple
| label2 = Orthodox Christianity
| value2 = 3.6
| color2 = Orchid
| label3 = [[Church of England]]
| value3 = 1.3
| color3 = Plum
| label4 = Other [[Protestantism]]
| value4 = 1
| color4 = MediumOrchid
| label5 = [[Islam]]
| value5 = 3.9
| color5 = Green
| label6 = [[Hinduism]]
| value6 = 1.4
| color6 = Orange
| label7 = [[Buddhism]]
| value7 = 0.5
| color7 = Yellow
| label8 = [[Judaism]]
| value8 = 0.3
| color8 = Blue
| label9 = Other religious groups
| value9 = 0.04
| color9 = Black
| label10 = No religion
| value10 = 5.1
| color10 = White
}}

The predominant religion in Malta is [[Catholicism]]. The second article of the [[Constitution of Malta]] establishes Catholicism as the [[state religion]] and it is also reflected in various elements of [[Culture of Malta|Maltese culture]], although there are [[Entrenched clause|entrenched provisions]] for the freedom of religion.<ref name="constitution" /> There are more than 360 churches in Malta, Gozo, and Comino, or one church for every 1,000 residents. The parish church ({{Langx|mt|il-parroċċa|links=no}} or {{Lang|mt|il-knisja parrokkjali}}) is the architectural and geographic focal point of every Maltese town and village.

Malta is an [[Apostolic See]]; the [[Acts of the Apostles]] ([[Acts 28]]) tells of how [[Paul of Tarsus|St. Paul]] was shipwrecked on the island of "Melite", which many Biblical scholars identify with Malta, an episode dated around AD 60.<ref name="doi.gov.mt">{{Cite web |date=3 March 2008 |title=Department of Information |url=http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/islands/dates.asp |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091125021207/http://www.doi.gov.mt/EN/islands/dates.asp |archive-date=25 November 2009 |access-date=2 August 2008 |website=Doi.gov.mt}}</ref> [[Saint Publius]] is said to have been made Malta's first bishop. Further evidence of Christian practices and beliefs during the period of Roman persecution appears in [[catacombs]] that lie beneath various sites around Malta, including [[St. Paul's Catacombs]]. There are also a number of cave churches, including the grotto at [[Sanctuary of Our Lady of Mellieħa|Mellieħa]], which is a Shrine of the Nativity of Our Lady where, according to legend, [[St. Luke]] painted a picture of the [[Virgin Mary]]. It has been a place of pilgrimage since the medieval period.

For centuries, the Church in Malta was subordinate to the [[Diocese of Palermo]], except when it was under [[Charles of Anjou]], who appointed bishops for Malta, as did&nbsp;– on rare occasions&nbsp;– the Spanish and later, the Knights. Since 1808 all [[Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Malta#Bishops of Malta|bishops of Malta]] have been Maltese. The patron saints of Malta are [[Paul the Apostle|Saint Paul]], [[Saint Publius]], and [[Saint Agatha]]. Although not a patron saint, [[George Preca|St George Preca]] (San Ġorġ Preca) is greatly revered as the first canonised Maltese saint. Various Catholic religious orders are present in Malta, including the [[Jesuits]], [[Franciscans]], [[Dominican Order|Dominicans]], [[Carmelites]] and [[Little Sisters of the Poor]].

There exists a considerable minority of Orthodox Christians in Malta, of which there are 16,457, according to the 2021 census;<ref>{{cite report |url=https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Census-of-Population-2021-volume1-final.pdf |title=Census of Population and Housing 2021: Final Report: Population, Migration and Other Social Characteristics |publisher=National Statistics Office, Malta |location=Valletta |date=2023 |access-date=5 October 2024 |isbn=978-9918-605-14-9 |page=159 |archive-date=26 June 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230626120134/https://nso.gov.mt/wp-content/uploads/Census-of-Population-2021-volume1-final.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref> the number may include both [[Eastern Orthodoxy|Eastern Orthodox]] and [[Oriental Orthodox Christian]]s. There are a small number of parishes belonging to each [[autocephalous Church]], typically one for each. There are [[Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople|Greek]], [[Russian Orthodox Church|Russian]], [[Serbian Orthodox Church|Serbian]], [[Romanian Orthodox Church|Romanian]], and [[Bulgarian Orthodox Church|Bulgarian Orthodox]] parishes located around Malta, mainly in Valletta.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.exarmalta.com/|title=Ecumenical Patriarchate|accessdate=5 January 2026|archive-date=5 January 2026|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20260105031816/https://www.exarmalta.com/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Russian Orthodox Parish of St. Paul the Apostle - Churches-Orthodox in San Gwann, Malta {{!}} Yellow Malta |url=https://www.yellow.com.mt/russian-orthodox-parish-of-st-paul-the-apostle_churches-orthodox+san-gwann/ |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=www.yellow.com.mt |language=en |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814150511/https://www.yellow.com.mt/russian-orthodox-parish-of-st-paul-the-apostle_churches-orthodox+san-gwann/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Парохија Св. Ап. Павла и Св. Никола на Малти {{!}} Епархија Аустрије, Швајцарске, Италије и Малте |url=https://spcmalta.com/ |access-date=14 August 2024 |language=en-US |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814145231/https://spcmalta.com/ |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Romanian Orthodox Church Malta {{!}} orthodox church {{!}} The Church of Saint Rocco, 107, Saint Ursula Street, Valletta, Malta |url=https://www.romanianchurchmalta.com/ |access-date=14 August 2024 |website=Romanian Orthodox |language=en |archive-date=14 August 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240814150511/https://www.romanianchurchmalta.com/ |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Most congregants of the local [[Protestant]] churches are not Maltese; their congregations mainly draw on vacationers and British retirees living in the country. There are also a [[Seventh-day Adventist Church|Seventh-day Adventist]] church in [[Birkirkara]], and a [[New Apostolic Church]] congregation founded in 1983 in [[Gwardamanġa|Gwardamangia]].<ref name="archive.maltatoday.com.mt">{{cite web |last=Vassallo |first=Harry |date=8 April 2009 |url=http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/04/08/t5.html |title=A map of faith in Malta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151016010540/http://archive.maltatoday.com.mt/2009/04/08/t5.html |archive-date=16 October 2015 |work=MaltaToday |access-date=1 May 2017}}</ref> There are approximately 600 [[Jehovah's Witnesses]].<ref>{{Cite book |title=Yearbook of Jehovah's Witnesses |publisher=Watch Tower Society |year=2015 |page=182}}</ref> [[Latter-day Saints]] is also represented with 241 members in 1 congregation in [[Mosta]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Statistics and Church Facts {{!}} Total Church Membership |url=https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/malta |access-date=1 October 2024 |website=newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007091247/https://newsroom.churchofjesuschrist.org/facts-and-statistics/country/malta |url-status=live }}</ref>
[[File:The Beheading of Saint John-Caravaggio (1608).jpg|thumb|''[[The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio)|The Beheading of Saint John]]'', by [[Caravaggio]]. Oil on canvas, {{convert|361|x|520|cm|2|abbr=on|lk=out}}. Oratory of the [[St. John's Co-Cathedral|Co-Cathedral]].]]
The Jewish population of Malta reached its peak in the Middle Ages under Norman rule. In 1479, Malta and [[Sicily]] came under [[Kingdom of Aragon|Aragonese]] rule and the [[Alhambra Decree]] of 1492 forced all Jews to leave the country. Today, there are two Jewish congregations.<ref name="archive.maltatoday.com.mt" /> In 2019 the Jewish community in Malta gathered around 150 persons, slightly more than the 120 (of which 80 were active) estimated in 2003, and mostly elderly. Many among the newer generations decided to settle abroad, including in England and Israel. Most contemporary Maltese Jews are Sephardi, however, an Ashkenazi prayer book is used. In 2013 the Chabad Jewish Centre in Malta was founded.

There is one purpose-built Muslim [[mosque]], the [[Mariam Al-Batool Mosque]], although there are also a few improvised mosques located in Muslim homes spread around the island.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Bugibba Mosque - Opening Hours, Reviews & Photos [2024] |url=https://www.trip.com/travel-guide/attraction/st-paul-s-bay/bugibba-mosque-141756431?curr=SAR&locale=en-US |access-date=1 October 2024 |website=TRIP.COM |language=en-US |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007091125/https://www.trip.com/travel-guide/attraction/st-paul-s-bay/bugibba-mosque-141756431?curr=SAR&locale=en-US |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Facebook |url=https://www.facebook.com/people/Bugibba-Mosque-%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A8%D8%A7/61557732665236/ |access-date=1 October 2024 |website=www.facebook.com |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007091012/https://www.facebook.com/people/Bugibba-Mosque-%D9%85%D8%B5%D9%84%D9%89-%D8%A8%D9%88%D8%AC%D9%8A%D8%A8%D8%A7/61557732665236/ |url-status=live }}</ref> The 2021 census recorded 17,454 Muslims, of which 1,746 were Maltese citizens. 
[[Zen Buddhism]] and the [[Baháʼí Faith]] claim some 40 members.<ref name="archive.maltatoday.com.mt" />

In a survey held by ''[[Malta Today]]'', the overwhelming majority of the Maltese population adheres to Christianity (95.2%) with Catholicism as the main denomination (93.9%); 4.5% of the population declared themselves either atheist or agnostic, one of the lowest figures in Europe.<ref name="2018 survey">{{Cite web |title=MaltaToday Survey {{!}} Maltese identity still very much rooted in Catholicism |url=http://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/data_and_surveys/85738/maltatoday_survey__maltese_identity_still_very_much_rooted_in_catholicism |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190326134607/https://www.maltatoday.com.mt/news/data_and_surveys/85738/maltatoday_survey__maltese_identity_still_very_much_rooted_in_catholicism |archive-date=26 March 2019 |access-date=26 March 2019 |website=MaltaToday.com.mt}}</ref> According to a 2019 [[Eurobarometer]] survey, 83% of the population identified as Catholic.<ref name="2019 Eurobarometer">{{Cite web |title=Special Eurobarometer 493, European Union: European Commission, September 2019, pages 229–230 |url=https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/instruments/SPECIAL/surveyKy/2251 |access-date=3 October 2020 |website=ec.europa.eu |language=en |archive-date=11 March 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210311010736/https://ec.europa.eu/commfrontoffice/publicopinion/index.cfm/Survey/getSurveyDetail/instruments/SPECIAL/surveyKy/2251 |url-status=live }}</ref> The number of [[atheists]] has doubled from 2014 to 2018. The 2015 edition of the annual [[International Humanist and Ethical Union#The Freedom of Thought Report|Freedom of Thought Report]] from the [[International Humanist and Ethical Union]], asserted Malta was in the category of "severe discrimination", alongside seven other EU countries. In 2016, following the [[Blasphemy law#Malta|abolishment of blasphemy law]], Malta was shifted to the category of "systematic discrimination" (same as most EU countries).<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ganado |first=Philip Leone |date=9 December 2016 |title=Malta still discriminating against the non-religious – report |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161209/local/malta-still-discriminating-against-the-non-religious-report.633311 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161210140814/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20161209/local/malta-still-discriminating-against-the-non-religious-report.633311 |archive-date=10 December 2016 |website=[[The Times (Malta)|The Times]]}}</ref>

===Migration===
{{main|Immigration to Malta|Emigration from Malta}}

{| class="toc" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" style="width:25%; float:right; text-align:center; clear:all; margin-left:8px; font-size:90%;"
|-
! colspan="20" style="background:green; color:white;"|Foreign population in Malta
|- style="background:#efefef;"
!width=15% |Year
!width=60% |Population
!width=25% |% total
|-
|2005
|12,112
|3.0%
|-
|2011
|20,289
|4.9%
|-
|2019
|98,918
|21.0%
|-
|2020
|119,261
|23.17%
|-
|}

Historically a land of emigration, since the early 21st century Malta has seen a significant increase in net migration; the foreign-born population has grown nearly eightfold between 2005 and 2020. Most of the foreign community in Malta consists of active or retired British nationals and their dependents, centred on [[Sliema]] and surrounding suburbs. Other smaller foreign groups include Italians, Libyans, and Serbians, many of whom have assimilated into the [[Maltese people|Maltese nation]] over the decades.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Ltd |first=Allied Newspapers |title=Genetic origin of contemporary Maltese |date=5 August 2007 |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070805/opinion/genetic-origin-of-contemporary-maltese |access-date=29 October 2017 |archive-date=13 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230413212844/https://timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20070805/opinion/genetic-origin-of-contemporary-maltese |url-status=live }}</ref>

Malta is also home to a large number of foreign workers who migrated to the island for economic opportunity. This migration was driven predominantly in the early 21st century, when the Maltese economy was steadily booming yet the cost and quality of living on the island remained relatively stable. In recent years{{when?|date=February 2026}} however the local Maltese housing index has doubled<ref>{{Cite web |title=Real Economy Indicators |url=https://www.centralbankmalta.org/site/Subscriber%20Categories/Real%20Economy%20Indicators/house_prices.xls |publisher=Malta Central Bank |access-date=28 December 2019 |archive-date=7 November 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201107152921/https://www.centralbankmalta.org/site/Subscriber%20Categories/Real%20Economy%20Indicators/house_prices.xls |url-status=live }}</ref> pushing property and rental prices to very high and almost unaffordable levels. Consequently, some expats in Malta have seen their relative financial fortunes decline, with others relocating to other European countries altogether.

Since the late 20th century, Malta has become a transit country for migration routes from Africa towards Europe.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Malta guards Europe's gates against African immigrants |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-2010-oct-09-la-fg-malta-refugees-20101009-story.html |url-status=live |access-date=30 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120310075319/http://articles.latimes.com/2010/oct/09/world/la-fg-malta-refugees-20101009 |archive-date=10 March 2012}}</ref> As a member of the [[European Union]] and the [[Schengen Agreement]], Malta is bound by the [[Dublin Regulation]] to process all claims for asylum by those asylum seekers that enter EU territory for the first time in Malta.<ref>{{Cite news |title=Maltese Anger Mounts Over Rising Illegal Immigration |publisher=[[Deutsche Welle]] |url=http://www.dw.de/dw/article/0,,3621641,00.html |access-date=30 April 2012}}</ref> However, irregular migrants who land in Malta are subject to a [[immigration detention|compulsory detention policy]], being held in several camps organised by the [[Armed Forces of Malta]] (AFM), including those near [[Ħal Far]] and [[Safi, Malta|Ħal Safi]]. The compulsory detention policy has been denounced by several NGOs, and in July 2010, the [[European Court of Human Rights]] found that Malta's detention of migrants was arbitrary, lacking in adequate procedures to challenge detention, and in breach of its obligations under the [[European Convention on Human Rights]].<ref>{{Cite web |date=18 July 2012 |title=Malta: Migrant Detention Violates Rights |url=https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/18/malta-migrant-detention-violates-rights |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160314162400/https://www.hrw.org/news/2012/07/18/malta-migrant-detention-violates-rights |archive-date=14 March 2016 |access-date=29 October 2017}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |title=Malta faces problems with children of illegal immigrants |work=[[The Times (Malta)|The Times]] |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080610/local/malta-faces-problems-with-children-of-illegal-immigrants.211803 |url-status=live |access-date=30 April 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110510111154/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20080610/local/malta-faces-problems-with-children-of-illegal-immigrants.211803 |archive-date=10 May 2011}}</ref> On 8 September 2020, [[Amnesty International]] criticised Malta for "illegal tactics" in the Mediterranean, against immigrants who were attempting to cross from North Africa. The reports claimed that the government's approach might have led to avoidable deaths.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Amnesty slams Malta over 'illegal' refugee tactics |url=https://www.dw.com/en/amnesty-slams-malta-over-illegal-refugee-tactics/a-54848334 |access-date=8 September 2020 |website=Deutsche Welle |archive-date=8 September 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200908180011/https://www.dw.com/en/amnesty-slams-malta-over-illegal-refugee-tactics/a-54848334 |url-status=live }}</ref>

In January 2014, Malta started granting citizenship for a €650,000 contribution plus investments, contingent on residence and criminal background checks.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Clenfield, Jason |date=11 March 2015 |title=Passport King Christian Kalin Helps Nations Sell Citizenship – Bloomberg Business |newspaper=Bloomberg.com |url=https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-11/passport-king-christian-kalin-helps-nations-sell-citizenship |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170406182941/https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2015-03-11/passport-king-christian-kalin-helps-nations-sell-citizenship |archive-date=6 April 2017 |access-date=8 March 2017 |publisher=Bloomberg L.P.}}</ref> This "[[Immigrant investor programs|golden passport]]" citizenship scheme has been criticized as a fraudulent act by the Maltese Government.{{clarification needed|Is the granting critised by the same government that applies it??|date=December 2022}}<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 January 2019 |title=EU to warn about crime risks from passport selling schemes in Malta |work=Malta Independent |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-01-22/local-news/EU-to-warn-about-crime-risks-from-passport-selling-schemes-in-Malta-and-Cyprus-6736202453 |url-status=live |access-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191228134703/https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2019-01-22/local-news/EU-to-warn-about-crime-risks-from-passport-selling-schemes-in-Malta-and-Cyprus-6736202453 |archive-date=28 December 2019}}</ref> Concerns as to whether the Maltese citizenship scheme is allowing an influx of such individuals into the greater European Union have been raised by both the public as well as the European Council on multiple occasions.<ref>{{Cite news |title=EU urges crackdown on 'golden passports' for big investors |publisher=BBC |url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46973590 |url-status=live |access-date=28 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191217180746/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-46973590 |archive-date=17 December 2019}}</ref> On 29 April 2025, the European Court of Justice ruled that Malta may no longer sell citizenship through its 'golden passports' scheme.<ref>{{Cite news |publisher= theloop.epcr |title= European Court of Justice ruling prohibits Malta from selling citizenship |access-date= 31 July 2025 |url= https://theloop.ecpr.eu/european-court-of-justice-ruling-prohibits-malta-from-selling-citizenship/ |archive-date= 14 August 2025 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20250814162157/https://theloop.ecpr.eu/european-court-of-justice-ruling-prohibits-malta-from-selling-citizenship/ |url-status= live }}</ref>

[[File:Malta -mix- 2019 by-RaBoe 067.jpg|thumb|Child Migrants' Memorial at the [[Valletta Waterfront]], commemorating the 310 child migrants who travelled to Australia between 1950 and 1965]]
In the 19th century, most emigration from Malta was to North Africa and the Middle East, although rates of [[Repatriation|return migration]] to Malta were high.<ref name="Jones">{{Cite journal |last=Jones |first=Huw R. |year=1973 |title=Modern emigration from Malta |journal=Transactions of the Institute of British Geographers |volume=60 |issue=60 |pages=101–119 |doi=10.2307/621508 |jstor=621508}}</ref> In the 20th century, most emigrants went to destinations in the [[New World]], particularly to Australia, Canada, and the United States. Post Second World War, Malta's Emigration Department would assist emigrants with the cost of their travel. Between 1948 and 1967, 30 percent of the population emigrated.<ref name=Jones/> Between 1946 and the late-1970s, over 140,000 people left Malta on the assisted passage scheme, with 57.6% migrating to Australia, 22% to the UK, 13% to Canada and 7% to the United States.<ref name="King">{{Cite journal |last=King |first=Russell |year=1979 |title=The Maltese migration cycle: An archival survey |journal=Area |volume=11 |issue=3 |pages=245–249 |jstor=20001477}}</ref> Emigration dropped dramatically after the mid-1970s and has since ceased to be a social phenomenon of significance. However, since Malta joined the EU in 2004 [[expatriate]] communities emerged in a number of European countries, particularly in Belgium and [[Luxembourg]].

===Education===
{{Main|Education in Malta}}

{{See also|List of schools in Malta}}
[[File:Uni-20malta.jpg|thumb|[[University of Malta]]]]
[[File:2022 - MCAST Square.jpg|thumb|225x225px|[[Malta College of Arts, Science and Technology|MCAST]]]]
[[File:National Library in Valletta.jpg|thumb|[[National Library of Malta|National Library]] in Valletta]]

Primary schooling has been compulsory since 1946; secondary education up to the age of sixteen was made compulsory in 1971. The state and the Catholic Church provide education free of charge, both running a number of schools in Malta and [[Gozo]]. {{As of|2006}}, state schools are organised into networks known as Colleges and incorporate kindergarten schools, primary and secondary schools. A number of private schools are run in Malta. St. Catherine's High School, Pembroke offers an International Foundation Course for students wishing to learn English before entering mainstream education. {{As of|2008}}, there are two international schools, Verdala International School and QSI Malta. The state pays a portion of the teachers' salary in Church schools.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Education in Malta |url=http://www.aboutmalta.com/grazio/education.html |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071015203042/http://www.aboutmalta.com/grazio/education.html |archive-date=15 October 2007 |access-date=12 October 2007 |website=aboutmalta.com}}</ref>

Education in Malta is based on the [[Education in the United Kingdom|British model]]. Primary school lasts six years. Pupils sit for SEC [[O-level]] examinations at the age of 16, with passes obligatory in mathematics, a minimum of one science subject, English and [[Maltese language|Maltese]]. Pupils may opt to continue studying at a [[sixth form college]] for two years, at the end of which students sit for the matriculation examination. Subject to their performance, students may then apply for an undergraduate [[academic degree|degree]] or diploma.

The adult [[literacy rate]] is 99.5 per cent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Malta – Literacy rate |url=http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/malta/literacy-rate |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130926154318/http://www.indexmundi.com/facts/malta/literacy-rate |archive-date=26 September 2013 |access-date=20 October 2013 |website=Indexmundi.com}}</ref><!-- This section is linked to from the "Languages" section above. If changing the section title, update the link as well. -->

Maltese and English are both used to teach pupils at the primary and secondary school level, and both languages are also compulsory subjects. [[State school|Public schools]] tend to use both Maltese and English in a balanced manner. Private schools prefer to use English for teaching, as is also the case with most departments of the [[University of Malta]]; this has a limiting effect on the capacity and development of the Maltese language.<ref name=LinguisticView/> Most university courses are in English.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Malta |first=L.-Università ta' |title=Study |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/study |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190801054244/https://www.um.edu.mt/study |archive-date=1 August 2019 |access-date=17 January 2020 |website=L-Università ta' Malta |language=en}}</ref><ref name=MED/>

Of the total number of pupils studying a first foreign language at secondary level, 51 per cent take Italian whilst 38 per cent take French. Other choices include German, Russian, Spanish, Latin, Chinese and Arabic.<ref name=LinguisticView/><ref>{{Cite web |date=1 September 2004 |title=Foreign Language Learning; National Statistics Office |url=http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=580  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090114113545/http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=580 |archive-date=14 January 2009 |website=gov.mt}}</ref>

Malta is also a popular destination to study the English language, attracting over 83,000 students in 2019.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 April 2013 |title=Malta on the rebound, language student arrivals up 18.2 per cent over last year |url=http://monitor.icef.com/2013/04/malta-on-the-rebound-language-student-arrivals-up-18-2-over-last-year/ |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925094205/http://monitor.icef.com/2013/04/malta-on-the-rebound-language-student-arrivals-up-18-2-over-last-year/ |archive-date=25 September 2015 |access-date=23 September 2015 |website=ICEF Monitor}}</ref>

=== Health ===
{{main|Health in Malta}}

{{see also|Healthcare in Malta}}
[[File:Mater Dei 01.jpg|thumb|right|[[Mater Dei Hospital]]]]

Malta has a long history of providing [[publicly funded health care]]. The first hospital recorded in the country was already functioning by 1372.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Civil Hospitals in Malta in the Last Two Hundred Years |url=http://www.geocities.com/hotsprings/2615/medhist/hospital2.htm  |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091020134711/http://geocities.com/HotSprings/2615/medhist/hospital2.htm |archive-date=20 October 2009 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=Geocities.com}}</ref> Today, Malta has both a public healthcare system, where healthcare is free at the point of delivery, and a private healthcare system.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The Health Care System in Malta_1 |url=http://www.sahha.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=156 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070711220500/http://www.sahha.gov.mt/pages.aspx?page=156 |archive-date=11 July 2007 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=Sahha.gov.mt}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Government of Malta&nbsp;– Health Services |url=http://www.gov.mt/servicecluster.asp?s=4&l=2 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20050305122930/http://www.gov.mt/servicecluster.asp?s=4&l=2 |archive-date=5 March 2005 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=Gov.mt}}</ref> Malta has a strong general practitioner-delivered primary care base and the public hospitals provide secondary and tertiary care. The Maltese Ministry of Health advises foreign residents to take out private medical insurance.<ref>{{Cite web |date=17 October 2006 |title=Healthcare in Malta&nbsp;– Allo' Expat Malta |url=http://www.alloexpat.com/moving_to_malta_forum/healthcare-in-malta-t162.html |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160101065622/http://www.alloexpat.com/moving_to_malta_forum/healthcare-in-malta-t162.html |archive-date=1 January 2016 |access-date=31 March 2009 |url-status=usurped |website=Alloexpat.com}}</ref>

Malta also boasts voluntary organisations such as Alpha Medical (Advanced Care), the Emergency Fire & Rescue Unit (E.F.R.U.), St John Ambulance and Red Cross Malta who provide first aid/nursing services during events involving crowds. The Mater Dei hospital, Malta's primary hospital, opened in 2007. It has one of the largest medical buildings in Europe.

The [[University of Malta]] has a medical school and a Faculty of [[Health Sciences]]. The [[Medical Association of Malta]] represents practitioners of the medical profession. The [[Foundation Programme (United Kingdom medical education)|Foundation Program]]me followed in the UK has been introduced in Malta to stem the 'brain drain' of newly graduated physicians to the British Isles.
{{Clear}}

==Culture==
{{main|Culture of Malta}}
[[File:Malta - Mdina - Pjazza San Pawl + St. Paul's Cathedral ex 01 ies.jpg|thumb|[[St. Paul's Cathedral, Mdina]] built in the [[Baroque architecture|Baroque]] style]]
The culture of Malta reflects the various cultures that have come into contact with the Maltese Islands throughout the centuries.<ref>{{Cite news |title=The struggle for independence |newspaper=[[Times of Malta]] |url=https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180926/community/the-struggle-for-independence.690050 |url-status=live |access-date=26 September 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180926201610/https://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20180926/community/the-struggle-for-independence.690050 |archive-date=26 September 2018}}</ref>

===Customs===
{{main|Maltese folklore}}

A 2010 [[Charities Aid Foundation]] study found that the Maltese were the most generous people in the world, with 83% contributing to charity.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Crary |first=David |date=9 September 2010 |title=Study finds Americans in generous mood |work=The Huffington Post via Burlington Free Press |url=http://silentrebellion.newsvine.com/_news/2010/09/09/5079433-11-most-generous-countries-of-2010 |access-date=11 September 2010 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110406130057/http://silentrebellion.newsvine.com/_news/2010/09/09/5079433-11-most-generous-countries-of-2010 |archive-date=6 April 2011}}</ref><!---note that location of soft copy and hard copy differ. They are the same article, however--->

Maltese folktales include various stories about mysterious creatures and supernatural events. These were most comprehensively compiled by the scholar (and pioneer in Maltese [[archaeology]]) [[Manuel Magri|Manwel Magri]]<ref>"Patri Manwel Magri u l-Ipoġew", Lil Ħbiebna, November 2003, pp. 195–197.</ref> in his core criticism "{{Lang|mt|Ħrejjef Missirijietna}}" ("Fables from our Forefathers"). This collection of material inspired subsequent researchers and academics to gather traditional [[Folklore|tales]], [[fable]]s and [[legend]]s from all over the Archipelago.<ref name="MaltaRecentEconomic">{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=VAm3CwAAQBAJ&q=Valletta+Waterfront+and+Tign%C3%A9+Point+have+been+or+are+being+renovated&pg=PA38 |title=Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |date=May 2007 |publisher=Lulu.com |isbn=978-1-4330-6350-3 |language=en}}</ref> While giants, witches, and dragons feature in many of the stories, some contain entirely Maltese creatures like the [[Kaw kaw]], [[Il-Belliegħa]] and [[L-Imħalla]] among others.

===Traditions===
Traditional Maltese proverbs reveal cultural importance of childbearing and fertility: "''iż-żwieġ mingħajr tarbija ma fihx tgawdija''" (a childless marriage cannot be a happy one). This is a belief that Malta shares with many other Mediterranean cultures. In Maltese folktales the local variant of the classic closing formula, "and they all lived happily ever after" is "''u għammru u tgħammru, u spiċċat''" (and they lived together, and they had children together, and the tale is finished).<ref>Cassar Pullicino, J. (1992) "A New Look at Old Customs", in [https://books.google.com/books?id=2TbaAAAAMAAJ ''Studies in Maltese Folklore''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150907184538/https://books.google.com/books?id=2TbaAAAAMAAJ |date=7 September 2015 }}, Malta University Press (1992).</ref>
[[File:Carnival in Valletta - Costumes from the Renaissance 01.jpg|thumb|[[Maltese Carnival]] has been celebrated since the 1400s.]]
Rural Malta shares in common with the Mediterranean society a number of superstitions regarding fertility, menstruation, and pregnancy, including the avoidance of cemeteries leading up to childbirth, and avoiding the preparation of certain foods during menses. Pregnant women are encouraged to satisfy their [[food cravings]], out of fear that their unborn child will bear a representational birth mark (Maltese: ''xewqa'', literally "desire" or "craving"). Maltese and Sicilian folk tradition includes beliefs thought to predict the sex of an unborn child, such as using the moon cycle, the way the baby is carried, or the motion of a ring suspended over the abdomen.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cassar Pullicino |first=Joseph |title=Studies in Maltese Folklore |publisher=Malta University Press |year=1992 |pages=208–209}}</ref>

Traditionally, Maltese newborns were baptised as soon as possible.<ref>{{cite journal |last=Cassar-Pullicino |first=Joseph |year=1951 |title=Maltese Customs and Beliefs in 1575 |journal=Folklore |volume=62 |issue=1 |pages=11–12 |doi=10.1080/0015587X.1951.9718062 |jstor=1257273}}</ref> At baptismal feasts, traditional sweets and liqueurs associated with the occasion included ''biskuttini tal-magħmudija'', ''torta tal-marmorata'', and ''rożolin''.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cassar Pullicino |first=Joseph |title=Studies in Maltese Folklore |publisher=Malta University Press |year=1992 |pages=208–209}}</ref>

On a child's first birthday, in a tradition that still survives today, Maltese parents would organise a game known as ''il-quċċija'', where a variety of symbolic objects would be randomly placed around the child. Whichever object the child shows the most interest in is said to reveal the child's path and fortunes in adulthood.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Maltese Traditions: Il-Quċċija |url=https://www.airmalta.com/destinations/malta/blog/detail/maltese-traditions-il-quccija |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709143201/https://www.airmalta.com/destinations/malta/blog/detail/maltese-traditions-il-quccija |archive-date=9 July 2019 |access-date=9 July 2019 |website=Airmalta.com|date=2 March 2015}}</ref>

Traditional Maltese weddings included a bridal procession from the bride's home to the parish church, often accompanied by singers performing ''il-ġilwa'' beneath a decorated canopy.<ref>{{cite book |last=Cassar Pullicino |first=Joseph |title=Studies in Maltese Folklore |publisher=Malta University Press |year=1992 |pages=208–210}}</ref> Historically, Maltese women wore the ''għonnella'', a traditional form of dress.<ref>{{cite web |title=Traditional Maltese Clothing |url=https://www.visitmalta.com/en/a/traditional-costume/}}</ref>

In modern times, couples are typically married in churches or chapels, followed by wedding receptions, although some incorporate elements of traditional customs into their celebrations.

A renewed interest in historical wedding traditions was demonstrated in 2007, when a large-scale 16th-century style wedding reenactment was held in Żurrieq, attracting both locals and tourists.<ref>[ADD RELIABLE NEWS SOURCE HERE]</ref>

===Festivals and events===
[[File:The statue of St. George issuing from the Basilica on the third Sunday of July.jpg|thumb|The statue of St. George at the ''festa'' of [[Victoria, Gozo]]|219x219px]]
Local festivals, similar to those in Southern Italy, are commonplace in Malta and Gozo, celebrating weddings, [[Baptism|christenings]] and, most prominently, [[calendar of saints|saints' days]]. On saints' days, in the morning, the ''festa'' reaches its apex with a [[Mass (liturgy)|High Mass]] featuring a sermon on the life and achievements of the patron saint. In the evening, a statue of the religious patron is taken around the local streets in solemn procession, with the faithful following in prayer. The atmosphere of religious devotion is preceded by several days of celebration and revelry: band marches, [[fireworks]], and late-night parties. The largest festa is possibly that of the [[Assumption of Mary]], which is celebrated in 8 parishes on 15 August and in 2 other parishes the following Sunday.<ref>{{cite web |title=Malta celebrates Santa Marija: A day of faith, history, and festivity |url=https://newsbook.com.mt/en/malta-celebrates-santa-marija-a-day-of-faith-history-and-festivity/ |website=Newsbook |access-date=5 October 2024 |archive-date=7 October 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20241007094447/https://newsbook.com.mt/en/malta-celebrates-santa-marija-a-day-of-faith-history-and-festivity/ |url-status=live }}</ref>[[File:Saint Mary Mgarr.jpg|thumb|221x221px|The statue of [[Holy Mary|Santa Marija]] at the ''festa'' of [[Mġarr|Mġarr, Malta]]|left]] [[Maltese Carnival|Carnival]] (Maltese: ''il-karnival ta' Malta'') has had an important place on the cultural calendar after [[Grand Master (order)|Grand Master]] It is held during the week leading up to [[Ash Wednesday]], and typically includes masked balls, fancy dress and grotesque mask competitions, lavish late-night parties, a colourful, ticker-tape parade of allegorical [[float (parade)|floats]] presided over by King Carnival (Maltese: ''ir-Re tal-Karnival''), marching bands and costumed revellers.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 March 2017 |title=The Malta Independent on Sunday |url=https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170312/282226600527054 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191219090605/https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170312/282226600527054 |archive-date=19 December 2019 |access-date=19 December 2019 |via=PressReader}}</ref>

[[Holy Week in Malta|Holy Week]] (Maltese: ''il-Ġimgħa Mqaddsa'') starts on [[Palm Sunday]] (''Ħadd il-Palm'') and ends on [[Easter|Easter Sunday]] (''Ħadd il-Għid'').

<!-- This section is linked from 29 June -->
[[Maltese folklore#Mnarja|Mnarja]], or l-Imnarja (pronounced ''lim-nar-ya'') is one of the most important dates on the Maltese cultural calendar. Officially, it is a national festival dedicated to the feast of [[Saint]]s [[Saint Peter|Peter]] and [[Paul the Apostle|Paul]]. Its roots can be traced back to the pagan [[Roman Republic|Roman]] feast of ''Luminaria'' (literally, "the illumination"), when torches and bonfires lit up the early summer night of 29 June.<ref>''Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments'' {{ISBN|978-1-433-06350-3}} p. 41</ref> The festivities still commence today with the reading of the ''"bandu"'', an official governmental announcement, which has been read on this day in Malta since the 16th century. It is said that under the Knights, this was the one day in the year when the Maltese were allowed to hunt and eat [[hare|wild rabbit]], which was otherwise reserved for the hunting pleasures of the Knights. The close connection between Mnarja and [[rabbit stew]] (Maltese: ''"fenkata"'') remains strong today.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cassar |first=Carmel |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/23890/1/FENKATA.PDF |title=Fenkata: An emblem of Maltese peasant resistance? |date=1994 |publisher=Ministry for Youth and the Arts |access-date=18 December 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191218193705/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/123456789/23890/1/FENKATA.PDF |archive-date=18 December 2019 |url-status=live}}</ref>

[[File:Malta - ZebbugM - Good Friday 225 ies.jpg|thumb|[[Holy Week procession]] in Żebbuġ|202x202px]]Isle of MTV is a one-day music festival produced and broadcast on an annual basis by MTV. The festival has been arranged annually in Malta since 2007, with major pop artists performing each year. 2012 saw the performances of worldwide acclaimed artists [[Flo Rida]], [[Nelly Furtado]] and [[Will.i.am]]. Over 50,000 people attended, which marked the biggest attendance so far.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Isle of MTV 2012 |url=http://www.gozoandmalta.com/galleries/index.php/Isle-of-MTV-2012---Photos-by-Clint-Gerald-Attard |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120708022315/http://www.gozoandmalta.com/galleries/index.php/Isle-of-MTV-2012---Photos-by-Clint-Gerald-Attard |archive-date=8 July 2012 |access-date=28 June 2012 |url-status=usurped |publisher=gozoandmalta}}</ref>

The Malta International Fireworks Festival has been arranged annually in the [[Grand Harbour]] of Valletta since 2003.<ref>{{Cite news |date=25 February 2016 |title=Top 25 Annual Events in Malta Not to Miss |work=MaltaUncovered.com |url=https://www.maltauncovered.com/things-to-do/top-events/ |access-date=4 January 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180104192312/https://www.maltauncovered.com/things-to-do/top-events/ |archive-date=4 January 2018}}</ref>

===Architecture===
{{main|Architecture of Malta}}

[[File:Valletta Lower Barrakka gardens Malta 2014 2.jpg|thumb|right|[[Lower Barrakka Gardens]]]]

Maltese architecture has been influenced by many different Mediterranean cultures and British architecture over its history.<ref>{{Cite news |last=Diab |first=Khaled |date=26 July 2010 |title=Malta's mash of civilisations {{!}} Khaled Diab |language=en-GB |work=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/malta-mash-civilisations-eu-membership |url-status=live |access-date=17 January 2020 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180810094352/https://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jul/26/malta-mash-civilisations-eu-membership |archive-date=10 August 2018 |issn=0261-3077}}</ref> The first settlers on the island constructed [[Ġgantija]], one of the oldest manmade freestanding structures in the world. The Neolithic temple builders (3800–2500 BC) endowed the numerous temples of Malta and Gozo with intricate bas-relief designs.

The Roman period introduced highly decorative mosaic floors, marble colonnades, and classical statuary, remnants of which are beautifully preserved and presented in the Roman Domus, a country villa just outside the walls of [[Mdina]]. The early Christian frescoes that decorate the [[catacombs]] beneath Malta reveal a propensity for eastern, [[Byzantine]] tastes. These tastes continued to inform the endeavours of [[medieval]] Maltese artists, but they were increasingly influenced by the [[Romanesque art|Romanesque]] and [[Southern French Gothic]] movements.

===Art===
Towards the end of the 15th century, Maltese artists, like their counterparts in Sicily, came under the influence of the School of [[Antonello da Messina]], which introduced [[Renaissance]] ideals and concepts to the decorative arts in Malta.<ref name="hopeandoptimism1">{{Cite web |last=Cutajar |first=D. |title=An Overview of the Art of Malta |url=http://www.hopeandoptimism.com/essay.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081206001808/http://www.hopeandoptimism.com/essay.htm |archive-date=6 December 2008 |access-date=31 March 2009 |website=The Hope and Optimism Portfolio}}</ref>

[[File:The Siege of Malta- Flight of the Turks, 13 September 1565 RMG L9745.jpg|thumb|''The Siege of Malta&nbsp;– Flight of the Turks'', by [[Matteo Perez d'Aleccio]]]]

The artistic heritage of Malta blossomed under the [[Knights Hospitaller|Knights of St. John]], who brought Italian and Flemish [[Mannerist]] painters to decorate their palaces and the churches of these islands, most notably, [[Matteo Perez d'Aleccio]], whose works appear in the [[Grandmaster's Palace in Valletta|Magisterial Palace]] and in the [[St. John's Co-Cathedral|Conventual Church of St. John]] in Valletta, and Filippo Paladini, who was active in Malta from 1590 to 1595. For many years, Mannerism continued to inform the tastes and ideals of local Maltese artists.<ref name="hopeandoptimism1" />

The arrival in Malta of [[Caravaggio]], who painted at least seven works during his 15-month stay on these islands, further revolutionised local art. Two of Caravaggio's most notable works, ''[[The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist (Caravaggio)|The Beheading of Saint John the Baptist]]'' and ''[[Saint Jerome Writing (Valletta)|Saint Jerome Writing]]'', are on display in the Conventual Church of St. John. His legacy is evident in the works of local artists Giulio Cassarino and [[Stefano Erardi]]. However, the [[Baroque]] movement that followed was destined to have the most enduring impact on Maltese art and architecture. The vault paintings of the Calabrese artist [[Mattia Preti]] transformed the Conventual Church St. John into a Baroque masterpiece. [[Melchiorre Cafà|Melchior Gafà]] emerged as one of the top Baroque sculptors of the Roman School.<ref>{{Cite thesis |last=Medina |first=Ashley Marie |title=Melchiorre Cafà and Camillo Pamphilj: The Art of Patronage in Seventeenth-Century Rome |date=June 2015 |access-date=2 August 2024 |degree=Master of Arts |publisher=[[UC Riverside]] |url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/ef0ceaa780966f1127433fffb784dec7/}}</ref>

[[File:'Still Life of Pomegranates, Peaches, Apples and other Fruit' by Francesco Noletti.jpg|thumb|[[Francesco Noletti]]'s ''Still Life of Pomegranates, Peaches and other Fruits'']]

During the 17th and 18th centuries, [[Naples|Neapolitan]] and [[Rococo]] influences emerged in the works of the Italian painters [[Luca Giordano]] and [[Francesco Solimena]], and these developments can be seen in the work of their Maltese contemporaries such as [[Gio Nicola Buhagiar]] and [[Francesco Zahra]]. The Rococo movement was greatly enhanced by the relocation to Malta of [[Antoine de Favray]], who assumed the position of court painter to Grand Master Pinto in 1744.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Antoine Favray And his works |url=https://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-03-26/news/antoine-favray-and-his-works-205443/ |date=26 March 2008 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619120019/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2008-03-26/news/antoine-favray-and-his-works-205443 |archive-date=19 June 2019 |access-date=17 January 2020 |website=The Malta Independent}}</ref>

[[Neo-classicism]] made some inroads among local Maltese artists in the late-18th century, but this trend was reversed in the early 19th century, as the local Church authorities&nbsp;– perhaps in an effort to strengthen Catholic resolve against the perceived threat of Protestantism during the early days of British rule in Malta&nbsp;– favoured and avidly promoted the religious themes embraced by the [[Nazarene movement]]. [[Romanticism]], tempered by the naturalism introduced to Malta by [[Giuseppe Calì]], informed the "salon" artists of the early 20th century, including Edward and Robert Caruana Dingli.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Petroni |first=Nikki |date=12 February 2017 |title=Intimacy and Introspection |url=https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170212/282544428053095 |access-date=17 January 2020 |website=The Malta Independent |archive-date=3 February 2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210203120207/https://www.pressreader.com/malta/the-malta-independent-on-sunday/20170212/282544428053095 |url-status=live }}</ref>

Parliament established the National School of Art in the 1920s. During the reconstruction period that followed the Second World War, the emergence of the "Modern Art Group", whose members included Josef Kalleya, George Preca, Anton Inglott, [[Emvin Cremona]], [[Frank Portelli (artist)|Frank Portelli]], [[Antoine Camilleri (artist)|Antoine Camilleri]], [[Gabriel Caruana]] and [[Esprit Barthet]] greatly enhanced the local art scene. This group came together forming an influential pressure group known as the Modern Art Group, which played a leading role in the renewal of Maltese art. Most of Malta's modern artists have in fact studied in art institutions in England, or on the continent, leading to a diversity of artistic expression that has remained characteristic of contemporary Maltese art. In Valletta, the [[National Museum of Fine Arts, Malta|National Museum of Fine Arts]] featured work from artists such as [[H. Craig Hanna]].<ref name="MaltaInd">[http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-04-23/news/right-outside-my-window-90329/ "Right Outside my Window"] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140416182555/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2006-04-23/news/right-outside-my-window-90329/ |date=16 April 2014}}, ''The Malta Independent'', 23 April 2006. Retrieved 11 June 2014</ref> In 2018 the national collection of fine arts was put on display in the new National Museum of Art, [[MUŻA]], at [[Auberge d'Italie]] in Valletta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Updated: New museum for contemporary artists opened in Valletta |first=Giulia |last=Magri |date=10 November 2018 |url=http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-11-10/local-news/New-museum-for-contemporary-artists-opened-in-Valletta-6736199157 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190212070513/http://www.independent.com.mt/articles/2018-11-10/local-news/New-museum-for-contemporary-artists-opened-in-Valletta-6736199157 |archive-date=12 February 2019 |access-date=11 February 2019 |website=The Malta Independent}}</ref>

===Music===
{{main|Music of Malta}}

[[File:Manoel Theater.jpg|thumb|upright|[[Manoel Theatre]], Europe's third-oldest working theatre. Now Malta's National Theatre and home to the [[Malta Philharmonic Orchestra]].]]
While Maltese music today is largely Western, traditional Maltese music includes what is known as ''[[Għana (folk music)|għana]]''. This consists of background [[folk guitar]] music, while a few people, generally men, take it in turns to argue a point in a sing-song voice. Music plays an important part in Maltese culture as each locality parades its own band club, on various occasions these being multiple per locality, and function to establish the thematic musical background to the various [[Public holidays in Malta|village feasts]]. The [[Malta Philharmonic Orchestra]] is recognised as Malta's foremost musical institution and is notable for being called to participate in important state events.

Contemporary music in Malta spans a variety of styles and sports international classical talents such as [[Miriam Gauci]] and [[Joseph Calleja]], as well as non-classical music bands such as [[Winter Moods]], and [[Red Electric (band)|Red Electric]], and singers like [[Ira Losco]], [[Fabrizio Faniello]], [[Glen Vella]], [[Kevin Borg]], [[Kurt Calleja]], [[Chiara Siracusa]], and [[Thea Garrett]].

===Literature===
{{Main|Maltese literature}}

Documented Maltese literature is over 200 years old. However, a recently unearthed love ballad testifies to literary activity in the local tongue from the Medieval period. Malta followed a Romantic literary tradition, culminating in the works of [[Dun Karm Psaila]], Malta's national poet. Subsequent writers like [[Ruzar Briffa]] and Karmenu Vassallo tried to estrange themselves from the rigidity of formal themes and versification.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malta Country: Strategic Information and Developments |date=3 March 2012 |publisher=Int'l Business Publications |isbn=978-1-4387-7497-8}}</ref>

The next generation of writers, including [[Karl Schembri]] and [[Immanuel Mifsud]], widened the tracks further, especially in prose and poetry.<ref>{{Cite book |title=Malta Recent Economic and Political Developments Yearbook Volume 1 Strategic Information and Developments |publisher=Int'l Business Publications, Inc. |year=2013 |isbn=978-1-4330-6350-3 |page=38}}</ref>

===Media===
{{further|List of newspapers in Malta|List of radio stations in Malta|Television in Malta}}
The most widely read and financially the strongest newspapers are published by Allied Newspapers Ltd., mainly ''[[The Times of Malta]]'' (27 percent) and its Sunday edition ''The Sunday Times of Malta'' (51.6 percent).{{Citation needed|date=August 2017}} Due to [[Multilingualism|bilingualism]] half of the newspapers are published in English and the other half in [[Maltese language|Maltese]]. The Sunday newspaper ''It-Torċa'' ("The Torch") published by a subsidiary of the [[General Workers' Union (Malta)|General Workers' Union]], is the widest Maltese language paper. Its sister paper, ''[[L-Orizzont]]'' ("The Horizon"), is the Maltese daily with the biggest circulation. There is a high number of daily or weekly newspapers&mdash;one for every 28,000&nbsp;people. Advertising, sales, and [[Subsidy|subsidies]] are the three main methods of financing.<ref name="a1">{{Cite web |last=Borg, Joseph |title=Malta – Media Landscape |url=http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/malta |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160214170706/http://ejc.net/media_landscapes/malta |archive-date=14 February 2016 |access-date=10 March 2016 |website=European Journalism Centre}}</ref>

There are nine terrestrial television channels in Malta: [[TVM (Malta)|TVM]], [[TVMNews+]], [[Parliament TV (Malta)|Parliament TV]], [[One (Maltese TV channel)|One]], [[NET Television (Malta)|NET Television]], [[Smash Television]], [[F Living]], [[TVMSport+]] and [[Xejk]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Debattista |first=Martin |date=20 October 2011 |title=Analogue TV is dead: Long live digital TV! |work=The Times of Malta |url=http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111020/technology/Analogue-TV-is-dead-Long-live-digital-TV-.389995 |url-status=live |access-date=3 March 2016 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160408015221/http://www.timesofmalta.com/articles/view/20111020/technology/Analogue-TV-is-dead-Long-live-digital-TV-.389995 |archive-date=8 April 2016}}</ref> The state and [[List of political parties in Malta|political parties]] subsidise most of the funding of these channels. TVM, TVMNews+, and Parliament TV are operated by [[Public Broadcasting Services]], the [[public broadcasting|national broadcaster]], and members of the [[European Broadcasting Union|EBU]]. Media.link Communications Ltd., the owner of NET Television, and [[One Productions Ltd]]., the owner of One, are affiliated with the [[Nationalist Party (Malta)|Nationalist]] and [[Labour Party (Malta)|Labour]] parties, respectively. The rest are privately owned. The Malta Broadcasting Authority has authority to supervise all local broadcasting stations and ensures their compliance with legal and licence obligations as well as the preservation of due impartiality.<ref>{{Cite web |title=About Us |url=https://ba.org.mt/about-us |access-date=26 June 2024 |website=ba.org.mt}}</ref>

The Malta Communications Authority reported that there were 147,896 pay TV subscriptions active at the end of 2012.<ref>{{Cite web |title=MCA Communications Market Review, July to December 2012 |url=https://www.mca.org.mt/sites/default/files/attachments/reports/2013/cmr-sh-2012-report-24-04-2012.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130512091647/http://www.mca.org.mt/sites/default/files/attachments/reports/2013/cmr-sh-2012-report-24-04-2012.pdf |archive-date=12 May 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |publisher=Malta Communications Authority}}</ref> For reference the 2011 census counts 139,583 households in Malta.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Census of Population and Housing 2011 (Preliminary Report) |url=http://www.nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3424 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130515202638/http://nso.gov.mt/statdoc/document_file.aspx?id=3424 |archive-date=15 May 2013 |access-date=11 June 2013 |publisher=National Statistics Office, Malta}}</ref> Other European television networks can be received via satellite.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Broadcasting Authority |url=https://ba.org.mt/en/home |access-date=16 April 2024 |website=ba.org.mt |archive-date=20 August 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220820053003/https://ba.org.mt/en/home |url-status=live}}</ref>

===Cuisine===
{{Main|Maltese cuisine}}

{{See also|List of Maltese dishes}}

[[File:Malta Pastizzi.JPG|thumb|right|upright|''[[Pastizzi]]'', a typical Maltese snack]]
Maltese cuisine shows strong [[Sicilian cuisine|Sicilian]] and [[Italian cuisine|Italian]] influences as well as influences of [[English cuisine|English]], [[Spanish cuisine|Spanish]], [[Maghreb cuisine|Maghrebin]] and [[Provençal cuisine|Provençal]] cuisines. A number of regional variations can be noted as well as seasonal variations associated with the seasonal availability of produce and Christian feasts (such as [[Lent]], Easter and Christmas). Food has been important historically in the development of a national identity in particular the traditional ''fenkata'' (i.e., the eating of stewed or fried rabbit). Potatoes are a staple of the Maltese diet as well.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Cassar |first=Carmel |url=https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/23890/FENKATA.PDF?sequence=1&isAllowed=y |title=Fenkata: an emblem of Maltese peasant resistance? |publisher=Ministry for Youth and the Arts |year=1994 |page=19 |access-date=4 December 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180113003419/https://www.um.edu.mt/library/oar/bitstream/handle/123456789/23890/FENKATA.PDF?sequence=1 |archive-date=13 January 2018 }}</ref>

A number of grapes are endemic to Malta, including [[Girgentina]] and [[Ġellewża]]. There is a strong [[Maltese wine|wine industry]], with significant production of wines using these native grapes, as well as locally grown grapes of other more common varietals. A number of wines have achieved [[Protected Designation of Origin]], with wines produced from grapes cultivated in Malta and Gozo designated as "DOK" wines, that is {{Lang|mt|Denominazzjoni ta' l-Oriġini Kontrollata}}.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Quality Wines |url=https://agriculture.gov.mt/en/agricultural_directorate/Pages/qualityWines.aspx |website=agriculture.gov.mt |language=en }}{{Dead link|date=June 2023 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref>

===Sport===
{{main|Sport in Malta}}

Football (soccer) is one of the most popular sports in Malta. Other popular sports include [[boċċi]], horse racing, [[gostra]], [[regatta]], [[water polo]], [[clay pigeon shooting]], and motorsports.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.welcome-center-malta.com/post/top-sports-in-malta-traditional-and-most-common|access-date=10 September 2023|title=Top sports in Malta|publisher=Welcome Center Malta}}</ref>

In 2018 Malta hosted its first [[Esports]] tournament, 'Supernova CS:GO Malta',<ref>{{Cite web |title=Supernova CS:GO Malta &#124; Malta's first ever pro esports tournament |url=https://www.supernovamalta.com |url-status=usurped |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190816074525/https://www.supernovamalta.com/ |archive-date=16 August 2019 |access-date=18 January 2020}}</ref> a [[Counter-Strike: Global Offensive]] tournament.<ref>{{Cite web |title=SUPERNOVA CS:GO MALTA |url=https://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2018-11/supernova-cs-go-malta-12050 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190709144543/https://www.visitmalta.com/en/event-details/2018-11/supernova-cs-go-malta-12050 |archive-date=9 July 2019 |access-date=9 July 2019 |website=Visitmalta.com}}</ref> Also since 2018, Malta has become the primary location for hosting the [[ESL Pro League]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=ESL Pro League remains in Malta until 2024 |url=https://esportsinsider.com/2022/08/esl-pro-league-remains-in-malta-until-2024 |access-date=22 March 2023 |website=esportsinsider.com |date=25 August 2022 |archive-date=22 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230322130141/https://esportsinsider.com/2022/08/esl-pro-league-remains-in-malta-until-2024 |url-status=live}}</ref>

==See also==
{{Portal|Malta|Countries|Europe|European Union|Islands
}}
* [[Outline of Malta]]
* [[Index of Malta-related articles]]
* [[Geology of Malta]]
{{clear}}

== Notes ==
{{notelist}}

==References==
===Citations===
{{reflist}}

===Sources===
* {{Cite book |last=Cramer |first=John Anthony |url=https://archive.org/details/ageographicalan04cramgoog |title=Geographical and Historical Description of Ancient Greece |publisher=Clarendon Press |year=1828 |pages=[https://archive.org/details/ageographicalan04cramgoog/page/n63 45]–46}}
* {{Cite web |title=Map of Malta and Gozo |url=http://www.maltastreetmap.com/ |access-date=10 April 2009 |website=Street Map of Malta and Gozo |archive-date=16 July 2009 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090716061437/http://www.maltastreetmap.com/ |url-status=dead}}
* {{Cite web |title=Photos of Gozo sister island of Malta |url=http://www.gozo.us |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081023015349/http://www.gozo.us/ |archive-date=23 October 2008 |access-date=17 November 2006 |website=Photos of Gozo}}
* {{Cite web |title=Photos of Malta |url=http://www.pvv.org/~bct/malta/ |access-date=26 May 2008 |archive-date=30 June 2008 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080630175003/http://www.pvv.org/~bct/malta/ |url-status=live}}
* {{Cite CIA World Factbook|country=Malta|date=22 September 2021 |access-date=23 January 2021}}
* {{Cite web |title=Gov.mt |url=http://www.gov.mt |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20010516224507/http://www.gov.mt/ |archive-date=16 May 2001 |access-date=1 November 2005 |website=Government of Malta}}
* [https://web.archive.org/web/20070613181149/http://www.omertaa.org/volumes/volume20071/index/index.html Omertaa, Journal for Applied Anthropology]{{spaced ndash}}Volume 2007/1, Thematic Issue on Malta
*[http://primo.nli.org.il/primo_library/libweb/action/dlDisplay.do?vid=NLI&docId=NNL_MAPS_JER002471715 Antonio Lafreri map of Malta, 1565] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200609171214/http://primo.nli.org.il/primo-explore/fulldisplay?vid=NLI&docid=NNL_MAPS_JER002471715&context=L |date=9 June 2020}}.. Eran Laor Cartographic Collection. The [[National Library of Israel]]
<!--*For the migration section: https://web.archive.org/web/20110719181436/http://www.alternattiva.org.mt/filebank/documents/Fiona%20TEXEIRE-%20At%20the%20Gate%20of%20Fortress%20Europe.pdf [gotta shorten this thing, somehow]-->

===Attribution===
* {{Cite encyclopedia |title=Malta |url=http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555566/Malta.html |access-date=1 November 2005 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091028215840/http://encarta.msn.com/encyclopedia_761555566/Malta.html |archive-date=28 October 2009 |encyclopedia=MSN Encarta }}

===Bibliography===
* {{Cite news |date=15 April 1942 |title=1942: Malta gets George Cross for bravery |work=BBC "On this day" |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3530000/3530301.stm |access-date=22 June 2006 |archive-date=7 August 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180807051148/http://news.bbc.co.uk/onthisday/hi/dates/stories/april/15/newsid_3530000/3530301.stm |url-status=live }}
* {{Cite book |last=Bowen-Jones |first=Howard |title=Malta Background for Development |publisher=University of Durham |year=1962 |oclc=204863 |display-authors=etal}}
* {{Cite book |last=Cassar |first=Carmel |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=c3nJnQEACAAJ |title=A Concise History of Malta |date=2000 |publisher=Mireva Publications |isbn=978-1-870579-52-0}}
* {{Cite EB1911 |wstitle=Malta |volume=17 |pages=507–514}}
* {{Cite book |last=Francesco Balbi di Correggio 1568 translated Ernle Bradford |title=The Siege of Malta 1565 |publisher=Penguin |year=2003 |orig-date=1965 |isbn=978-0-14-101202-5 |chapter=chapter II}}
* {{Cite book |last=Carolyn Bain |url=https://archive.org/details/lonelyplanetmalt00caro |title=Malta |publisher=Lonely Planet Publication |year=2004 |isbn=978-1-74059-178-2}}
* Charles Mifsud, The Climatological History of The Maltese Islands, Minerva 1984
* {{Cite book |last=Williams |first=Paul |title=Malta&nbsp;– Island Under Siege |publisher=Pen and Sword Books |year=2009 |isbn=978-1-84884-012-6}}
* {{Cite book |last1=Rudolf |first1=Uwe Jens |title=Historical Dictionary of Malta |last2=Berg |first2=W. G. |publisher=Scarecrow Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-0-8108-5317-1 |page=43 |ref=DIC_11}}
* {{Cite book |last=United Nations Development Programme |url=https://archive.org/details/humandevelopment0000unse_t5c8 |title=Human Development Report 2005&nbsp;– International cooperation at a crossroads: Aid, trade and security in an unequal world |publisher=Oxford University Press |year=2006 |isbn=978-0-19-522146-6 |url-access=registration}}
*{{cite book |last=Atauz |first=Ayse Devrim |year=2008 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=FWsUAQAAIAAJ |title=Eight Thousand Years of Maltese Maritime History: Trade, Piracy, and Naval Warfare in the Central Mediterranean|publisher= University Press of Florida|isbn=978-0-8130-3179-8}}
*{{cite book |last1=Hardman |first1=William |title=A history of Malta during the period of the French and British occupations, 1798–1815 |date=1909 |publisher=Longmans, Green & Co |chapter-url=https://archive.org/stream/historyofmaltadu00hard#page/44/mode/2up |chapter=Chapter VII – Attack and Capture of Malta by the French}}
* {{citation |last=Culican |first=William |author-link=William Culican |contribution=Phoenicia and Phoenician Colonization |title=The Cambridge Ancient History |pages=461–546 |date=1992 |publisher=Cambridge University Press |location=[[Cambridge, England|Cambridge]] }}.
* {{citation |last=Filigheddu |first=Paolo |contribution=Die Ortsnamen des Mittelmeerraums in der Phönizischen und Punischen Überlieferung |pages=149–266 |publisher=Ugarit Verlag |date=2007 |editor=Manfried Dietrich |editor2=Oswald Loretz |display-editors=0 |location=Munster |title=Ugarit-Forschungen: Internationales Jahrbuch für die Altertumskunde Syrien-Palästinas |volume={{nbsp}} 38 2006 |ref={{harvid|Filigheddu|2006}}}}. {{in lang|de}}

==Further reading==
* Hastings, Max (2021). ''Operation Pedestal: The Fleet that Battled to Malta, 1942''. New York: HarperCollins. {{ISBN|9780008364960}}

==External links==
{{Sister project links|Malta|voy=Malta}}
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* [https://www.gov.mt/ Gov.mt] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120805145229/https://www.gov.mt/ |date=5 August 2012}}{{spaced ndash}}Maltese Government official site
* [https://www.mepa.org.mt/ Malta Environment and Planning Authority's] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180429225759/http://www.mepa.org.mt/ |date=29 April 2018}} [[Geographic information system|GIS]]
* [https://www.visitmalta.com/en/home Visit Malta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200814230953/https://www.visitmalta.com/en/home |date=14 August 2020}} – Maltese tourism official site
* [https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ Malta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210402195116/https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/malta/ |date=2 April 2021}}. ''[[The World Factbook]]''. [[Central Intelligence Agency]].
* [https://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/malta.htm Malta] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160304114648/http://ucblibraries.colorado.edu/govpubs/for/malta.htm |date=4 March 2016}} from ''UCB Libraries GovPubs''
* {{Wikiatlas|Malta}}
* {{OSM relation|365307}}

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