Malta has been inhabited from circa 5900 BC, since the arrival of settlers originating from European Neolithic agriculturalists. See also: Megalithic Temples of Malta, Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, and Għar Dalam Few other etymological mentions appear in classical literature, with the term Malta appearing in its present form in the Antonine Itinerary. 'Malta' is widely used in more recent versions.Īnother conjecture suggests that the word Malta comes from the Phoenician word Maleth, 'a haven', or 'port' in reference to Malta's many bays and coves.

'Melita' is the spelling used in the Authorized (King James) Version of 1611 and the American Standard Version of 1901. In 1525 William Tyndale used the transliteration 'Melite' in his translation of The New Testament that relied on Greek texts instead of Latin. The Romans called the island Melita, which can be considered either a Latinisation of the Greek or an adaptation of the Doric Greek pronunciation. The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη ( Melitē) meaning 'honey-sweet', possibly for Malta's unique production of honey by an endemic subspecies of bees. The most common etymology is that Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι, meli, 'honey'. The modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language. The origin of the name Malta is uncertain. The economy of Malta is heavily reliant on tourism, and the country promotes itself as a Mediterranean tourist destination with its warmer climate compared to the rest of Europe, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta, and seven megalithic temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. It has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations since independence, and joined the European Union in 2004 it became part of the eurozone monetary union in 2008.Ĭatholicism is the state religion, but the Constitution of Malta guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship. The British parliament passed the Malta Independence Act in 1964, giving Malta independence, with Elizabeth II as its queen. It was besieged by the Axis powers during World War II and was an important Allied base for operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Malta became a British colony in 1813, serving as the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet. Muslim rule ended with the Norman invasion of Malta by Roger I in 1091. While Christianity has been present since the time of the early Christians, Malta was predominantly a Muslim country under Arab rule in the Middle Ages. John, French, and British, amongst others. Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, with a succession of powers having contested and ruled the islands, including the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St.

Malta has been inhabited since approximately 5900 BC. Malta increasingly is referred to as a city-state, and also listed in rankings concerning cities or metropolitan areas. 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, and according to the United Nations, ESPON and EU Commission, 'the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region'. Its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area and population. With a population of about 516,000 over an area of 316 km 2 (122 sq mi), Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country by area and fourth most densely populated sovereign country. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the population is at least conversant in Italian. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily (Italy), 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. It consists of an archipelago between Italy and Libya. Malta ( / ˈ m ɒ l t ə/ i MOL-tə, / ˈ m ɔː l t ə/ MAWL-tə, Maltese: ), officially the Republic of Malta ( Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in Southern Europe, located in the Mediterranean Sea.

eu, shared with other European Union member states ^ Maltese nationals as referred to in the 2021 census.

Valletta weather october