Malta is a nation of islands in the Mediterranean. It is an archipelago that lies between Italy and Libya and is frequently referred to as Southern Europe[14]. It is 80 kilometers (50 miles) to the south of Sicily (Italy), 284 kilometers (176 miles) to the east of Tunisia, and 333 kilometers (207 miles) to the north of Libya. English and Maltese are the official languages, and 66% of the current Maltese population can speak at least some Italian.

Since roughly 5900 BC, people have lived on Malta. A succession of powers have contested and ruled the islands, including the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. John, French, and British, among others. Its location in the middle of the Mediterranean has given it great strategic importance as a naval base.

Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country in terms of area and the fourth most populous sovereign nation, with a population of approximately 516,000[6] and an area of 316 km2 (122 sq mi). Valletta, its capital, is the smallest national capital in the European Union in terms of population and area. The Functional Urban Area and Metropolitan Region covered the entire island and has 480,134 people, according to Eurostat data from 2020. The United Nations, ESPON, and EU Commission also say that "the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region." Malta is included in rankings of cities or metropolitan areas and is increasingly referred to as a city-state.

In 1813, Malta became a British colony and became the British Mediterranean Fleet's headquarters and way station. It served as an important Allied base for operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean, despite being besieged by the Axis powers during World War II. In 1964, the Malta Independence Act was passed by the British parliament, granting Malta independence as the State of Malta with Elizabeth II as its queen. In 1974, the nation became a republic. Since its independence, it has been a member of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations, and in 2004, it joined the European Union. In 2008, it joined the monetary union of the eurozone.