![]() 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. 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. According to the United Nations, ESPON and EU Commission, "the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region". According to 2020 data by Eurostat, the Functional Urban Area and metropolitan region covered the whole island and has a population of 480,134. Its capital is Valletta, 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 tenth-smallest country by area and fifth most densely populated sovereign country. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the population is 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/ ⓘ 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.An 8-hour cruise stop wouldn’t do Malta’s capital city justice. Valletta has the best public transport connections in the country and you can easily spend three days exploring Valletta itself – there’s plenty to see and do! 4) On a cruiseĭid you know that Valletta is a popular port of call for a number of Mediterranean cruise operators?Īlthough it’s a way of combining a visit to Valletta with other stops in the region, I’d personally recommend making a holiday out of visiting Valletta and Malta as a whole, if you can afford to do so. Unless you’re looking to explore Malta as a whole, you can do without hiring a car.Public parking spaces are hard to find in and near Valletta so you should either look for nearby accommodation that offers parking as part of its premises (hard to find within the city’s walls) or be prepared for a 5-10 minute walk to parking areas just outside Valletta (paid and public).Experienced drivers will be fine, less experienced or nervous drivers should look at one of the above options. Generally speaking, Malta’s roads can get pretty congested, and local drivers aren’t the most courteous or law-abiding you’ll encounter on your travels. You can always hire a car to get you from the airport to Valletta (airport pickup is offered by most rental companies) for between €15 and €25 per day roughly the lowest rate.
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