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| Overview | People | Geography | Economy | Government | Communications | Transport | Military | Map |
| Country | Malta |
| Flag |  |
| Capital | name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Population | 405,165 (July 2009 est.) |
| GMT | +1 |
| Location | Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy) see map |
| Area | total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km |
| Ethnic groups | Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) |
| Religions | Roman Catholic 98% |
| Languages | Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census) |
| Government type | republic |
| National holiday | Independence Day, 21 September (1964) |
| Constitution | 1964 constitution; amended many times |
| Legal system | as a member of the EU, Malta falls within the jurisdiction of both the European Court of Justice and the Court of First Instance; based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations |
| Background | Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began to use the euro as currency in 2008. |
| Internet country code | .mt |
