The Republic of Malta is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. Together, the islands of Malta, Gozo, and Comino make up this Maltese archipelago.
Here’s a statistical snapshot of the Republic of Malta:
MALTA BY THE NUMBERS
- Gained independence from Great Britain in 1964
- 122 square miles
- Has three UNESCO sites
- More than 90 percent of the population is Roman Catholic
- Official languages are Maltese and English
- Capital is Valletta
- Became a member of the European Union in 2004
- Adopted euro currency in 2008
- Smallest member state in the European Union
- More than 1.7 million tourists visited in 2015
- Has more than 30 beaches and bays in the Maltese archipelago
- As of 2013, the population was 425,384: 94.1 percent were Maltese residents and 5.9 percent were foreigners
- As of 2014, 25,000 foreigners lived in Malta: nearly 6,600 were British and more than 1,000 were Somalis
Sources: The World Factbook, VisitMalta.com, Times of Malta, UNHCR
