Malta: Overview of a small island nation and republic

Yes, Malta is a country (and island nation, or small archipelago) consisting of three small islands (Malta, Gozo and Comino).

Yes, Malta is a member state of the European Union.

Yes. Malta adopted the Euro on 1st January, 2008.

The capital city of Malta is Valletta, which is located in the North-Eastern part of Malta, on a peninsula between Marsamxett and Grand Harbour (the world’s third largest natural harbour). The city succeeded Mdina as the country’s capital and was built between 1566 and the early 1570s by the Knights of Malta, under orders from Grand Master Jean Parisot de Valette.

Depending on your home country and your definition of “cheap”, the best way to describe Malta in that sense is “good value”, not cheap. A few examples:

• A Heineken beer in a supermarket: €0.90-€1.00
• Good rib-eye in a decent restaurant: €20-25
• A bottle of Smirnoff: €11
• Mixer drink in a bar in Paceville: €2.50
• A taxi ride from the airport to most localities in Malta: €20
• A bus ticket for a single trip (max 2h): €2.00 (cheaper with a public transport card: €0.75. 7-Day card (unlimited travel): €21.

The vast majority of Malta’s population is Christian (98% of the population, mostly Roman Catholic), and the Maltese are known to be religious (and generally more conservative in their ideals). Although in the past decades there’s a clear shift in terms of mass attendance, with declining interest from the younger generations, religion is still an important part of life in Malta and an integral part of Maltese culture.

Yes, Malta has several sandy beaches, most within easy reach.

Both Maltese and English are the country’s official languages, the latter being spoken quite well by the vast majority of the population. That isn’t a big surprise, considering the country is a former UK colony, gaining independence in 1964. Since 2004, the year of Malta’s accession to the EU, Maltese is also an official European language. Apart from Maltese and English, a large part of the population has a solid foundation in Italian, having grown up watching Italian TV.

It’s CET (Central European time), which translates to UTC +01:00.

Close to 1.6 million tourists flock to Malta annually, on average. That’s more than 3 times the republic’s population. Roughly 30% are visitors from the UK, 14% from Italy, 10% from Germany, 7% from France and 3% from The Netherlands (with the remaining 36% coming from various countries across the globe).

No. Although Malta formed part of the British Empire between 1813 and 1964 (and still forms part of the British Commonwealth today), the country is an independent republic.

Malta joined the EU on 1 May 2004.

No, neither in the actual definition of “third world country”, nor in its connotative meaning is Malta a third world country.

Yes, Malta is safe with relatively low crime levels and no reported terrorist activity.

No, in fact over 90% of the population are Roman Catholic, which is also the country’s official religion.

Yes, most types of alcohol are available for purchase and consumption and the Maltese produce lager beers and liquors themselves.

Malta consists of three major islands (inhabited): Malta, Gozo and Comino.

The weather in Malta is generally warm, being known for its gentle winters and warm, dry summers with over 3,000 hours of sunshine a year. The annual average daytime temperature in winter is 16 C while the average daytime temperature in summer (August being the warmest month) is 32 C. Not surprisingly, it never snows in Malta. Malta enjoys around 3,000 hours of sunshine annually on average , making it one of the sunniest countries in Europe. Compare that figure to London’s 1,461 hours and it’s no wonder this little island nation receives so many foreign visitors throughout the year.

The weather in Malta, in general, can be characterised as being extreme. Summer heat waves can reach up to 40 C, and although winters are relatively warm, the high humidity levels can make winter nights particularly cold. It doesn’t rain often, but when it rains there’s a lot of precipitation, often causing floods with water flowing down valleys congested by modern construction and infrastructure.

Usually for two reasons: 1) Sun & sea and good weather all year round and 2) Discovery – Malta is known for its cultural and historical value. There are many more reasons why people visit Malta, however.

You bet. Squeaky clean. Malta was found to have the best quality bathing water (shared first place with Cyprus and Luxembourg) among 30 EU member states in the 2014 Bathing water quality and trends report (PDF download). 100% Of its bathing water was considered to be of excellent quality.