We've got you covered! All the practical info you need to know about Malta in a nutshell.
It's important to have all the know-before-you-go facts straight, and it's handy to find them all in one place. But it's the quirky bits that are even more interesting, so let's start with those first, to keep you curious!
Fun facts
Number of days of sunshine: 300
Number of churches: 359
Population density: Malta is the most densely populated country in the EU and one of the most densely populated countries in the world... just think of it as a floating city.
History: Malta has been inhabited for 7,000 years and has three UNESCO World Heritage Sites, including the capital Valletta, which was built by the Knights of St John following the Great Siege of Malta in 1565.
The nation's passion: The nation is fireworks mad, football mad, water polo mad, politics mad, pastizzi mad and generally passionate to a fault.
Geography
Official name: Republic of Malta
Location: 93 km (58 mi) south of Sicily
Time zone: Central European Time (UTC+1)
Capital city: Valletta 35°54′N 14°31′E
Area of Maltese Archipelago: 316 km² (122 sq mi)
The Maltese Islands: Malta 246 km² (121 sq mi), Gozo 67 km² (26 sq mi), Comino, Cominotto, Filfla, St Paul's Island, Manoel Island (attached to the mainland)
Number of localities: 67 local councils within 316 km²; 53 in Malta and 14 in Gozo
Largest locality (area): Mellieha at 22.6 km² (8.72 sq mi) and 11 k inhabitants
Smallest locality (area): Senglea at 0.21 km² (0.08 sq mi) and 2,784 inhabitants
People
Population 2018 (estimate): 460,297
Largest town (population): Just over 23k inhabitants in Birkirkara (2.7 km²) and St Paul's Bay (14.4 km²)
Smallest town (population): 235 residents in Mdina (0.9 km²)
Official languages: Maltese and English
Other common languages: Italian (66% of the population)
Official religion: Roman Catholic
Political history
Joined EU: 1 May 2004
Schengen Zone: Yes
Independence (from the United Kingdom): 21 September 1964
Republic: 13 December 1974
The President in 2018: Marie Louise Coleiro Preca
The Prime Minister in 2018: Joseph Muscat
Read more about the earlier history of Malta
National Holidays
31 March: Freedom Day
7 June: Sette Giugno
8 September: Victory Day
21 September: Independence Day
13 December: Republic Day
Public Holidays
1 January: New Year's Day
10 February: Feast of Saint Paul's Shipwreck in Malta
19 March: Feast of Saint Joseph
The Friday before Easter: Good Friday
1 May: Worker's Day
29 June: Feast of Saint Peter; Saint Paul
15 August: Feast of the Assumption of Our Lady
8 December: Feast of the Immaculate Conception
25 December: Christmas Day
Read more about Malta's National and Public Holidays
Practicalities
Currency: Euro (€) (EUR)
ISO 3166 code: MT
Internet: .mt
Calling code: +356
Drives: Left
Climate
Average high °C
Jan 15.6 Feb 15.6 Mar 17.3 Apr 19.8 May 24.1 Jun 28.6
Jul 31.5 Aug 31.8 Sep 28.5 Oct 25.0 Nov 20.7 Dec 17.1
Daily mean °C
Jan 12.8 Feb 12.5 Mar 13.9 Apr 16.1 May 19.8 Jun 23.9
Jul 26.6 Aug 27.2 Sep 24.7 Oct 21.5 Nov 17.7 Dec 14.4
Average low °C
Jan 9.9 Feb 9.4 Mar 10.6 Apr 12.4 May 15.5 Jun 19.1
Jul 21.7 Aug 22.6 Sep 20.8 Oct 18.1 Nov 14.6 Dec 11.6
Average rainfall in mm
Jan 98.5 Feb 60.1 Mar 44.2 Apr 20.7 May 16.0 Jun 4.6
Jul 0.3 Aug 12.8 Sep 58.6 Oct 82.9 Nov 92.3 Dec 109.2
Average precipitation days (≥ 1.0 mm)
Jan 10 Feb 7 Mar 5 Apr 4 May 1 Jun 1 Jul 0 Aug 1 Sep 4 Oct 6 Nov 9 Dec 10
Well, if it's not all of it, that's certainly most of what you need to know before you go! After all, a country is known not by statistics but by experience. Enjoy your time in Malta!