Geography

The Maltese islands are located 93 kilometers from the southern coast of Sicily and 290 kilometers from the shores of North Africa. This location generally coincides with the center of the Mediterranean Sean, which the Romans believed was a lake in the middle of the earth's surface. Historically, it was debated whether Malta belonged to the African or European continent. The Malta Act 1801, which was drawn by the British Parliament, resolved the matter and decreed that Malta and its dependencies belonged to the European continent.

The Maltese archipelago consists of four small islands - Malta, Gozo, Comino and Filfla - covering a total area of 316 square miles. Malta, the primary island in the archipelago, is approximately 16 miles long and 9 miles wide. The island is the largest in terms of both size and population. The second largest is the island of Gozo. Comino, which lies between Malta and Gozo, is semi-uninhabited. Filfla is an uninhabited natural reserve.

The Maltese coastline alternates between sheltering inlets and spectacular, but hostile cliffs. The famous Grand Harbor is one of the largest inlets on the Maltese shoreline. Malta's capital, the fortified city of Valletta, was built over the tongue of land guarding the harbor entry. The other principal cities of the Maltese archipelago include Mdina, Sliema and Rabat (Gozo).