Malta

Malta's history is one of the longest and most eventful of any small place on Earth, from the builders of the world's oldest temples, through a legendary siege, to a modern island-state at the crossroads of the Mediterranean.

Malta was settled more than seven thousand years ago, and between around 3600 and 2500 BC its people raised a series of colossal stone temples, among them Ggantija on Gozo, that are the oldest free-standing structures in the world, older than the pyramids of Egypt or Stonehenge. Built by a mysterious prehistoric culture that then vanished, these temples, and an underground burial complex hewn from the rock, remain among the wonders of the ancient world.

Malta's position at the centre of the Mediterranean made it a prize for every power that sought to command the sea. Phoenicians and Carthaginians settled it, Rome ruled it, and tradition holds that the apostle Paul was shipwrecked here around 60 AD, bringing Christianity to the islands. Arabs conquered it in the ninth century, leaving a deep mark on the language, before the Norman rulers of Sicily returned it to Christian rule.

In 1530 the islands were granted to the Knights of Saint John, a crusading order expelled from Rhodes, who made Malta their stronghold. In 1565 they and the Maltese withstood the Great Siege, repelling a massive Ottoman assault in one of the most celebrated feats of arms in European history, after which they built the fortress-capital of Valletta. The Knights ruled for over two centuries, adorning the islands with baroque splendour.

Napoleon seized Malta in 1798 on his way to Egypt, but French rule was brief and unpopular, and the Maltese, with British help, soon drove them out. Malta then became a British colony and a vital naval base, its Grand Harbour a linchpin of British power in the Mediterranean. It endured ferocious bombing in the Second World War, earning a collective decoration for bravery, before gaining independence in 1964.

Malta is a small archipelago of a few inhabited islands, chiefly Malta itself and Gozo, made of low limestone with no mountains, rivers, or forests. The landscape is one of rocky terraced fields, low hills, and dramatic coastal cliffs, harbours, and bays carved into the soft golden stone. The climate is classically Mediterranean, with hot, dry summers and mild winters, and fresh water is scarce, a constant concern on this crowded, sun-drenched cluster of islands.

Malta is a parliamentary republic and, since 2004, a member of the European Union, the smallest by far, having adopted the euro in 2008. Its politics is dominated by two parties, the centre-left Labour Party and the centre-right Nationalist Party, which alternate in power and command fierce loyalty in a closely contested and highly engaged electorate. The prime minister since 2020 is Robert Abela of the Labour Party, who took office after his predecessor resigned amid the crisis over the murder of a journalist, and who has since won re-election. For all its small size, Malta runs a full national government and speaks with its own voice in the councils of Europe.

The flag of Malta is divided vertically into white and red, with a representation of the George Cross, edged in red, in the upper corner of the white band. The white and red are traditional colours of Malta, said to have been granted by the Norman count Roger long ago. The George Cross was awarded to the whole island by the British king in 1942 for the bravery of its people under heavy bombing in the Second World War, a unique honour preserved on the national flag.

Malta is one of the most devoutly Roman Catholic countries in the world, a faith said to date from the shipwreck of the apostle Paul and reinforced through the era of the Knights of Saint John. Catholicism is deeply woven into Maltese life, with the calendar full of village festivals, or festas, honouring patron saints, and the small islands crowded with ornate churches. Religious tradition remains a central part of national identity and community life.

Maltese cuisine reflects the islands' position at a crossroads of the Mediterranean, blending Italian, Arab, and other influences. A national dish is fenkata, a feast of rabbit stewed in wine and garlic. Savoury pastries called pastizzi, filled with ricotta or peas, are a beloved everyday snack, and the islands' food makes much of fresh fish, tomatoes, olives, capers, and local cheeses. The warm climate yields flavourful produce that anchors a sunny, social food culture.

Farming in Malta is severely limited by the small size of the islands, their rocky terrain, dense population, and scarcity of fresh water. What agriculture exists is intensive and small-scale, with terraced fields growing potatoes, a notable export, along with tomatoes, onions, and other vegetables, as well as grapes for local wine. Fishing in the surrounding seas is a traditional livelihood. With so little land, however, Malta relies heavily on imported food.

Behind its sunny image, modern Malta has been shaken by a series of scandals over the rule of law, and their meaning is contested. In 2017 the investigative journalist Daphne Caruana Galizia, who had reported relentlessly on high-level corruption, was killed by a car bomb. The murder, and the inquiries that followed, exposed links between organised crime, business, and the highest levels of government, and eventually forced the resignation of the prime minister of the day; a public inquiry found that the state bore responsibility for creating a climate of impunity in which she could be killed.

Two further issues have drawn European scrutiny. Malta's sale of citizenship, a golden passport scheme that granted European Union nationality to wealthy foreigners in exchange for investment, was challenged by the bloc as a betrayal of the shared value of citizenship, and in 2025 the European Court of Justice ruled it unlawful. Critics, at home and in Brussels, see in these episodes a small state where money buys too much influence and institutions are too weak; the governing party points to the country's strong economic growth, low unemployment, and repeated election victories as evidence of a healthy democracy. The facts of the murder and the court rulings are documented; the broader judgement of Malta's governance remains disputed.

Malta has a population of around 540,000 people crowded onto its tiny islands, making it one of the most densely populated countries in the world. The Maltese are a distinctive people whose language, Maltese, is unique in Europe: descended from Arabic but written in the Latin alphabet and filled with Italian and English words, it is the only Semitic language that is official in the European Union. English is also widely spoken. Most people live in the urban area around the capital, Valletta, and its grand harbour.