POPULATION 397,499
ROMAN CATHOLIC: 97.7 percent
PROTESTANT: 1.0 percent
OTHER: 1.3 percent

Country Overview

Introduction

The Republic of Malta is an archipelago at the center of the Mediterranean, about 60 miles south of mainland Europe. It consists of three main islands that have a total area of 122 square miles. The islands have a series of low hills and terraced fields but no mountains or rivers. Malta's indented coastline provides numerous harbors, bays, and sandy and rocky beaches.

Archaeological remains indicate that in Malta there was a prehistoric temple civilization dating back to 5200 B.C.E. and then a Phoenician (c. 800 B.C.E.) and a Carthaginian presence (c. 480 B.C.E.). Later the islands were ruled by Roman, Arab, and Norman powers. The Order of Saint John of Jerusalem, also known as the Knights of Malta, left a rich cultural heritage (1530–1798). During successive foreign occupations that lasted until it achieved independence from British...