Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is a small and densely-populated island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands, three of which are inhabited. It is located in the Mediterranean Sea within Southern Europe just 93 km (58 miles) south of Sicily; 288 km (179 miles) to its south is North Africa.

The country's official languages are Maltese and English, the latter a legacy from Malta's period as a British colony – the United Kingdom is the most recent outside ruling power. Malta gained independence in 1964 and is currently a member of the Commonwealth of Nations, as well as the European Union which it joined in 2004.