Malta , officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta’ Malta), is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. At over 316 km2 (122 sq mi), and with a population of just under 450,000, Malta is one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries.
