Nepedia
Back to Discover
Fluent Reader
🗺️

Malta (island)

geography Maturity 11-13 Next article →

Malta is a large island in Southern Europe.

Malta location map
Malta location map

It sits in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea. The island is located directly south of Italy and north of Libya. You can find it east of two smaller islands named Gozo and Comino. The island is part of a group of islands called the Maltese Archipelago. It sits on a shallow shelf known as the Malta plateau. This land was once a bridge between Sicily and North Africa.

Sundown in the harbour (9963498255)
Sundown in the harbour (9963498255)

The land on Malta has a very distinct look. You will see many low hills and terraced fields across the island. The coastline is indented with many bays. These bays create excellent natural harbours for ships to visit.

Panorama of Valletta
Panorama of Valletta

There are no permanent lakes or rivers on the island. However, some small watercourses run with fresh water all year. The highest point on the island is Ta' Dmejrek. It is located near a place called Dingli. The weather is very warm and sunny.

View of Nature Reserve from St. Agatha's Tower
View of Nature Reserve from St. Agatha's Tower

People have lived on Malta for a very long time. Hunters and farmers arrived from Sicily around 5200 BC. Later, people built huge stone temples. These megalithic temples, like Hagar Qim, are some of the oldest free-standing buildings in the world.

Malta - Qrendi - Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park - Hagar Qim 08 ies
Malta - Qrendi - Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park - Hagar Qim 08 ies

Many different groups ruled the island over the years. These included the Romans, Arabs, and the Order of Saint John. The British took control in 1800 and ruled for about 150 years. Malta finally became an independent country in 1964.

Today, Malta is a very busy place with many people. The population is 409,259 people. Most of the island is an urban area made of many small towns. These towns join together to form one large living zone. Valletta is the capital city of the country.

AIDAcara Valetta
AIDAcara Valetta

The largest town on the island is called Rabat. The island also has many smaller islands nearby. These include Manoel Island and Filfla.

047.Freeport
047.Freeport

Malta has a strong and modern economy. Many people work in tourism or in making things like electronics. The island is also a popular place to film movies. Famous films like Gladiator and Popeye were shot there.

Malta Buses (cropped 2)
Malta Buses (cropped 2)

Because it is so sunny, Malta has great potential for solar energy. The island also uses limestone from local quarries.

Malta - Siggiewi - Triq Panoramika - quarries 01 ies
Malta - Siggiewi - Triq Panoramika - quarries 01 ies

Malta joined the European Union in 2004. It uses the Euro as its money.

Malta International Airport3
Malta International Airport3
382 words

Where will your curiosity go next?

Keep exploring at your chosen reading level.

🖼️ Images & Media (13)
File:Malta - Qrendi - Hagar Qim and Mnajdra Archaeological Park - Hagar Qim 08 ies.jpg
Malta - Qrendi - Hagar Qim and Mnajdra...
File:View of Nature Reserve from St. Agatha's Tower.JPG
View of Nature Reserve from St. Agatha's Tower.JPG
File:AIDAcara Valetta.jpg
AIDAcara Valetta.jpg
File:Malta - Birzebbuga - Triq il-Qajjenza + San Lucian Oil Company 01 ies.jpg
Malta - Birzebbuga - Triq il-Qajjenza +...
File:Malta - Siggiewi - Triq Panoramika - quarries 01 ies.jpg
Malta - Siggiewi - Triq Panoramika -...
File:Malta - St. Julian's (Triq it-Torri (Sliema)) 03 ies.jpg
Malta - St. Julian's (Triq it-Torri...
File:Malta Buses (cropped 2).jpg
Malta Buses (cropped 2).jpg
File:Sundown in the harbour (9963498255).jpg
Sundown in the harbour (9963498255).jpg
File:047.Freeport.jpg
047.Freeport.jpg
File:Malta International Airport3.jpg
Malta International Airport3.jpg
File:Mediterraneo dolphin show 1.JPG
Mediterraneo dolphin show 1.JPG
File:Panorama_of_Valletta.jpg
Panorama_of_Valletta.jpg

+ 1 more

More to explore

✨ What else?

Related topics you might enjoy

🔬 Go deeper

More advanced topics to explore

🪜 Step back

Simpler topics to build understanding

What is Nepedia?

A free, ad-free encyclopedia for children. Every article is written at five reading levels, so the same page works for a five-year-old and a fifteen-year-old — use the level switcher above to see this one change. No account needed to read.