Background

Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member on 1st May 2004. On 1st January 2008 Malta adopted the European single currency EURO as its official and only currency.

Malta, independent republic, consisting of a small group of islands—Malta, Gozo, Comino, Kemmunett, and Filfla—located in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. The area of the largest island, Malta, is 246 sq km (95 sq mi); Gozo covers 67 sq km (26 sq mi), and Comino has an area of 3 sq km (1.1 sq mi). The total area is 316 sq km (122 sq mi).

The capital and chief port is Valletta on Malta (population, 2000 estimate, 7,048).