Malta

The English name Malta derives from Maltese Malta, from medieval Arabic Māliṭā (مَالِطَا), from classical Latin Melita, from Latinised or Doric forms of the ancient Greek Melítē (Μελίτη), of uncertain meaning, possibly from the Phoenician Maleth. The name Melítē—shared by the Croatian island Mljet in antiquity—literally means "place of honey" or "place of sweetness", derived from the combining form of méli (μέλι, "honey" or any similarly sweet thing) and the suffix -ē (-η). The ancient Greeks may have named the island this after Malta's endemic subspecies of bees. …

Malta has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC, with the arrival of Mesolithic era hunter-gatherers, which likely came from Sicily. Discoveries at Latnija Cave led by the archaeologist Eleanor Scerri showed the remains of hearths, stone tools, and a diverse range of animal bones. These included the bones of indigenous red deer that are now extinct, fish and marine mammals, and many edible marine gastropods. To arrive on Malta, the hunter-gatherers had to cross around 100 kilometres (62 mi) of open water, documenting the longest known sea crossing by hunter-gatherers in the Mediterranean. The extinction of the dwarf hippos, giant swans and dwarf elephants has historically been linked to the earliest arrival of humans on Malta. …

Malta is an archipelago in the central Mediterranean (in its eastern basin), some 80 km (50 mi) from southern Italy across the Malta Channel. Only the three largest islands—Malta (Maltese: Malta), Gozo (Għawdex), and Comino (Kemmuna)—are inhabited. The islands of the archipelago lie on the Malta plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and North Africa that became isolated as sea levels rose after the last ice age. The archipelago is located on the African tectonic plate. Malta was considered an island of North Africa for centuries. Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The highest point in Malta is Ta' Dmejrek, at 253 m (830 ft), near Dingli. Although there are some small rivers at times of high rainfall, there are no permanent rivers or lakes on Malta. …

The culture of Malta reflects the various cultures that have come into contact with the Maltese Islands throughout the centuries. A 2010 Charities Aid Foundation study found that the Maltese were the most generous people in the world, with 83% contributing to charity. Maltese folktales include various stories about mysterious creatures and supernatural events. These were most comprehensively compiled by the scholar (and pioneer in Maltese archaeology) Manwel Magri in his core criticism "Ħrejjef Missirijietna" ("Fables from our Forefathers"). This collection of material inspired subsequent researchers and academics to gather traditional tales, fables and legends from all over the Archipelago. While giants, witches, and dragons feature in many of the stories, some contain entirely Maltese creatures like the Kaw kaw, Il-Belliegħa and L-Imħalla among others. …

Malta is classified as an advanced economy according to the International Monetary Fund (IMF). Malta's major resources are limestone, a favourable geographic location and a productive labour force. Malta produces only about 20 percent of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies because of the drought in the summer, and has no domestic energy sources, aside from the potential for solar energy from its plentiful sunlight. The economy is dependent on foreign trade (serving as a freight trans-shipment point), manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism. Film production has contributed to the Maltese economy. Access to biocapacity in Malta is below the world average. In 2024, Malta had 0.42 global hectares of biocapacity per person within its territory, contrasted with a global average of 1.6 hectares (4.0 acres) per person. …

As of the 2021 census, Maltese-born natives make up the majority of the island with 386,280 people out of a total population of 519,562. However, there are minorities, the largest of which by birthplace were: 15,082 from the United Kingdom, Italy (13,361), India (7,946), Philippines (7,784) and Serbia (5,935). Among racial origins for the non-Maltese, 58.1% of all identified as Caucasian, 22.2% Asian, 6.3% Arab, 6.0% African, 4.5% Hispanic or Latino and 2.9% more than one race. As of 2005, 17 percent were aged 14 and under, 68 percent were within the 15–64 age bracket whilst the remaining 13 percent were 65 years and over. Malta's population density of 1,282 per square km (3,322/sq mi) is by far the highest in the EU and one of the highest in the world. The Maltese-resident population for 2004 was estimated to make up 97.0 percent of the total resident population. …