How it works Try a lens The library Explore Get started FAQ Download on the App Store →

COUNTRIES

Malta: map, flag, capital and key facts

Malta is a country in Europe, with about 580,000 people (2025) and an area of 320 square kilometres. Its capital is Valletta, and it has no land borders.

By Team Geography Last reviewed

Flag of Malta
Flag of Malta
Map showing where the country sits among its neighbours
Malta in solid, land neighbours outlined, capital marked.

Key facts about Malta

CapitalValletta
ContinentEurope
Population579,704 2025, World Bank. 166th of 195.
Area320 km² (124 sq mi) World Bank, surface area. 186th largest of 195.
Population density1,812 people per km²
Land neighboursNone. It has no land borders with another country.
Official nameRepublic of Malta
UN statusMember state
Capital coordinates35.90° N, 14.51° E Valletta, Natural Earth.

No land borders

Malta shares no land border with another country. Its nearest neighbours are across the sea, as the map above shows.

From the Geography app

The app teaches each country through short hand written lenses: PLACE for physical geography, STORY for history and identity, NOW for the news, and THREAD for the ties between countries. Here is one of Malta's 6, in full.

PLACELens 1 of 6

A fortress archipelago in the central Mediterranean

Malta is an archipelago of three inhabited islands, Malta, Gozo, and Comino, set in the narrow strait between Sicily and the North African coast: 93 kilometers south of Sicily, 290 kilometers north of Libya. Its 316 square kilometers hold one of the densest populations on earth. The Grand Harbour at Valletta, a deep natural inlet flanked by limestone fortifications, has been a prize for naval powers since the Phoenicians. Malta has no rivers, no mountains, and almost no natural freshwater, relying heavily on desalination.

More on Grand Harbour

The harbor reaches 3.5 kilometers inland through multiple sheltered creeks. The Knights of St. John fortified it in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries, creating the layered bastions that define Valletta's skyline. During World War II it endured over 3,000 bombing raids as Axis forces tried to neutralize Malta.

5 more lenses on Malta in the app

  • STORY The Knights' island and its layers of civilization
  • NOW Licenses, finance, and the end of the passport trade
  • THREAD Controlling the Mediterranean's central narrows
  • STORY The Maltese language: Arabic written in Latin script
  • THREAD An alphabet is a statement of alignment

Titles only. The app brings each lens back on a spaced repetition schedule set by how well you knew it: New, Hazy or Clear.

Compare Malta with another country

Opens the country comparison tool with population, area, income and more side by side, every figure dated.

Common questions

What is the capital of Malta?
The capital of Malta is Valletta. Valletta lies at about 35.9 degrees north and 14.5 degrees east. Malta is in Europe. It is home to about 580,000 people. The world capitals quiz on this site tests every capital, and the printable capitals sheets cover each continent.
What is the population of Malta?
About 580,000 people live in Malta, according to the World Bank figures for 2025. That makes it the 166th most populous of the 195 countries. With an area of 320 square kilometres, that is about 1,812 people per square kilometre.
What countries border Malta?
None. Malta has no land borders with any other country. It is surrounded by sea, so every neighbour of Malta is across the water. It lies in Europe. Its area is 320 square kilometres, and about 580,000 people live there.
How big is Malta?
Malta covers 320 square kilometres, or about 124 square miles. That makes it the 186th largest of the 195 countries. The figure is total surface area, which includes inland water such as lakes and rivers. Its population of about 580,000 gives a density of 1,812 people per square kilometre.

Keep exploring