Malta – essential facts

• Malta, with an area of approximately 246 square kilometres, is the largest of the cluster of islands forming the Maltese Archipelago, which is situated in the centre of the Mediterranean Sea;
• Malta gained independence from the British in 1964, although it remains part of the Commonwealth, and became a Republic a decade later, in 1974;
• Malta became a member of the European Union on May 1st 2004;
• Malta’s national language is Maltese, which is also one of the two official languages  - the other being English – which are recognised by the Constitution of Malta.  Italian is spoken by a large fraction of Malta’s 400,000 inhabitants;
• The legal tender used in Malta since independence has been the Maltese Lira, which is due to be replaced by the Euro as from January 1st 2008. On May 2nd 2005, the Maltese Lira joined the ERM II at a central parity rate of MTL/EUR 0.4293;
• The Maltese legal system is a reflection of the cross-currents which have influenced Malta’s history and also European history as a whole.  The Roman Civil Law and English Common Law systems have interacted to shape the Maltese legal system.