MALTA
Laying 90 km to the south of Sicily and 290 km to the
north of the African mainland, 1830 km to the east of Gibraltar and 1500
km to the west of Alexandria, Malta and its islands might be said to occupy a
position in the centre of the Mediterranean.
The group is composed of the islands of Malta, Gozo and Comino all of which are
inhabited, and the smaller uninhabited islands of Cominotto, Filfla and
St.Paul.
The total area of the archipelago is 320 km/sq. The longest distance in Malta
in a south-east/north-west axis is about 27 km and the widest distance is14 km.
The corresponding figures for Gozo are 14 km and 7 km. Comino, the smallest of
the inhabited islands being 2.6 km/sq. The length of the shoreline around Malta
is 136 km and that of Gozo is 43 km. The indentations around the coast form
bays, sandy beaches and rocky coves and, more importantly, deep natural
harbours.
With a population of around 350,000 crowding an area of 320 km/sq the Maltese
Islands can claim to be the most densely populated country in Europe.