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Malta - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
Malta is a group of islands in the Mediterranean Sea. Only the three largest islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino, are inhabited. The terrain is low and rocky with coastal cliffs.
Malta, in the heart of the Mediterranean, is a melting pot of civilisations with a history stretching back thousands of years. Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant prehistoric civilisation existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians who named the main island Malat, meaning safe haven. Later the islands were for centuries the seat of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John and then part of British Empire. It became independent in 1964.
(Source: http://europa.eu/)
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