Located
in the Mediterranean Sea, just south of Sicily, the Maltese
archipelago basically consists of three islands, Malta, Gozo and
Comino. Their total population is about 400,000. The largest island of the group is Malta, from which the
archipelago takes its name. It has a population of just over
320,000. Valletta, the capital, is the cultural, administrative, and
commercial centre of the archipelago. Malta is well served by
harbours, chief of which is the Valletta Grand Harbour. Its
international airport is at Luqa, five kilometres from the capital.
The
second largest island is Gozo. It is topographically quite different
from Malta, and is quaintly attractive for its less industrialised
way of life. Gozo can be reached from Malta by ferry-boat from
Cirkewwa and Pietà, near Valletta. Comino, Cominotto, Filfla and St Paul’s Islet are the other
major features of the archipelago. Of these, only Comino, straddled
between Malta and Gozo, sustains a very tiny population. Turned into
a popular resort because of a couple of very fine beaches, Comino
can be reached from Cirkewwa, either by boat or by excursion ferries
during the summer months. The distance between Malta and the nearest point in Sicily is 93
km. The distance from the nearest point on the North African
mainland (Tunisia) is 288 km. Gibraltar is 1,826 km to the west and
Alexandria is 1,510 km to the east. This strategic position has
allowed Malta to develop as an important trading post. The Malta
Freeport is one of the Mediterranean’s leading ports for container
transhipments. The climate in Malta is warm and healthy. There are no biting
winds, fog, snow, or frost. Rain falls for only short periods and
averages about 578 mm in a whole year. The temperature averages 14.1°
C in winter (Nov-April) and 32° C in summer (May-Oct). The sun
shines for an average of 6.46 hrs each day in winter and 10.11 hrs
in summer. The hottest period is from mid July to mid September.
