The ancient Greeks called the island Μελίτη ( Melitē) meaning "honey-sweet", possibly for Malta's unique production of honey an endemic subspecies of bees live on the island. The most common etymology is that the word Malta is derived from the Greek word μέλι, meli, "honey".
The origin of the name Malta is uncertain, and the modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language. The economy of Malta is heavily reliant on tourism, and the country promotes itself as a Mediterranean tourist destination with its warmer climate compared to the rest of Europe, numerous recreational areas, and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Ħal Saflieni Hypogeum, Valletta, and seven megalithic temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. Today, Catholicism is the state religion, but the Constitution of Malta guarantees freedom of conscience and religious worship. Muslim rule ended with the Norman invasion of Malta by Roger I in 1091. Malta has had Christians since the time of Early Christianity, though was predominantly Muslim while under Arab rule, at which time Christians were tolerated. It has been a member state of the Commonwealth of Nations and the United Nations since independence, and joined the European Union in 2004 it became part of the eurozone monetary union in 2008. The British parliament passed the Malta Independence Act in 1964, giving Malta independence from the United Kingdom as the State of Malta, with Elizabeth II as its queen. It was besieged by the Axis powers during World War II and was an important Allied base for operations in North Africa and the Mediterranean. Malta became a British colony in 1813, serving as a way station for ships and the headquarters for the British Mediterranean Fleet. Malta increasingly is referred to as a city-state, and also listed in rankings concerning cities or metropolitan areas. According to the data from 2020 by Eurostat, the Functional Urban Area and metropolitan region covered the whole island and has a population of 480,134, and according to the United Nations, ESPON and EU Commission, "the whole territory of Malta constitutes a single urban region". Its capital is Valletta, which is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area and population. With a population of about 516,000 over an area of 316 km 2 (122 sq mi), Malta is the world's tenth-smallest country by area and fourth most densely populated sovereign country. John, French, and British, amongst others. Its location in the centre of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, with a succession of powers having contested and ruled the islands, including the Phoenicians and Carthaginians, Romans, Greeks, Arabs, Normans, Aragonese, Knights of St. Malta has been inhabited since approximately 5900 BC. The official languages are Maltese and English, and 66% of the current Maltese population is at least conversant in the Italian language. It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Sicily (Italy), 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya. It consists of an archipelago, between Italy and Libya. Malta ( / ˈ m ɒ l t ə/ ( listen) MOL-tə, UK also / ˈ m ɔː l t ə/ MAWL-tə, Maltese: ), officially the Republic of Malta ( Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta ), is an island country in Southern Europe, located in the Mediterranean Sea. eu, shared with other European Union member states ^ Maltese nationals as referred to in the 2021 census.
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