1. The Republic of Malta is a group of seven Mediterranean islands, only three of which are uninhabited. The largest is also called Malta.
2. Malta is the smallest country in the European Union by both area and population but it is the most densely populated.
3. The seven megalithic temples of Malta are the oldest free-standing structures in the world.
4. There are more people of Maltese ancestry in Melbourne, Australia, than there are in Malta.
5. The name of Malta is supposedly derived from a Greek word for honey.
6. The official languages of Malta are English and Maltese which was once an Arabic dialect.
7. Maltese fishing boats are painted with two eyes at the front to protect them from evil spirits.
8. The cross in the corner of the Maltese flag is the George Cross awarded to Malta in 1942 for its bravery when bombed by Germany and Italy.
9. Britney Spears’ great-great-grandfather Edward Richard Portelli was born in Malta around 1873.
10. The 1941 film The Maltese Falcon is supposedly based on a Golden Falcon given to Charles V of Spain by the Knights Templar of Malta in 1539.