About The Maltese Islands

Situated in the Central Mediterranean Sea, Malta is a small archipelago of five islands – Malta (the largest), Gozo, Comino, Comminotto (Maltese, Kemmunett), and Filfla. The latter two are uninhabited. The distance between Malta and the nearest point in Sicily is 93 km while the distance from the nearest point on the North African mainland (Tunisia) is 288 km. Gibraltar lies at 1,826 km to the west while Alexandria is 1,510 km to the east. The capital city of Malta is Valletta.

The climate is a typically Mediterranean one with hot, dry summers, warm autumns and short, cool winters with adequate rainfall. Temperatures are stable, the annual mean being 18°C and monthly averages ranging from 12°C to 31°C. Winds are strong and frequent, the most common being the cool northwesterly known locally as the majjistral, the dry northeasterly known as the grigal, and the hot, humid southeasterly known as the xlokk