The Maltese Islands are situated right in the heart of the Mediterranean approximately one hundred kilometres south of Sicily and about two hundred and twenty kilometres off the North African coastline.

The Maltese archipelago comprises of six islands but only two have sizeable populations - Malta and Gozo, Comino has only half a dozen inhabitants, whilst the islets of Cominotto, Filfla and St. Paul's Islands - where the Apostle Paul was shipwrecked in AD 60 - are completely uninhabited.

All told, the Republic of Malta covers an area of 316 square kilometres. The Maltese Islands are blessed with a temperate climate, crystal-clear seas, and are characterised by a time-honoured sense of hospitality for which the islanders are well renowned