Malta: Flag and Facts
Malta's flag has two equal vertical bands, white by the pole and red on the fly side, with a red-edged George Cross in the top left corner.
- Official name
- Republic of Malta
- Capital
- Valletta
- Region
- Southern Europe
- Population
- 521,828 (2025)
- Languages
- English, Maltese
- Currency
- Euro
- Area
- 316 km² (122 sq mi)
- People
- Maltese
- Calling code
- +356
- Highest point
- Ta'Dmejrek on Dingli Cliffs 253 m
- Independence
- 21 September 1964 (from the UK)
- National symbols
- Maltese eight-pointed cross
- Borders
- No land borders
About Malta
Legend says Count Roger of Sicily cut a corner from his red and white checkered banner and gave it to Malta in 1091. A likelier source is the Knights of Saint John, rulers of the islands from 1530 to 1798. In 1942, King George VI of Britain gave the islanders the George Cross for their bravery in World War II, and it was placed on the flag after independence in 1964.
Malta's past goes back thousands of years, and the islands hold some of the oldest megalithic sites anywhere. Sitting in the middle of the Mediterranean, they were ruled by Phoenicians, Romans, Moors, Normans, the French, and many others. Britain held Malta as a colony from 1814 until independence on 21 September 1964, and it became a republic a decade later. It joined the EU in 2004 and the euro zone in 2008.
Did you know?
- Ta'Dmejrek, on the Dingli Cliffs, is Malta's highest point at 253 m.
- The Maltese eight-pointed cross is a national symbol.
- Malta covers just 316 square kilometers, not quite double the area of Washington, D.C.
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Questions about Malta
What languages are spoken in Malta?
Maltese and English are both spoken in Malta.
What is the capital of Malta?
Valletta is the capital. Its urban area had about 213,000 people as of 2018.
Sources
- CIA World Factbook, checked October 8, 2026
- REST Countries data (mledoze/countries), checked October 8, 2026
- Flag artwork: flag-icons (MIT), checked October 8, 2026
Facts are compiled from these open sources and rewritten in our own words. Spotted something out of date? Tell us.