Malta
/ˈmɔːltə/- an island country in the central Mediterranean, about 100 km (60 miles) south of Sicily; pop. 405,200 (est. 2009); official languages, Maltese and English; capital, Valletta.马耳他（地中海中部岛国, 位于西西里岛以南约100公里, 即60英里; 2009年估计人口405,200; 官方语言马耳他语和英语; 首都瓦莱塔）。
Historically of great strategic importance, the island has been held in turn by invaders including the Greeks, Arabs, Normans, and Knights Hospitallers. It was annexed by Britain in 1814 and was an important naval base until independence within the Commonwealth in 1964. Besides Malta itself, the country includes two other inhabited islands, Gozo and Comino.