GEOGRAPHY
The Maltese Archipelago comprises a group of small low islands aligned in a NW-SE direction. At their extreme points the Maltese Islands fall within the following points: Northern latitude 36o05'00", Southern latitude 35o48'28". Eastern longitude 14o11'04", Western longitude 14o34'37", placing them in the central Mediterranean. In this position, Malta is 96 km (60 miles) away from Sicily and 290 km (180 miles) from North Africa. Gibraltar is 1836 km (980 miles) to the west and Alexandria is 1519 km to the east (940 miles). The Mediterranean Sea, which is bound on the north by Europe, on the south by Africa, and to the east by Asia, occupies a deep trench between the continents. The Mediterranean Sea is almost entirely enclosed by land. Its only connections with other seas are through the narrow Strait of Gibraltar where it connects with the North Atlantic Ocean, and through the man-made Suez Canal which connects the Eastern Mediterranean to the Red Sea. From Gibraltar to Syria the maximum length is about 200 miles. The maximum width, from north to south, between France and Algeria, is 488 miles. Shaped somewhat likea horizonal sea-horse, the Mediterranean has at its north-eastern extremity the oyster-shaped appendage of the Black Sea connected by way of the Bosphorus. Including the latter, the total area is 1,158,300 square miles. The Mediterranean has an average depth of 1500 m, but a maximum depth in the Hellenic Trough of 5092 m. The average tidal range in the Mediterranean is about 30 cm, which is less than changes in sea-level brought about by wave action and atmospheric conditions. Tides are thus not important in the Mediterranean except for the Northern Adriatic and the Gulf of Gabes where the tidal range reaches about 1 m.
 

The Mediterranean Sea is divided into two deep trenches - the Western basin and the Eastern Basin by a submarine shallow sill across the Strait of Messina. The Maltese Islands geographically belong to the Eastern Basin and are situated on the submarine ridge about 60 miles to the south of Sicily and about 60 miles to the eastern side of the ridge. Maltese territorial waters extend to 9.65 km (6 miles) from the coast, comprehending an area of about 3000 km2 (about 1500 sq miles). Malta's fishing limits extends to 19.3 km (12 miles). In 1978, an ammendment to the Territorial Waters and Contiguous Act exended the fishing limits to 40.2 km (25 miles) from the Maltese coastline.  The close vicinity of the Maltese Islands to other countries has resulted in disputes with neighbouring lands, particularly Libya, over the division of the sea-bed. Malta initially claimed equal division of the sea areas on the south and southeast of the Islands irrespective of Libya's longer coastline. This claim included an area extending to 160 km (100 miles) southwards. This dispute was settled by the International Court at Le Have in Holland, which set the new median line by taking a line equidistant from the low-water mark off the coast of the two countries and moved it to 28.8 km (18 miles) closer to Malta. Thus the Maltese sea-bed in the south extends to 131.2 km (82 miles). The Maltese sea-bed to the north extend to the median line between Malta and the Sicilian coast, thus extending to 46.5 km (30 miles) north.

The Archipelago consists of three main inhabited islands - Malta, Gozo and Comino - together with some very small barren and uninhabited islets and rocks. The total area is 315.6 km2 (122 sq mi). The larger island - Malta has an area of 245.7 km2, and is made up of a low plateau which descends gradually to the plain in the south-eastern part of the island. The longest distance in Malta from the south-east to the north-west is 27.3 km, and the widest distance is 14.5 km in an easter-westerly direction. The coastline is well indented with harbours, bays, creeks, sandy beaches and rocky coves. The length of the Maltese shoreline is 136.8 km.
 

ISLAND
Area

 
Max.Length

km
Max.Width

km
Shoreline

km
MALTA
245.7 km2
27.3
14.5
136.8
GOZO (Ghawdex): situated about 8 km to the northeast of Malta
67.1 km2
14.5
7.2
45
COMINO (Kemmuna): lies between Malta and Gozo, about 2 km to the northwest of Malta and 1 km to the southeast of Gozo
2.8 km2
2.75
2.25
7.5
COMINOTTO (Kemmunett): islet-rock on the west side of Comino. Larger islet of a string of islet-rocks forming the outer border of the Blue Lagoon.
9.9 ha
0.45
0.225
-
ST. PAUL'S ISLANDS (Il-Gzejjer ta' Selmun): two small islets joined by a sea-level natural landbridge on the northern side of St. Paul's Bay to the northwest of Malta.
10.1 ha
~1.0
0.2
-
MANOEL ISLAND: a small island within Marsamxetto Harbour cut from the mainland by a passage only a few metres wide, not connected by a permanent bridge.
-
1.25
0.45
2.8
FILFLA: a tiny islet-rock about 3 km off the south coast of Malta. It tails an even tinier islet on its western side.
2.0 ha
0.4
0.25
-

Malta's sister island - Gozo or Ghawdex - lying just 8 km to the north-west covers about 67.1 km2, and has a maximum distance and width of 14.5 km and 7.2 km respectively. The shoreline length measures 45 km. Comino or Kemmuna is about 2.8 km2. The small uninhabited islets are each less than 10 ha. Both main islands are tilted seawards to the north-east. There are no mountains, the highest point in the west of Malta near Dingli Cliffs being 253 m above sea level. In Gozo the highest point is in the northwestern part near Ta' Dbiegi at 191 m. There are also no lakes, rivers or streams, but only minor springs. A series of low hills with terranced fields on the slopes characterise the islands.
 

The Maltese Islands are composed of a block of Oligo-Miocene limestones and marls with very subsidiary Quaternary deposits. The Oligo-Miocene succession is a simple "layer-cake" arrangement of Lower and Upper Coralline Limestones with intervening layers of soft Globigerina Limestone, Greensand and Blue Clay. Subsequent faulting, land movement and erosion has resulted in a marked diversity in relief and landform in spite of the small size of the Islands. Malta has three main regions: (1) the Rabat-Dingli Uplands on the lower west side, (2) the Parallel Ridges and Valleys on the northern side, and (3) the Hills and Plains on the eastern and south sides. The common boundary of the three main natural regions of the Malta is the Great Fault (known as the Victoria Lines after part of the fault was strengthened with a defence wall to enhance the natural line of fortifications by the British) which runs across the Island in a east-west directon from Fomm ir-Rih to Madliena. Gozo may be considered to be composed of two regions comprising the Uplands, mostly on the northern side, and the low-lying Plains and Hills, mostly on the south side.

The old capital of Malta (Mdina) was situated in the center of the Island on the Rabat-Dingli Uplands. The maritime Knights of St. John of Jerusalem in the 16th century established a new capital (Valletta) in the southeast on a peninsula separating an inlet which serves as an excellent natural harbour. The capital of Gozo (Victoria) remains in the central part of that Island. Both Islands are densily populated with an average density of about 1140 persons per km2 (2950 per sq mile).
 

Related Topics:
Geographical evolution of the Maltese Islands