The Maltese Archipelago consisting of Malta, Gozo, Comino and two uninhabited islets Filfla and Cominotto are found in the middle of the Mediterranean basin sixty miles south of Sicily. This position has given the country two unique attractions. Primarily the warm healthy climate with a marked absence of biting winds, fog, snow or frost and a pre-dominance of hot sunshine and cool sea breezes. Secondly an immense wealth of historic remains from prehistoric cave paintings to Renaissance palaces. This is a result of Malta's strategic importance to traders and empire-builders which in turn has earned it the reputation of being an early outpost of Western Civilization. The Islands' temples, forts, churches and battlements provide visitors with an unrivalled living history of the Mediterranean.

Through the centuries, Malta's strategic position at the very center of the Mediterranean Sea attracted the attention of every major power, which enjoyed supremacy in the region in any particular area. The Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Arabs, Normans and Castilians all came and left their mark. Long before them, lost in the midst of time, others had established civilizations as can be witnessed be the megalithic temples which predate both Stonehenge and the Pyramids and which still point proudly skyways today. But perhaps the most glorious pages in Malta's chequered history were written during the time of the Knights of St. John (1530-1798). It was during this period that Malta became the fortified rampart of Christianity in the fight against Ottoman expansionism and was transformed from little more than barren rock into a country, which boasts the highest concentration of landmarks per square mile in the whole world. After a brief period of French rule at the end of the 18th century, the Islands passed into British hands. This was to last for 164 years - until 1964 when Malta became an independent nation. Today Malta is a Republic, actively pursuing a policy of neutrality and committed to the ideals of peace and international cooperation.

History has left its mark on Malta's people in their culture, their flare for languages most especially English which is widely spoken everywhere, their love for color and folklore, their customs and their benevolent disposition to all visitors to their shores.

In spite of this strong historical element, Malta is far from tied to the past. It has kept up with the fast pace of the modern world and has a standard of living comparable to most Western Europe nations enjoying all the comforts of a developed society without having to bear the discomforts of excessive industrialization. Over the past 30 years Malta has grown into a major tourist destination in the Mediterranean. With mild climate, clear unpolluted waters, the traditional hospitality of its people and, of course its unique heritage, not forgetting the excellent hotels and leisure facilities, Malta is the complete venue, offering the right combination of old and new which cannot fail.