Malta, officially the Republic of Malta, is an island country located in Southern Europe within the Mediterranean Sea. It is situated between Sicily and North Africa, specifically positioned 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya.
The country's capital is Valletta, which holds the distinction of being the smallest capital city in the European Union by both area and population. The two official languages of the nation are Maltese, which is recognized as the national language, and English.