General Information

Geography: The Maltese archipelago consists of three inhabited islands : Malta, Gozo, and Comino and two uninhabited islands. The islands are situated in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, 95 kilometres south of Sicily and 288 kilometres north of North Africa. The total area is 316 square kilometres ( Malta - 246 ; Gozo -67 ; Comino -3 ).

Population: 385,000

Currency: Malta's currency is decimal. The Lira ( LM ) is the unit of currency and is divided into 100 cents.

Banks: Maltese and International banks offer all the services offered by main financial centres.

Official Languages: Maltese and English.

Time: GMT + 1 in winter , GMT + 2 in summer.

Climate: Average sunshine 6.46 hours in winter and 10.11 hours in summer.

Electricity: Electric supply is 240 volts, single phase, 50 cycle. Square fitted, standard three-pin British plugs and sockets are used.

Shopping Hours: 09.00 hrs to 13.00 hrs and 16.00 hrs to 19.00 hrs. On Sundays and public holidays most shops are closed.