If you haven’t been to Malta yet, you’ve probably found yourself wondering about Malta’s size; just how big (or small) it really is. It can be hard to picture this stunning island country just from news articles or photos. So before you go, let’s take a look at how large Malta actually is!
Which Malta Are We Talking About
Let’s start with what might seem like a funny question: Which Malta are you asking about?
Malta is the name of the country—that part’s obvious. But here’s something fewer people know: Malta is actually made up of several islands, two of which are larger and inhabited. One of them is called Malta, and the other is Gozo. (The third island, Comino, is mostly visited by tourists, and some sources say it only has one permanent resident.)
So when you ask about the size of Malta, we really have to answer both: Malta as a country, and Malta as a single island.
Malta Size as a Country
The area of Malta (as a country): 316 km² or 122 square miles. (Source: Government of Malta)
To help you visualize that better, here are a few comparisons:
- New York City covers about 784 km² (303 sq mi), which makes it more than twice the size of all of Malta.
- Greater London spans roughly 1,572 km² (607 sq mi), meaning it’s about five times larger than Malta.
- Malta is the smallest country in the European Union, both in area and population.
- The next smallest EU country, Luxembourg, is still more than eight times bigger.
- Malta is also Europe’s smallest island nation.
- It’s the fifth smallest sovereign country in Europe by area—only the Vatican, Monaco, San Marino, and Liechtenstein are smaller.
One fun fact: because the country is so compact, you can get from one end of Malta to the other by public bus in about two hours. Not many countries can say that!
Malta Size as an Island
As mentioned earlier, “Malta” also refers to the country’s largest and most well-known island. This is where you’ll find most of the tourist sights, the capital city, the airport, and likely where you’ll spend most of your time.
The area of Malta (the island): 246 km² or 95 square miles. (Source: Wikipedia)
That means the main island of Malta makes up roughly 78% of the entire country’s land area—a little over three-quarters of the total.
Malta at Night from the Air
This photo may not win any awards for quality, and I wouldn’t call it professional by any means—but I took it myself from the airplane as we were flying out of Malta. And honestly, it really shows the scale of the country: the entire island nearly fits into one frame. That’s how small and charming this island nation is.
