Size and Area of Malta

It is essential to make the distinction between Malta as a country and Malta as the main island (the largest of the three main islands of the archipelago).

The main island of Malta, which therefore has the same name as the country, measures 27 km long (about 17 miles) in its largest dimension (from southeast to northwest) and 14.5 km wide (about 9 miles). The total area of the main island of Malta is 246 km² (about 95 square miles).

Gozo, the second largest island of the Maltese archipelago, located about 6 km northwest of the main island of Malta, measures 14 km long and 7.25 km wide. The total area of Gozo is 67 km² (26 square miles).

Comino, the smallest of the three inhabited islands of the Maltese archipelago, located between Malta and Gozo and famous for its Blue Lagoon, measures 2.5 km long (about 1.55 miles) by 1.5 km wide (about 0.93 miles). The total area of Comino is 3.5 km² (1.35 square miles).

In addition to the main island, Gozo, and Comino, the State of Malta includes 5 other small islands. However, some are little more than rocky outcrops: Manoel Island, Cominotto, St. Paul (Selmunett), Fifla (Filfla), and the islet of Filfoletta.

In total, these 5 other small islands represent an area of just 0.5 km². The largest, Manoel Island, which is actually a peninsula, measures 0.18 km².

The total size of Malta’s territory is about 316 km² (122 square miles), this includes the main island of Malta as well as the islands of Gozo, Comino, and the other small uninhabited islands. Thus, Malta is one of the smallest countries in the world.

In terms of area, Malta is the smallest member country of the European Union, it is also the fifth smallest European country by size, behind the micro-states of Monaco (2.02 km²), Vatican City (0.44 km²), San Marino (61 km²), and Liechtenstein (160 km²).