MALTA

The Republic of Malta, is a small and densely populated island nation comprising an archipelago of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea. A country of Southern Europe. The islands constituting the Maltese nation have been ruled by various powers and fought over for centuries. Malta has been a member state of the European Union (EU) since 2004 and it is currently the smallest EU country both in population and in area. Malta is the only nation in the world that has collectively been awarded the George Cross for conspicuous gallantry in World War II as a part of the British Empire, and its flag bears a replica of that.