Malta

Through the ages

Rivals in history

The kingdoms, empires and states Malta fought or stood against, from the first to today.

1. 🇮🇹 Roman Republic218 BC

   At the start of the Second Punic War a Roman fleet under the consul Tiberius Sempronius Longus takes Malta from its Carthaginian garrison, and the islands become Roman.

2. 🇹🇳 Aghlabid emirate870

   Aghlabid forces from Ifriqiya take Malta from Byzantium in 870 after a siege. According to the Arab geographer al-Himyari the islands were left nearly empty until Muslim settlers arrived around 1048.

3. 🇮🇹 Normans of Sicily1091 to 1127

   Count Roger of Sicily lands in 1091 and makes the Muslim rulers pay tribute. His son Roger II brings the islands under direct Norman rule in 1127.

4. 🇹🇳 Hafsid Tunis1429

   In 1429 a large force from Hafsid Tunis lands in Malta and besieges Mdina. The defenders hold out, and the raiders leave with captives.

5. 🇹🇷 Ottoman Empire1551 to 1565

   Ottoman raiders carry off most of Gozo's population in 1551. In 1565 a great Ottoman fleet besieges the Knights for four months; the siege fails when a relief force arrives from Sicily in September.

6. 🇫🇷 French Republic1798 to 1800

   Napoleon seizes Malta in June 1798. The Maltese revolt in September, and with British help they blockade the French garrison in Valletta until it surrenders in September 1800.

7. 🇬🇧 United Kingdom1919 to 1979

   Riots on 7 June 1919, the Sette Giugno, in which British soldiers kill four Maltese, lead to self-government. Independence comes in 1964, and the last British forces leave on 31 March 1979, now Freedom Day.

8. 🇮🇹 Kingdom of Italy1940 to 1943

   Fascist Italy, which also claims Malta as Italian, bombs the islands from 11 June 1940, the day after it enters the war. The siege lasts until Italy's surrender in 1943.

9. 🇩🇪 Nazi Germany1941 to 1943

   German aircraft join the attack in January 1941. The heaviest raids come in the spring of 1942, but Malta holds out, and its aircraft and submarines keep striking Axis convoys to Africa.

10. 🇱🇾 Libya1980 to 1985

    Malta and Libya dispute where their continental shelves divide. In 1980 a Libyan warship forces an Italian rig drilling for Malta to stop; the International Court of Justice draws the line in 1985.

Today

Malta now

With a civilization that dates back thousands of years, Malta boasts some of the oldest megalithic sites in the world. Situated in the center of the Mediterranean, Malta s islands have long served as a strategic military asset, with the islands at various times falling under the control of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Moors, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, and French.

Capital

Valletta

Government

parliamentary republic

Head of government

Robert Abela

Head of state

Myriam Spiteri Debono

Languages

Maltese, English

Area

315 km²

Through time

Then and now

• Population533,0002023 · 294,700 in 1950
• Life expectancy83.3 years2023 · 63.5 years in 1950
• GDP per person$34,4962022 · $1,573 in 1950
• Living in cities96%2025 · 89% in 1950
• Literacy93%2011 · 58% in 1950
• Political regimeElectoral democracy2025 · Electoral democracy in 1950
• Military alliancesNone of these2024 · None of these in 1950
• Military spending0.5% of GDP2025
• War deathsNone2025

Population: HYDE 3.3, Gapminder and UN WPP. GDP per capita: Maddison Project Database 2023. Urban share: UN WPP. Life expectancy: Riley, HMD, UN WPP. Literacy: OWID historical estimates, World Bank, UNESCO. Military spending: SIPRI. War deaths: UCDP. Political regime: V-Dem, Regimes of the World. All via Our World in Data (CC BY 4.0). Alliances and organization memberships: compiled by Atlas. Satellites in orbit: CelesTrak SATCAT. Modern borders, backcast.

Relations

Close partners and tensions

Summarised from World Bank and Wikipedia data, updated 23 October 2026.