The Republic of Malta consists of three islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino. They are situated in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, just 80 kilometers off the southern coast of Sicily, Italy. The climate is typically Mediterranean with mild winters, pleasant spring and autumn seasons and hot summers. Malta is the more heavily populated island; Gozo is quieter and more rural whereas Comino is uninhabited, except for a five-star hotel.
The population is just under 400,000 and the official languages are English and Maltese. In practice everybody in Malta can speak English. The mainstay of the economy is tourism; the secondary pillars of the economy are the financial services sector, manufacturing, the semi-conductor industry and the Freeport.
