<Li> ^ Maltese lira before 2008 . </Li> <Li> ^ Also . eu, shared with other European Union member states . </Li> <P> Coordinates: 35 ° 53 ′ N 14 ° 30 ′ E ﻿ / ﻿ 35.883 ° N 14.500 ° E ﻿ / 35.883; 14.500 Malta (/ ˈmɒltə / (listen); Maltese: (ˈmɐltɐ)), officially known as the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta' Malta), is a Southern European island country consisting of an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea . It lies 80 km (50 mi) south of Italy, 284 km (176 mi) east of Tunisia, and 333 km (207 mi) north of Libya . The country covers just over 316 km (122 sq mi), with a population of just under 450,000, making it one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries . The capital of Malta is Valletta, which at 0.8 km, is the smallest national capital in the European Union by area . Malta has one national language, which is Maltese, and English as an official language . </P> <P> Malta's location in the middle of the Mediterranean has historically given it great strategic importance as a naval base, and a succession of powers, including the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French, and British have ruled the islands . </P>

Where is malta located on a map of europe
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