Malta
Satellite: Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 by EOX (CC BY 4.0). Outline and points © OpenStreetMap contributors / Natural Earth. North up.
In numbers
247km²
Area
179km
Coastline
253m
Highest point
Ta' Dmejrek
357,000
People
26°C
Warmest sea
August
239km
To the mainland
When to go to Malta
Best for the beach from July to August.
The sea is warmest in August (26 °C) and coolest in March (15 °C). Comfortable swimming (21 °C or more): from June to November.
Averages 1991–2020. Sea: NOAA OISST, the water within 35 km of the coast. Air, rain and sun: NASA POWER. Best months weigh warm afternoons (23–30 °C), sea of 24 °C or more and few wet days.
Island of Malta
Malta is an island in Malta. It belongs to Maltese Islands. It covers 247 km², with 179 km of coastline. Its highest point, Ta' Dmejrek, rises to 253 m. About 357,000 people live on it. The nearest mainland is 239 km away.
Getting there
- Malta International Airport (MLA)airport on the island, with scheduled flightsCar hire at MLA airport (Valletta)Discover Cars · Affiliate link↗
- FerriesHarbour Cruise, Round Malta, Sliema - Valletta, Ċirkewwa-Marfa
- 239 km from the mainlanddistance to the nearest continental coast
- From July to Augustbest months to go (from 30 years of averages)
Plan the trip
Ferries, stays and things to do
Some links above are affiliate links: if you book through them we may earn a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never changes what the data on this page says.
On the island
What you find on Malta.
- 44beachesXrobb l-Għagin, Bajja tal-Għażżelin, Fomm ir-Riħ and 41 more
- 73viewpointsTaħt il-Ħnejja, Dingli Cliffs Viewpoint, Il Maqluba and 70 more
- 3lighthousesDelimara, Ricasoli Lighthouse
- 25ferry terminalsSupreme Cruises, Marsamxett Ferry Terminal, Sliema Ferry Terminal and 22 more
- 9marinasIl-Menqa, Laguna Marina, Portomaso Marina and 6 more
- 4named peaksTa’ Dmejrek, Nadur, Laferla and 1 more
- 47castles and fortsCouvre de Porte, Bastion Castille, Tarġa Battery and 44 more
- 167ruins and archaeological sitesMisraħ Għar il-Kbir, Fort Campbell, Katakombi ta' San Pawl and 164 more
- 19dive centresSubway Scuba Diving, Dive Systems, Malta Blue Diving Shop and 16 more
- 27waymarked walking routesMMV Tour 7, MMV Tour 1, MMV Tour 2 and 24 more
- 10campsitesRinella Scout Centre, Żurrieq Scout Group Headquarters, wild camping and 7 more
- 289hotels, guesthouses and apartments
- 1,339restaurants, cafés and bars
Counted in OpenStreetMap, the map anyone can edit, inside the island's outline. A low number may only mean nobody has mapped it yet.
Cross-checked with our atlases
Malta in our other atlases
Everything Coastya, Peakyas, Lakeyas and Cascadyas know about what lies inside Malta, each with its own numbers.
42beaches and covesCoastya
Beach with the warmest sea
26.5°C
sea in the warmest month · according to Coastya
42 beaches
on Coastya, the beach atlas
- Armier Baycove26.5°C
- Ir-Ramla tal Mixquqa26.5°C
- Ir-Ramla tal-Pwales26.5°C
- Sliema beach26.5°C
- Il-Kalanka tal-Patrijietcove26.5°C
- Ir-Ramla taċ-Ċirkewwacove26.5°C
- Għar Lapsicove26.5°C
- Ir-Ramla ta’ Għajn Tuffieħacove26.5°C
34 more on CoastyaOpen Coastya ↗
The shape of the land.
On average the island stands 80 m above the sea. 95 % of it is below 200 m.
- 36 %0–50 m
- 59 %50–200 m
- 5 %200–500 m
Share of the island's area in each altitude band, from the Copernicus DEM (30 m, read at 30–240 m on large islands).
Size, for real
Next to islands you may know.
20 km
All outlines drawn to the same scale (Natural Earth and OpenStreetMap).
Towns on the island
- San Pawl il-Baħar32,042 people
- Birkirkara24,356 people
- Mosta23,482 people
- Sliema22,591 people
- Qormi16,801 people
- Żabbar15,648 people
- Naxxar14,890 people
- San Ġwann14,720 people
- Swieqi14,452 people
- San Ġiljan13,792 people
- Imsida13,713 people
- Birżebbuġa12,915 people
Month by month
The weather on the island.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Afternoon high (°C) | 15 | 15 | 15 | 17 | 20 | 24 | 27 | 28 | 26 | 23 | 20 | 17 |
| Night low (°C) | 14 | 13 | 14 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 24 | 22 | 19 | 16 |
| Sea (°C) | 16 | 15 | 15 | 16 | 18 | 22 | 25 | 26 | 26 | 24 | 21 | 18 |
| Rain (mm) | 74 | 65 | 51 | 33 | 17 | 11 | 4 | 10 | 63 | 82 | 95 | 82 |
| Wet days | 11 | 10 | 8 | 6 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 3 | 8 | 10 | 12 | 12 |
| Sun h/day | 5.2 | 6.1 | 7.5 | 8.9 | 10.6 | 11.9 | 12.4 | 11.0 | 8.7 | 6.8 | 5.3 | 4.9 |
| Wind (km/h) | 25 | 25 | 24 | 21 | 19 | 15 | 14 | 14 | 17 | 18 | 23 | 26 |
Averages 1991–2020 for the ~55 km NASA POWER cell over the island; the sea from NOAA OISST.
Recent years
Warmer and cooler years at sea.
Each month's sea temperature compared with its 1991–2020 average, in degrees.
| Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2020 | +0.5 | +0.7 | +0.2 | +0.6 | +1.0 | −0.1 | +0.7 | +1.2 | +1.8 | +0.9 | +0.2 | +0.9 |
| 2021 | +0.6 | +0.9 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | +0.3 | +0.6 | +0.7 | +1.5 | +1.8 | +0.9 | +0.7 | −0.2 |
| 2022 | +0.2 | +0.1 | −0.4 | −0.4 | +0.5 | +1.4 | +2.4 | +1.7 | +1.8 | +1.1 | +1.2 | +1.2 |
| 2023 | +1.5 | +0.7 | +0.6 | ±0.0 | −0.6 | −0.1 | +2.1 | +0.5 | +1.0 | +1.9 | +2.1 | +1.3 |
| 2024 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.9 | +0.8 | +0.3 | +1.1 | +1.4 | +2.1 | +0.9 | +1.1 | +2.0 | +1.8 |
| 2025 | +1.5 | +1.2 | +0.9 | +0.4 | +0.9 | +2.5 | +1.8 | +0.1 | +1.6 | +0.3 | +0.8 | +0.8 |
+1 warmer than usual −1 cooler than usual
Photos
Seen by visitors.
Nearby
More islands nearby.
ItalyAbout these numbers
| Names, area, population | Wikidata (Q193896) · CC0 |
|---|---|
| Outline | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Sea temperature | NOAA OISST v2.1 · 1991–2020 |
| Climate | NASA POWER · 1991–2020 |
| Relief, 3D model | Copernicus DEM GLO-30 · © DLR e.V., © Airbus Defence and Space GmbH, Copernicus/ESA |
| Beaches, ports, lighthouses, trails | © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL |
| Towns | GeoNames · CC BY 4.0 |
| Images | EOX Sentinel-2 cloudless 2016 · CC BY 4.0; Wikimedia Commons |
| Beaches, mountains, lakes and waterfalls | Coastya — Wikidata · CC0; © OpenStreetMap contributors · ODbL; GeoNames · CC BY 4.0; NOAA OISST |
Every figure is an average, an estimate or a count from a public dataset. Licences and methods: data sources.
The family
Do you prefer beaches, lakes, mountains, waterfalls, islands, rivers or canyons?
Same idea, other landscapes: field atlases built on open data, month by month, in seven languages.
beaches
Find your beach: sea temperature, sun and swimming month by month.Visit 
lakes
Every lake on Earth: water temperature, ice, depth and the shore.Coming soonVisit 
mountains
Every summit in 3D: summit weather, the 0 °C line, huts and trails.Visit 
waterfalls
Every waterfall: height, flow month by month and when it roars.Coming soonVisit 
islands
Every island from the sea up: size, sea temperature, ferries and 3D.You are here
rivers
Every river from source to sea: the journey, the flow and the basin in numbers.Visit 
canyons
Every canyon cut to scale: depth to the floor, rim and floor temperatures, trails and viewpoints.Coming soonVisit