The Republic of Malta is a Southern European island microstate. It consists of a 7-island archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea, 93 km south of Sicily. The three largest islands only are inhabited, these are: Malta, Gozo and Comino. The landscape is of low hills and terraced fields, with no permanent rivers or lakes. only small watercourses. The climate is Mediterranean with the typical hot dry summers and mild rainy winters. Malta has an area of 316 sq km, with a population of some 400,000.