Malta is the largest of the three major islands that constitute the
Maltese archipelago. It is sometimes referred to as
Valletta for statistical purposes to distinguish the main island from the entire country. Malta is in the middle of the
Mediterranean Sea directly south of
Italy and north of
Libya. The island is long and wide, with a total area of . The capital is
Valletta, largest locality is
Birkirkara. The island is made up of many small towns, which together form one
Larger Urban Zone with a population of 409,259. The landscape is characterised by low hills with terraced fields.