What is the capital city of Malta?

The capital city of Malta is Valletta.

Valletta sits on a peninsula between Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour and serves as Malta’s political, administrative, and commercial centre. The city was founded in 1566 by the Knights Hospitaller, also known as the Knights of Malta, after their victory during the Great Siege of Malta against the Ottoman Empire.

Valletta was named for Jean Parisot de Valette, the order’s grand master who led Malta during the siege. Its streets, bastions, churches, and palaces were laid out as a fortified Renaissance city, while later buildings added Baroque and neoclassical elements. The city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1980.

Rabat, Sliema, and Mdina are not the national capital. Mdina was Malta’s historic capital before Valletta was established, while Rabat is a separate town beside Mdina and Sliema is a major commercial and residential locality across the harbour. Valletta is exceptionally small, covering about 0.61 square kilometres.