Short answers, pulled from the story.
The Maltese archipelago has been inhabited since at least 6500 BC during the Mesolithic period. Archaeological discoveries at Latnija Cave revealed hearths and stone tools alongside abundant animal bones from extinct species like red deer.
A culture of megalithic temple builders emerged around 3500 BC to construct some of the oldest existing free-standing structures in the world including the giant temples on Gozo called Ggantija. Other early temples include those at Hagar Qim and Mnajdra which were used from 4000 to 2500 BC.
Jean Parisot de Valette led knights who withstood the Great Siege of Malta by Ottomans in 1565. Portuguese, Spanish and Maltese forces helped repel the attack after Barbary pirates enslaved the entire population of Gozo which numbered around 5,000 people in 1551.
Malta achieved independence as State Malta on the 21st of September 1964 retaining Elizabeth II Queen Malta head state governor-general exercising executive authority behalf. A referendum joining European Union held the 8th of March 2003 with 53.65 percent favoring membership before Malta joined EU the 1st of May 2004.
A record tourism year occurred in 2019 recording over 2.1 million tourists while the total population stood at 519,562 in 2021. The population density reached 1,282 per square kilometer making it the highest in both the EU and the world.