Filfla is a mostly barren, uninhabited islet 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) south of Malta, and is the most southerly point of the Maltese Archipelago. Filflett, a rocky islet some 101 metres (331 feet) southwest of Filfla, has the southernmost point of Malta. The name is believed to come from felfel, the Arabic for a peppercorn. Prior to the 17th century, nautical maps of Malta typically referred to the island as simply 'Pepper' island.
The geography of Malta is dominated by water. Malta is an archipelago of coralline limestone, located in Southern Europe, but like most of Sicily sits on the African tectonic plate in the Mediterranean Sea. Malta is 81 kilometres (50 mi) south of Sicily, Italy, and nearly 300 km (190 mi) north (Libya) and northeast (Tunisia) of Africa. Although Malta is located farther south than Tunis and some other cities in North Africa, it is not the Southernmost point of Europe. Only the three largest islands – Malta, Gozo and Comino – are inhabited. Other (uninhabited) islands are: Cominotto, Filfla and the St. Paul's Islands. The country is approximately 316 km (122 sq mi) in area. Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide harbours. The landscape of the islands is characterised by high hills with terraced fields. The capital is Valletta.