Which are the two independent island nations in the Mediterranean?

The Mediterranean Sea is home to over 3,300 islands, of which only two are independent nations: Cyprus and Malta. These countries are often referred to as the Mediterranean States.

Cyprus is a country situated between Turkey and Egypt, bordered by Greece to the northwest and Syria and Lebanon to the east. The country covers an area of 3,572 square miles, making it the third largest island in the Mediterranean. It has a population size of approximately 1.17 million, who are either residents of the Republic of Cyprus or the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus.

Malta is a country located just 50 miles south of Italy, bordered by Tunisia to the west and Libya to the south. The country has a population size of approximately 445,426 which is considered fairly large relative to the country's area, which makes Malta one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Malta is made up of at least 21 islands, making it an archipelago. Of these islands, only 3 are inhabited: Gozo, Comino, and Malta. Researchers and residents report that the islands do not contain any permanent source of water and that only a few waterways are available during the rainy season.

Sardinia and Sicily are part of Italy.

Corsica is politically one of the 18 regions of France. Crete is the largest island in Greece.

Majorca and Menorca are part of the Balearic Islands, an archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain

More Info: www.worldatlas.com

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11 Comments

JRW

It's questionable to me that Cyprus is an 'independent' nation.

earlepg

Picked the islands that I knew.

Cheryl McMeekin

Great q and a, missed it

Jim Mascair

I knew about Malta.

Howard Groopman

Decent question, not terribly difficult.

Richard G Schwartz

Julie thanks for all the information you provided.

patrhea

👍 great q&a

Alan Waites

MALTA GC

Julie Allen

The constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, adopted in 1960, provided that executive power be exercised by a Greek Cypriot president and a Turkish Cypriot vice president, elected to five-year terms by universal suffrage, and that there be a Council of Ministers (cabinet) comprising seven Greek Cypriot and three Turkish Cypriot members. It also called for an elected House of Representatives with 50 seats, divided between Greek and Turkish Cypriots in the proportion of 35 to 15 and elected for terms of five years. In 1974, following a coup sponsored by the Greek military junta of 1967-1974 and executed by the Cypriot National Guard the invasion of troops from Turkey (citing its authority as one of the three guarantor powers established by the Constitution), the Turkish Cypriots formally set up their own institutions with a popularly elected president and a prime minister, responsible to the National Assembly, exercising joint executive powers. Cyprus has been divided, de facto, into the Greek Cypriot controlled southern two-thirds of the island and the Turkish-occupied northern third. The Republic of Cyprus is the internationally recognised government of the Republic of Cyprus, that controls the southern two-thirds of the island. Aside from Turkey, all foreign governments and the United Nations recognise the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus over the whole island of Cyprus.