The nation south of Sicily is Malta, which is an archipelago in the Mediterranean Sea. It is a small but densely populated island nation with a long history of settlement and foreign rule. Malta has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and has been ruled by a succession of powers including the Phoenicians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Sicilians, Spanish, Knights of St. John, French, and British. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and is now a republic within the Commonwealth of Nations.