While the island archipelago of Malta encompasses a total land area of just 122 square miles, it is also home to nearly 450,000 citizens, making it both one of the smallest and one of the most densely populated countries in the world. Nearly the entire country is covered by one large interconnected urban area, a modern manifestation of Malta’s long legacy as a city-state.

What technically constitutes a “city” in Malta thus remains indefinite, and the word is used commonly simply to refer to regions within this encompassing metropolitan area. Valletta is officially the country’s capital and, along with the surrounding metropolitan area, is home to nearly the entire Maltese population. With a high standard of living and home to several UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Valletta remains a perennially popular destination where to volunteer abroad in Malta.

If you’d prefer to volunteer abroad in Malta within a less bustling and densely populated region, you might also look into smaller towns such as San Gwann. Because the country is so small, you can easily get about from destination to destination in very little time (Malta maintains an extensive bus system which was just recently re-hauled to become more efficient).