Valletta is the capital of Malta with a population of just over 100,000 people and is an important seaport thanks to the Maltese island's central location in the Mediterranean near Sicily. The city is strategically positioned on the northeast coast, on a rocky ridge between two deep harbours.

Valetta is named after its founder, Jean Parisot de la Valette, who was the Grand Master of the Order of St. John (i.e. the Knights of Malta, the Knights of Saint John). The knights settled in the small village of Birgu (Vittoriosa) in 1530 when they first arrived on the island. Although they enlarged a watchtower and enhanced the area's defences, the great strategic importance of their location by Mount Sceberras made them vulnerable. They were soon put to the test with a massive siege by Turk Suleiman I, which famously ended in failure. The knights were lavished with riches from continental Europe for their surprising victory, which lead to the construction of a huge fortress city. With the help of outstanding Italian military engineer Francesco Laparelli, on loan from Pope Pius V and King Philip of Spain, Valletta was completed in 1566.

The city was heavily bombarded in World War II by the Italians and Germans since it was an important British base and had been under British protection since 1799. It suffered greatly, but many of its landmarks, such as St. John's Cathedral, remained intact. On April 15, 1942, King George VI granted the George Cross to the Maltese population 'for gallantry'.

Today, Valletta is Malta's political, cultural, and economic centre. Its dockyards employ more workers than any other industry there and the historic city itself is a major tourist attraction.