Malta are uninhabited. The islands of the archipelago lie on the Malta plateau, a shallow shelf formed from the high points of a land bridge between Sicily and North Africa that became isolated as sea levels rose after the last Ice Age. The archipelago is therefore situated in the zone between the Eurasian and African tectonic plates. Malta was considered an island of North Africa for centuries. Numerous bays along the indented coastline of the islands provide good harbours. The landscape consists of low hills with terraced fields. The highest point in Malta is Ta' Dmejrek, at , near Dingli. Although
Culture of Malta at night, while by day they remained free to transact business, trade and commerce among the general population. Local place names around the island, such as "Bir Meyru" (Meyer's Well), "Ġnien il-Lhud" (The Jew's Garden) and "Ħal Muxi" (Moshé's Farm) attest to the endurance of Jewish presence in Malta. Exposure to semitic influences continued to a limited extent during the 268-year rule of the Knights of St. John over Malta, due in part to trade between the Knights and North Africa, but primarily due to the large numbers of slaves present in Malta during the 17th and 18th centuries: upwards