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
Malta and architectural and historical monuments, including three UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Hypogeum of Ħal-Saflieni, Valletta, and seven megalithic temples which are some of the oldest free-standing structures in the world. The origin of the name "Malta" is uncertain, and the modern-day variation is derived from the Maltese language. The most common etymology is that the word "Malta" is derived from the Greek word , "meli", "honey". The ancient Greeks called the island ("Melitē") meaning "honey-sweet", possibly for Malta's unique production of honey; an endemic subspecies of bee lives on the island. The Romans called the island "Melita", which can be