Malta is a small country of 316 square kilometers.
Although small in area, its geographical location is extremely important.
It is known as the "heart of the Mediterranean," capable of blockading the Gibraltar Strait and Tunis Strait to the west, and controlling the Suez Canal to the east, a strategic pivot between Europe, Africa, and the Middle East.
(The picture above shows Malta's location. The Tunis Strait is between Sicily and Tunisia, also known as the Sicilian Strait, with its narrowest point only 145 kilometers. During World War II, England built airports in Malta to interrupt the connection between Italy and North Africa, directly leading to the defeat of Rommel's African Legion in North Africa, which even swayed the outcome of World War II, because if Rommel succeeded in occupying Egypt, he could have blocked the Suez Canal, dividing England's homeland from its colonies.)
If Malta Island were under British control, it would be a thorn in Shire's throat.
