The Mediterranean Sea is filled with thousands of islands, many of which are world-famous like Sicily, Sardinia, and Crete. However, only two of these islands (or island groups) are actually independent sovereign nations. These are Malta and Cyprus. All other islands in the Mediterranean belong to mainland countries; for example, Corsica belongs to France, and the Balearic Islands belong to Spain. Cyprus is particularly unique because while it is geographically in Asia, it is politically and culturally considered part of Europe and is a member of the European Union. Malta, located south of Sicily, is one of the world's smallest and most densely populated countries.