Maybe it’s too early for 1 April, but Malta has just tied with Zimbabwe for first place with the best climate on earth in this year’s Quality of Life Index, published last week in International Living magazine.

Climate is one of nine categories that go into calculating the countries with the best quality of life in the annual International Living index. Sharing top scores for climate in the 2011 index are Malta and Zimbabwe.

“Of the two, Malta is our favourite,” says International Living magazine editor Eoin Bassett. “With 5.2 hours of sunshine a day, a stable government and economy, Malta is a very strong draw for expats. And it’s English-speaking.”

Frost and snow are mostly unknown in Malta, and the temperature nudges 70 degrees Fahrenheit even in November.

The five islands that make up Malta aren’t on everyone’s radar, and are mostly unheard of by Americans. About 400,000 Maltese live on the largest, more sophisticated main island, and most have a lively urban lifestyle. Homes and apartments here attract an international set, as do the historic harbours and five-star hotels.

Crime hardly exists, the locals are hospitable and the health care is excellent. There aren’t any property taxes, and the US expats who benefit most from living here are those who retain earnings from elsewhere that they then elect to get taxed in Malta, at 15 per cent.

At roughly twice the size of Washington DC, it’s easy to socialize with other expats.

There’s regular 90-minute ferry service to Sicily and a modern airport at Luqa with flights to numerous other European countries, including Rome, just one hour away by plane.

Along with its top climate ranking, Malta’s many other virtues combined to earn it third place overall in the 2011 Quality of Life index, beaten only by New Zealand and the US.