Malta

parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1964 (from UK)

Malta as the 1990 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 70 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalValletta

Area320 km2

Populationas each edition published it

353,465 people July 1990 · 521,828 in 2025

Population growth% a year

Not in this edition 0.84% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 37.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

Not in this edition 76.52 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

2 children per woman 1990 · 1.18 in 2025

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

8 deaths per 1,000 live births 1990 · 4.6 in 2025

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

Not in this edition $7,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

Not in this edition 5.9% in 1993

Geography

14 fields

Land useshare of 320 km2

arable land 38%permanent crops 3%forest and woodland 0%other 59%meadows and pastures 0% in allincludes 3% irrigated

Total area

320km2

land area: 320 km2Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

140km

land boundaries: noneTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Terrain

mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

Environment

numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce--increasing reliance on desalination

Note

strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily, 290 km north of Libya

People

14 fields

Population

353,465

(July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)

Per 1,000 population(1990)

Birth

15Death

8Net migration

Literacy

83%

Nationality

noun--Maltese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Maltese

Ethnic divisions

mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English

Labor force

125,674; 30% services, 24% manufacturing, 21% government (except job corps), 8% construction, 5% utilities and drydocks, 4% agriculture (1987)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

17 fields

House of Representatives, elected 9 May 1987percent of vote

NP 51.1%MLP 48.9%

Administrative divisions

none (administration directly from Valletta)

Legal system

based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal Chief of State--President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987);
Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)

Political parties and leaders

Nationalist Party, Edward Fenech Adami; Malta Labor Party, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici

Suffrage

universal at age 18 House of Representatives--last held on 9 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992);
results--NP 51.1%, MLP 48.9%;
seats--(usually 65 total, but additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current total 69) MLP 34, NP 31 before popular vote adjustment;
MLP 34, NP 35 after adjustment

Member of

CCC, Commonwealth, Council of Europe, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC--International Wheat Council, NAM,UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Salvatore J. STELLINI;
Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008;
telephone (202) 462-3611 or 3612;
there is a Maltese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE;
Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development House, St. Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535, Valletta);
telephone [356] 623653 or 620424, 623216

Flag

two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red

Economy

Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force.

16 fields

GDP, purchasing power parity

$1.9billion

per capita $5,100; real growth rate 7.1% (1988)

Inflation, consumer prices

0.9%

(1988)

Unemployment rate

4.4%

(1987)

External debt

$90million

medium and long-term (December 1987)

Budget

Revenues

$844 millionExpenditures

$938 million

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $226 million (1989 est.)

Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. Consequently, the economy is highly dependent on foreign trade and services.

Manufacturing and tourism are the largest contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 30% of GDP, with the textile and clothing industry a major contributor. In 1988 inflation was held to a low 0.9%. Per capita GDP at $5,100 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's nations.

Exports

$710 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--clothing, textiles, footwear, ships;
partners--FRG 31%, UK 14%, Italy 14%

Imports

$1,360 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--food, petroleum, nonfood raw materials;
partners--FRG 19%, UK 17%, Italy 17%, US 11%

Industrial production

growth rate 6.2% (1987)

Electricity

328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1989)

Industries

tourism, ship repair yard, clothing, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco

Agriculture

overall, 20% self-sufficient;
main products--potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers, hogs, poultry, eggs;
generally adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, pork products;
seasonal or periodic shortages in grain, animal fodder, fruits, other basic foodstuffs

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $332 million;
OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million

Currency

Maltese lira (plural--liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Maltese liri (LM) per US$1--0.3332 (January 1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987), 0.3924 (1986), 0.4676 (1985)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

Communications

6 fields

314 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 3,677,797 GRT/6,357,733 DWT;
includes 3 passenger, 4 short-sea passenger, 127 cargo, 2 container, 1 passenger-cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 6 refrigerated cargo, 7 chemical tanker, 4 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 61 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 72 bulk, 11 combination bulk;
note--a flag of convenience registry;
China owns 1 ship, Cuba owns 8, and Vietnam owns 1

modern automatic system centered in Valletta;
153,000 telephones;
stations--9 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV;
1 submarine cable;
1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Armed Forces, Police, Paramilitary Dejima Force

3 fields

Military manpower

males 15-49

92,610fit for military service

74,256

Defense expenditures

1.3%of GDP

or $25 million (1989 est.)

Branches