Malta

parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1964 (from UK)

Malta as the 1992 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

359,231 people July 1992 · 353,465 in 1990

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 1992 · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1992 · 8 in 1990

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

13 fields

Total area

320km2

Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

140km

land boundaries: noneContiguous zone: 24 nmContinental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitationExclusive fishing zone: 25 nmTerritorial sea: 12 nm

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Terrain

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

Land use

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

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

359,231

(July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)

Per 1,000 population(1992)

Birth

14Death

8Net migration

Literacy

84%

(male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)

Nationality

noun - Maltese (singular and plural); adjective - Maltese

Ethnic divisions

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

Labor force

127,200; government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1990)

Government

Parliamentary democracy

18 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

51.8%

NP 51.8%MLP 46.5%

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

Leaders

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 (NP), Edward FENECH ADAMI; Malta Labor Party (MLP), Alfred SANT

Elections

House of Representatives:: last held on 22 February 1992 (next to be held by February 1997);
results - NP 51.8%, MLP 46.5%;
seats - (usually 65 total) MLP 36, NP 29;
note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority;
current total 69 (MLP 33, NP 36 after adjustment)

Member of

C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Albert BORG OLIVIER DE PUGET;
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, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535, Valletta);
telephone [356] 240424, 240425, 243216, 243217, 243653, 223654;
FAX same as phone numbers

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

Inflation, consumer prices

3.0%

(1990)

Unemployment rate

3.8%

(1990)

External debt

$90million

medium and long term (December 1987)

Budget

Revenues

$1.3 billionExpenditures

$1.3 billion

expenditures, including capital expenditures of $380 million (1992 plan)

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 27% of GDP, with the electronics and textile industries major contributors. In 1990 inflation was held to a low 3.0%. Per capita GDP at $7,000 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's nations.

GDP

exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, per capita $7,000 (1991 est.); real growth rate 5.5% (1990)

Exports

$l.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: clothing, textiles, footwear, ships
partners:: Italy 30%, Germany 22%, UK 11%

Imports

$2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990)

commodities:: food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods
partners:: Italy 30%, UK 16%, Germany 13%, US 4%

Industrial production

growth rate 19.0% (1990); accounts for 27% of GDP

Electricity

328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1991)

Industries

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

Agriculture

accounts for 3% of GDP;
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

Economic aid

US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-89), $336 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 - 0.3257 (March 1992), 0.3004 (1991), 0.3172 (1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

6 fields

658 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,003,001 GRT/15,332,287 DWT;
includes 3 passenger, 13 short-sea passenger, 241 cargo, 14 container, 2 passenger-cargo, 16 roll-on/roll-off, 2 vehicle carrier, 1 barge carrier, 15 refrigerated cargo, 11 chemical tanker, 12 combination ore/oil, 2 specialized tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 124 petroleum tanker, 176 bulk, 23 combination bulk;
note - a flag of convenience registry;
China owns 2 ships, former republics of the USSR own 52 ships, Cuba owns 10, Vietnam owns 6, Yugoslavia owns 9, Romania owns 4

automatic system satisfies normal requirements;
153,000 telephones;
excellent service by broadcast stations - 8 AM, 4 FM, and 2 TV;
submarine cable and radio relay between islands;
international service by 1 submarine cable;
1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

Defense Forces

Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force

3 fields

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