Malta
Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta
parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1964 (from UK)
Malta as the 1996 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 86 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Communications
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)
9 fieldsTelephone system
- domestic system poor but improving;
- provides only minimal service domestic: network consists of microwave radio relay, open wire, and radiotelephone communications stations;
- expansion of microwave radio relay in progress international: satellite earth stations - 2 Intelsat (1 Atlantic Ocean and 1 Indian Ocean)
Branches
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police (Surete Nationale)
Manpower availability
males age 15-49: 1,925,205 males fit for military service: 1,100,599 (1996 est.)
Geography
Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
15 fieldsArea
total area: 320 sq km land area: 320 sq km comparative area: less than twice the size of Washington, DC
International disputes
Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
Terrain
mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Dingli Cliffs 245 m
Land use
arable land: 38% permanent crops: 3% meadows and pastures: 0% forest and woodland: 0% other: 59%
Environment
- current issues:
- very limited natural fresh water resources;
- increasing reliance on desalination natural hazards: NA international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling;
- signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Desertification
Geographic note
the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors
People
15 fieldsPer 1,000 population(1996 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 22% (male 42,067; female 39,958) 15-64 years: 67% (male 126,179; female 125,321) 65 years and over: 11% (male 17,766; female 24,285) (July 1996 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female all ages: 0.98 male(s)/female (1996 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.11 years male: 75.77 years female: 80.6 years (1996 est.)
Government
Parliamentary democracy
21 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 65 seatsone dot, one seat
Legal system
based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Ugo MIFSUD BONNICI (since 4 April 1994) was elected for a five-year term by the House of Representatives head of government: Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987) was appointed by the president;
- Deputy Prime Minister (since 14 May 1987) and Foreign Minister (since 1990) Dr. Guido DE MARCO cabinet: Cabinet was appointed by the president on advice of the prime minister
House of Representatives
- elections last held 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 (NP 36, MLP 33 after adjustment)
Judicial branch
- Constitutional Court, judges are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister;
- Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders
Nationalist Party (NP), Edward FENECH ADAMI; Malta Labor Party (MLP), Alfred SANT
International organization participation
C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarset, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC, NAM, OSCE, PCA, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in US
chief of mission: Ambassador Albert Borg Olivier DE PUGET chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612
US diplomatic representation
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph R. PAOLINO, Jr. embassy: 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta telephone: [356] 235960
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.
21 fieldsEconomic overview
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 24% of GDP, with the electronics and textile industries major contributors and with the state-owned Malta drydocks employing about 4,300 people. In 1994, over 1 million tourists visited the island. Per capita GDP of $12,000 places Malta in the range of the less affluent EU countries.
Labor force
139,600 (1994) by occupation: government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1990)
Budget
revenues: $1.4 billion expenditures: $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $215 million (FY94/95 est.)
Industries
tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco
Electricity
capacity: 250,000 kW production: 1.1 billion kWh consumption per capita: 2,749 kWh (1993)
Agriculture
potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
Exports
$1.5 billion (f.o.b., 1994) commodities: machinery and transport equipment, clothing and footware, printed matter partners: Italy 32%, Germany 16%, UK 8%
Imports
$2.5 billion (c.i.f., 1994) commodities: food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods partners: Italy 27%, Germany 14%, UK 13%, US 9%
Exchange rates
Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3570 (January 1996), 0.3529 (1995), 0.3776 (1994), 0.3821 (1993), 0.3178 (1992), 0.3226 (1991)
Transportation
5 fieldsMerchant marine
total: 1,045 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 17,082,925 GRT/28,829,144 DWT ships by type: bulk 285, cargo 331, chemical tanker 28, combination bulk 28, combination ore/oil 16, container 39, liquefied gas tanker 4, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 6, oil tanker 208, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 3, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 20, roll-on/roll-off cargo 29, short-sea passenger 23, specialized tanker 4, vehicle carrier 12 note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 47 countries among which are Greece 425, Croatia 62, Russia 43, Switzerland 39, Italy 32, Norway 25, Monaco 23, Georgia 23, UK 22, and Germany 19 (1995 est.)
Cite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Malta.” The World Factbook 1996. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/malta/1996.