Malta

Republic of Malta

parliamentary democracyIndependence 21 September 1964 (from UK)

Malta as the 1997 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 94 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

Position35 50 N, 14 35 E

Area320 sq km

LocationSouthern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of

Populationas each edition published it

377,177 people July 1997 est. · 353,465 in 1990

Population growth% a year

0.68% 1997 est. · 0.84% in 1993

Median ageyears

Not in this edition 37.2 yrs in 2003

Life expectancyyears at birth

77.44 years 1997 est. · 76.52 yrs in 1993

Fertility ratechildren per woman

1.84 children per woman 1997 est. · 2 in 1990

Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births

7.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1997 est. · 8 in 1990

GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars

$12,600 1996 est. · $7,600 in 1993

GDP real growth% a year

4% 1996 est. · 5.9% in 1993

Geography

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of | Sicily (Italy)

18 fields

Land useshare of 320 sq km

arable land 38%permanent crops 3%other 59% (1993 est.)irrigated 10 sq km (1993 est.)permanent pastures: NA% · forests and woodland : NA%

Area

320sq km

land: 320 sq kmwater: 0 sq kmslightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Coastline

140km

land boundaries: 0 kmcontiguous zone: 24 nmcontinental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitationexclusive fishing zone : 25 nmterritorial sea: 12 nm

Highest point

245m

Dingli Cliffslowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Location

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Terrain

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

Environment - current issues

very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination

Environment - 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

Geography - 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 fields

Population

377,177

(July 1997 est.)growth rate: 0.68% (1997 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1997 est.)

Birth

12.47Death

7.34Net migration

1.65

Male · female

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years (1997 est.)77.44

75.16 · 79.87

TotalMale · femaleLiteracy (1985)88%

88% · 88%

MaleFemaleLiteracy definition: age 10 and over can read and write

Age structure

0-14 years : 21% (male 41,207; female 39,041)

15-64 years:: 67% (male 127,553; female 126,355)
65 years and over:: 12% (male 18,202; female 24,819) (July 1997 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth:: 1.06 male(s)/female
under 15 years :: 1.06 male(s)/female
15-64 years:: 1.01 male(s)/female
65 years and over:: 0.73 male(s)/female
total population:: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.)

Infant mortality rate

7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.)

Nationality

noun:: Maltese (singular and plural)
adjective:: Maltese

Ethnic groups

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Government

Parliamentary democracy; President Ugo MIFSUD BONNICI (since 4 April 1994)

20 fields

Presidential electionpercent of vote

50.7%

MLP 50.7%NP 46.5%

Legislature, 65 seatsone dot, one seat

NP 34MLP (MLP 35, NP 34 after adjustment) 31

Percent of vote

MLP 50.7%NP 46.5%

Country name

conventional long form:: Republic of Malta
conventional short form:: Malta

Administrative divisions

none (administered directly from Valletta)

Constitution

1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974

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)
head of government :: Prime Minister Dr. Alfred SANT (since 28 October 1996); Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. George VELLA (since 29 October 1996)
cabinet :: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
elections:: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term;
election last held NA April 1994 (next to be held by NA April 1999);
following House of Representatives elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term
election results:: Ugo MIFSUD BONNICI elected president; percent of House of Representatives vote - NA

unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current total: 69 seats; members are elected by proportional representation to serve five-year terms)

elections :: last held 26 October 1996 (next to be held by October 2001)
election results:: percent of vote by party - MLP 50.7%, NP 46.5%; seats by party - NP 34, MLP 31 (MLP 35, NP 34 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 or NP [Edward FENECH ADAMI]; Malta Labor Party or 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, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC (observer), NAM, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador Albert Borg Olivier DE PUGET
chancery:: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone:: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612

FAX

[1] (202) 387-5470; consulate(s): New York

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission:: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles N. PATTERSON, Jr.
embassy:: 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta
mailing address:: P. O. Box 535, Valletta
telephone :: [356] 235960

FAX

[356] 223322

Flag description

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.

22 fields

Real growth rate

(1996 est.)industrial production growth: -5% (1996 est.)

Inflation, consumer prices

(1996)

Unemployment rate

3.7%

(September 1996)

Labor force

148,085

(September 1996)by occupation: public services 37%, other services 28%, manufacturing and construction 25%, agriculture 2% (1995 est.)

GDP - composition by sector(1995 est.)

agriculture 5%industry 34%services 61% (1995 est.)

Budget

Revenues

$1.66 billionExpenditures

$1.69 billion (1996 est.)

expenditures including capital expenditures of $633 million

Economy - 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. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, industry (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism;

the state-owned Malta drydocks employs about 3,800 people. In 1995, over 1.1 million tourists visited the island. Per capita GDP of $12,600 places Malta in the range of the less affluent EU countries. The island is divided politically over the question of joining the EU.

GDP

purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (1996 est.)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $12,600 (1996 est.)

Industries

tourism;
electronics, ship building and repair, construction;
food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco

Electricity - capacity

405,000 kW (1994)

Electricity - production

1.41 billion kWh (1994)

Electricity - consumption per capita

NA kWh

Agriculture - products

potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs

Exports

total value:: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1995)
commodities:: machinery and transport equipment, clothing and footware, printed matter
partners:: Italy 32%, Germany 16%, UK 8%

Imports

total value:: $3 billion (c.i.f., 1995)
commodities:: food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods
partners:: Italy 27%, Germany 14%, UK 13%, US 9%

Debt - external

$134 million (1996)

Economic aid

recipient: ODA, $NA

Currency

1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents

Exchange rates

Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3677 (January 1997), 0.3604 (1996), 0.3529 (1995), 0.3776 (1994), 0.3821 (1993), 0.3178 (1992)

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March

Communications

6 fields

Fixed lines

191,876

(1992 est.)

Telephone system

automatic system satisfies normal requirements

domestic:: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international :: 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)

Radio broadcast stations

AM 8, FM 4, shortwave 0

Radios

189,000 (1992 est.)

Television broadcast stations

4 (1996 est.)

Televisions

300,000 (1996 est.)

Transportation

6 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved only

over 3,047 m

Railways

0 km

Highways

total :: 1,582 km
paved:: 1,471 km
unpaved:: 111 km (1993 est.)

Ports and harbors

Marsaxlokk, Valletta

Merchant marine

total :: 1,128 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,806,358 GRT/31,554,713 DWT
ships by type:: bulk 314, cargo 353, chemical tanker 32, combination bulk 27, combination ore/oil 13, container 43, liquefied gas tanker 2, livestock carrier 1, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 224, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 3, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 31, roll-on/roll-off cargo 37, short-sea passenger 22, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 12

note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 46 countries among which are Greece 478, Croatia 52, Switzerland 48, Russia 46, Italy 44, Norway 37, Turkey 28, Germany 23, UK 22, and Ukraine 20 (1996 est.)