Malta
Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta
republicIndependence 21 September 1964 (from UK)
Malta as the 2001 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 113 fields, one of 36 editions from 1990 to 2025.
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Introduction
1 fieldBackground
Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Over the last 15 years, the island has become a major freight transshipment point, financial center, and tourist destination. It is an official candidate for EU membership.
Geography
Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
18 fieldsLand use
arable land: 32% permanent crops: 3% permanent pastures: 0% forests and woodland: 4% other: 61% (2000 est.)
Environment - current issues
very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination
Environment - international agreements
party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
Geography - note
- the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being inhabited;
- numerous bays provide good harbors;
- Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
People
18 fieldsPer 1,000 population(2001 est.)
Age structure
0-14 years: 19.98% (male 40,791; female 38,062) 15-64 years: 67.49% (male 133,914; female 132,402) 65 years and over: 12.53% (male 20,643; female 28,771) (2001 est.)
Sex ratio
at birth: 1.09 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.07 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.72 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2001 est.)
Life expectancy at birth
total population: 78.1 years male: 75.64 years female: 80.79 years (2001 est.)
Ethnic groups
Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)
Literacy
definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 88.76% male: 86.91% female: 89.55% (1995 census)
Government
Republic; President Guido DE MARCO (since 4 April 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 6 September 1998)
20 fieldsPresidential electionpercent of vote
Legislature, 65 seatsone dot, one seat
Country name
conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta
Legal system
based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Executive branch
- chief of state:
- President Guido DE MARCO (since 4 April 1999) head of government: Prime Minister Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 6 September 1998);
- Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence GONZE (since 4 April 1999) 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 1999 (next to be held by NA April 2004);
- following legislative 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;
- the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Guido DE MARCO elected president;
- percent of House of Representatives vote - 54%
Legislative branch
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; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 5 September 1998 (next to be held by September 2003) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.8%, MLP 46.9%, AD 1.2%; seats by party - PN 35, MLP 30
Judicial branch
- Constitutional Court;
- Court of Appeal;
- judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Political parties and leaders
- Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO];
- Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT];
- Nationalist Party or PN [Edward FENECH ADAMI]
International organization participation
C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO
Diplomatic representation in the US
chief of mission: Ambassador George SALIBA chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612
Diplomatic representation from the US
chief of mission: Ambassador George SALIBA embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, Malta, CMR 01 telephone: [356] 235960 through 235965
Flag description
two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the Saint George Cross, edged in red
Economy
Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force.
32 fieldsTrading partnersexports left, imports right
Electricity
Economy - overview
Major 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, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism.
Malta is privatizing state-controlled firms and liberalizing markets in order to prepare for membership in the European Union. However, the island is divided politically over the question of joining the EU. The sizable budget deficit remains a key concern.
Budget
revenues: $1.6 billion expenditures: $1.73 billion, including capital expenditures of $265.4 million (1999)
Industries
- tourism;
- electronics, ship building and repair, construction;
- food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco
Agriculture - products
potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
Imports - commodities
machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, and tobacco
Exchange rates
Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.4370 (January 2001), 0.4376 (2000), 0.3994 (1999), 0.3885 (1998), 0.3857 (1997), 0.3604 (1996)
Communications
10 fieldsTelephone system
- general assessment:
- 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)
Transportation
7 fieldsMerchant marine
total: 1,414 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 28,191,090 GRT/46,773,603 DWT ships by type: bulk 443, cargo 394, chemical tanker 48, combination bulk 12, combination ore/oil 14, container 69, liquefied gas 2, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 2, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 296, refrigerated cargo 37, roll on/roll off 50, short-sea passenger 15, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 18 note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of convenience: Argentina 1, Bermuda 1, Belgium 1, Bangladesh 2, Bulgaria 11, China 7, Costa Rica 1, Cuba 2, Cyprus 15, Denmark 1, Estonia 2, Finland 1, Germany 23, Greece 258, Hong Kong 3, Croatia 9, Hungary 1, India 2, Israel 2, Italy 17, South Korea 1, Lebanon 2, Latvia 2, Lithuania 1, Monaco 14, Nigeria 1, Netherlands 10, Norway 31, Poland 8, Romania 3, Russia 39, Singapore 6, Spain 3, Sweden 3, Syria 1, Switzerland 25, UAE 2, Turkey 24, UK 8, Ukraine 9, US 9, Venezuela 1, Vietnam 1 (2000 est.)
Military
Armed Forces (including land forces, an air squadron, a maritime squadron, and the Revenue Security Corps), Maltese Police Force
5 fieldsMilitary branches
Armed Forces (including land forces, an air squadron, a maritime squadron, and the Revenue Security Corps), Maltese Police Force
Transnational Issues
2 fieldsCite this entry
Central Intelligence Agency. “Malta.” The World Factbook 2001. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/malta/2001.