Malta

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. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.

• Mediterranean;
• mild, rainy winters;
• hot, dry summers

total:

0.02 cu km/yr (74%/1%/25%)

per capita:

50 cu m/yr (2000)

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

• 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

noun:

Maltese (singular and plural)

adjective:

Maltese

at birth:

1.058 male(s)/female

under 15 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-64 years:

1.03 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.77 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Malta

conventional short form:

Malta

local long form:

Repubblika ta' Malta

local short form:

Malta

name:

Valletta

geographic coordinates:

35 53 N, 14 30 E

time difference:

UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

+1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October

• none (administered directly from Valletta);
• note - local councils carry out administrative orders and have some responsibility for local road and other public maintenance

chief of state:

President George ABELA (since 4 April 2009)

head of government:

Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March 2004)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; (For more information visit theWorld Leaders website)

elections:

• president elected by a resolution of the House of Representatives for a five-year term;
• election last held on 12 January 2009 (next to be held by April 2014);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term;
• the deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

election results:

George ABELA elected president by the House of Representatives

• Constitutional Court;
• Court of First Instance;
• Court of Appeal

note: magistrates and judges for the courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

• Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Michael BRIGUGLIO];
• Labor Party or PL [Joseph MUSCAT];
• Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI];
• The Malta Communist Party [Victor DEGIOVANNI]

• Alleanza Liberal-Demokratika Maltra or ALDM (for divorce, abortion, gay marriage, the rights existent in other EU member states);
• Alleanza Nazzionali Repubblikana or ANR (for traditional values, anti-immigration);
• Alternattiva Demokratika (pro-environment);
• Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar (pro-environment);
• Ghazda tal-Konsumaturi (consumer rights)

other:

environmentalists

chief of mission:

Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Dennis GRECH

chancery:

2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 462-3611 through 3612

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-5470

consulate(s):

New York

chief of mission:

Ambassador Douglas W. KMIEC

embassy:

3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, FRN 9010

mailing address:

P. O. Box 535, Valletta, VLT1000

telephone:

[356] 2561 4000

FAX:

[356] 2124 3229

• 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;
• according to legend, the colors are taken from the red and white checkered banner of Count Roger of Sicily who removed a bi-colored corner and granted it to Malta in 1091;
• an uncontested explanation is that the colors are those of the Knights of Saint John who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798;
• in 1942, King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the George Cross to the islanders for their exceptional bravery and gallantry in World War II;
• since independence in 1964, the George Cross bordered in red has appeared directly on the white field

name:

"L-Innu Malti" (The Maltese Anthem)

lyrics/music:

Dun Karm PSAILA/Robert SAMMUT

note: adopted 1945; the anthem is written in the form of a prayer

agriculture:

1.3%

industry:

24.8%

services:

73.9% (2010)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

general assessment:

automatic system featuring submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 165 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 356;
• submarine cable connects to Italy;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2008)

• 2 publicly-owned television stations, Television Malta (TVM) broadcasting nationally and an educational channel;
• several privately-owned national television stations, two of which are owned by political parties;
• Italian and British broadcast programs are available;
• multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are obtainable;
• publicly-owned radio broadcaster operates 1 station;
• roughly 20 commercial radio stations operating (2011)

total:

3,096 km

country comparison to the world: 164

paved:

2,710 km

unpaved:

386 km (2008)

males age 16-49:

95,499

females age 16-49:

90,919 (2010 est.)

males age 16-49:

79,645

females age 16-49:

75,684 (2010 est.)

male:

2,554

female:

2,385 (2010 est.)

current situation:

• Malta is a source and destination country for European women and children subjected to sex trafficking;
• Malta is likely a destination country for men and women subjected to forced labor, including in restaurants, private households, and in unskilled or semi-skilled labor;
• Malta may be a transit country for African women subjected to sex trafficking in continental Europe

tier rating:

• Tier 2 Watch List - the government demonstrated greater commitment to combat trafficking through national coordination by appointing the country's first anti-trafficking coordinator and anti-trafficking monitoring board;
• these measures, however, have not yet resulted in concrete improvements to victim identification procedures, victim care systems, effective investigations and prosecutions of trafficking offenders, or targeted prevention activities;
• victims of trafficking were punished for acts committed during the course of trafficking or deported without proper victim identification (2011)