Malta

Great Britain formally acquired 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 it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination while its key industries moved toward more service-oriented activities. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.

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

agricultural land:

32.3%;

• arable land 28.4%;
• permanent crops 3.9%;
• permanent pasture 0%

forest:

0.9%

other:

66.8% (2011 est.)

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) 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:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.06 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

1.05 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.81 male(s)/female

total population:

0.99 male(s)/female (2016 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Malta

conventional short form:

Malta

local long form:

Repubblika ta' Malta

local short form:

Malta

etymology:

the ancient Greeks called the island "Melite" meaning "honey-sweet" from the Greek word "meli" meaning "honey" and referring to the island's honey production

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

• many previous;
• latest adopted 21 September 1964;
• amended many times, last in 2015 (2016)

citizenship by birth:

no

citizenship by descent only:

at least one parent must be a citizen of Malta

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA (since 4 April 2014)

head of government:

Prime Minister Joseph MUSCAT (since 11 March 2013)

cabinet:

Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

elections/appointments:

• president indirectly elected by the House of Representatives for a 5-year term (1-term limit);
• election last held on 4 April 2014 (next to be held by April 2019);
• following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president for a 5-year term;
• deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

election results:

• Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA (PL) elected president;
• House of Representatives vote - unanimous;
• Joseph MUSCAT (PL) appointed prime minister

description:

• unicameral House of Representatives or Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati, a component of the Parliament of Malta (normally 65 seats, but can include at-large members; members directly elected in 5 multi-seat constituencies by proportional representation vote; members serve 5-year terms);
• note - the parliament elected in 2013 has 69 seats

elections:

last held on 9 March 2013 (next to be held by mid-summer 2018)

election results:

percent of vote by party - PL 54.8%, PN 43.3%, other 1.9%; seats by party - PL 39, PN 30

highest court(s):

• Court of Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 3 judges);
• Court of Criminal Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president, usually upon the advice of the prime minister;
• judges of both courts serve until age 65

subordinate courts:

• Civil Court (divided into the General Jurisdiction Section, Family Section, and Voluntary Section);
• Criminal Court;
• Court of Magistrates;
• Gozo Courts (for the islands of Gozo and Comino}

• Alternativa Demokratika or AD (Green Party) [Arnold CASSOLA]
• Labor Party or PL [Joseph MUSCAT]
• Nationalist Party or PN [Simon BUSUTTIL]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Pierre Clive AGIUS (since 2 March 2016)

chancery:

2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 462-3611 through 3612

FAX:

[1] (202) 387-5470

chief of mission:

Ambassador G. Kathleen HILL (since 25 February 2016)

embassy:

Ta' Qali National Park, Attard, ATD 4000

mailing address:

5800 Valletta Place, Dulles, VA 20189

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 UK 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; written in the form of a prayer

agriculture:

1.7%

industry:

18.3%

services:

80% (2015)

lowest 10%:

NA%

highest 10%:

NA%

• machinery and mechanical appliances;
• mineral fuels, oils and petroleum products;
• pharmaceutical products;
• books and newspapers;
• aircraft/spacecraft and parts;
• toys, games, and sports equipment

• mineral fuels, oils and products;
• electrical machinery;
• aircraft/spacecraft and parts thereof;
• machinery and mechanical appliances;
• plastic and other semi-manufactured goods;
• vehicles and parts

general assessment:

automatic system featuring submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands

domestic:

combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 190 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 356;
• submarine cable connects to Italy;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2015)

• 2 publicly owned TV stations, Television Malta broadcasting nationally plus 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 available;
• publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 3 stations;
• roughly 20 commercial radio stations (2016)

number of registered air carriers:

9; inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 28

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

1,583,046

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

3.352 million mt-km (2015)

total:

3,096 km

paved:

2,704 km

unpaved:

392 km (2008)

country comparison to the world: 165

major seaport(s):

Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta

container port(s) (TEUs):

Marsaxlokk (2,360,000)