Malta

With a civilization that dates back thousands of years, Malta boasts some of the oldest megalithic sites in the world. Situated in the center of the Mediterranean, Malta’s islands have long served as a strategic military asset, with the islands at various times having come under control of the Phoenicians, Carthaginians, Greeks, Romans,

• 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

history:

many previous; latest adopted 21 September 1964

amendments:

• proposals (Acts of Parliament) require at least two-thirds majority vote by the House of Representatives;
• passage of "Acts" requires majority vote by referendum, followed by final majority vote by the House and assent by the president of the republic;
• amended many times, last in 2016 (2017)

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) reappointed 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 had 69 seats;
• an additional two seats were added in 2016 by the Constitutional Court to correct for mistakes made in the 2013 vote-counting process

elections:

last held on 3 June 2017 (next to be held in 2022); note - Prime Minister MUSCAT called for early elections amid corruption allegations

election results:

• percent of vote by party - PL 55.0%, PN 43.7%, other 1.3%;
• seats by party - PL 37 PN 30;
• note - PN was awarded two additional seats for a total of 30 in accordance with the proportionality provisions specified in the constitution;
• PD candidates ran under the PN list

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}

• Democratic Party or PD [Anthony BUTTIGIEG]
• Labor Party or PL [Joseph MUSCAT]
• Nationalist Party or PN [Adrian DELIA]

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:

1.6%

industry:

20.7%

services:

77.7% (2016 est.)

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 185 per 100 persons

international:

• country code - 356;
• submarine cable connects to Italy;
• satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2016)

• 2 publicly owned TV stations, Television Malta broadcasting nationally plus an educational channel;
• several privately owned national television stations, 2 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 (2017)

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: 164

major seaport(s):

Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta

container port(s) (TEUs):

Marsaxlokk (2,360,000)