MALTA
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MALTA
@Malta:Geography
Location: Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of
Sicily (Italy)
Map references: Europe
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MALTA - MAJOR CITIES
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Latitude, Internat'l Time
Population Longitude Phone Code Zone
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Birkirkara 20,000 35.54N, 14.29E 356- GMT+1
Qormi 19,000 35.53N, 14.28E 356- GMT+1
Sliema 14,000 35.55N, 14.31E 356- GMT+1
VALLETTA 9,000 35.54N, 14.32E 356- GMT+1
Victoria 5,000 36.03N, 14.14E 356- GMT+1
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Area:
total area: 320 sq km
land area: 320 sq km
comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries: 0 km
Coastline: 140 km
Maritime claims:
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm
territorial sea: 12 nm
International disputes: Malta and Tunisia are discussing the
commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their
countries, particularly for oil exploration
Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs
Natural resources: limestone, salt
Land use:
arable land: 38%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 59%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing
reliance on desalination
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer
Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified -
Biodiversity, Desertification
Note: the country comprises an archipelago, with only the 3 largest
islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays
provide good harbors
@Malta:People
Population: 369,609 (July 1995 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (female 39,199; male 41,581)
15-64 years: 67% (female 123,665; male 124,167)
65 years and over: 11% (female 23,597; male 17,400) (July 1995 est.)
Population growth rate: 0.75% (1995 est.)
Birth rate: 13.22 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Death rate: 7.43 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Net migration rate: 1.7 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)
Infant mortality rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)
Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.02 years
male: 74.75 years
female: 79.48 years (1995 est.)
Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (1995 est.)
Nationality:
noun: Maltese (singular and plural)
adjective: Maltese
Ethnic divisions: Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English
Religions: Roman Catholic 98%
Languages: Maltese (official), English (official)
Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
total population: 84%
male: 86%
female: 82%
Labor force: 127,200
by occupation: government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%,
manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture
2% (1990)
@Malta:Government
Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta
Digraph: MT
Type: parliamentary democracy
Capital: Valletta
Administrative divisions: none (administration directly from Valletta)
Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)
National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1964)
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
Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal
Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ugo MIFSUD BONNICI (since 4 April 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Edward
(Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr.
Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president on advice of the prime
minister
Legislative branch: unicameral
House of Representatives: elections last held 22 February 1992 (next
to be held by February 1997); results - NP 51.8%, MLP 46.5%; seats -
(usually 65 total) MLP 36, NP 29; note - additional seats are given to
the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative
majority; current total: 69 (MLP 33, NP 36 after adjustment)
Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, Court of Appeal
Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party (NP), Edward FENECH
ADAMI; Malta Labor Party (MLP), Alfred SANT
Member of: C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD,
UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation in 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
US diplomatic representation:
chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph R. PAOLINO, Jr.
embassy: 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana,
Malta
mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta
telephone: [356] 235960
FAX: [356] 243229
Flag: 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
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. Consequently, the economy is highly dependent
on foreign trade and services. Manufacturing and tourism are the
largest contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about
24% of GDP, with the electronics and textile industries major
contributors and with the state-owned Malta drydocks employing about
4,300 people. In 1994, over 1,000,000 tourists visited the island. Per
capita GDP of $10,760 places Malta in the range of the less affluent
EU countries.
National product: GDP - purchasing power parity - $3.9 billion (1994
est.)
National product real growth rate: 4.4% (1994 est.)
National product per capita: $10,760 (1994 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices): 5% (1994 est.)
Unemployment rate: 4.5% (March 1994)
Budget:
revenues: $1.4 billion
expenditures: $1.4 billion, including capital expenditures of $215
million (FY94/95 est.)
Exports: $1.3 billion (f.o.b., 1993)
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, clothing and footware,
printed matter
partners: Italy 32%, Germany 16%, UK 8%
Imports: $2.1 billion (c.i.f., 1993)
commodities: food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods
partners: Italy 27%, Germany 14%, UK 13%, US 9%
External debt: $603 million (1992)
Industrial production: growth rate 5.4% (1992); accounts for 27% of
GDP
Electricity:
capacity: 250,000 kW
production: 1.1 billion kWh
consumption per capita: 2,749 kWh (1993)
Industries: tourism, electronics, ship repairyard, construction, food
manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco
Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP and 2% of the work force (1992);
overall, 20% self-sufficient; main products - potatoes, cauliflower,
grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers,
hogs, poultry, eggs; generally adequate supplies of vegetables,
poultry, milk, pork products; seasonal or periodic shortages in grain,
animal fodder, fruits, other basic foodstuffs
Illicit drugs: transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to
Western Europe
Economic aid:
recipient: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172 million;
Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
(1970-89), $336 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million;
Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million
Currency: 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents
Exchange rates: Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3656 (January 1995),
0.3776 (1994), 0.3821 (1993), 0.3178 (1992), 0.3226 (1991), 0.3172
(1990)
Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March
@Malta:Transportation
Railroads: 0 km
Highways:
total: 1,291 km
paved: asphalt 1,179 km
unpaved: gravel, crushed stone 77 km; earth 35 km
Ports: Marsaxlokk, Valletta
Merchant marine:
total: 964 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 15,518,359
GRT/26,604,739 DWT
ships by type: barge carrier 3, bulk 272, cargo 300, chemical tanker
30, combination bulk 26, combination ore/oil 16, container 33,
liquefied gas tanker 3, multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker
191, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 3, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated
cargo 14, roll-on/roll-off cargo 26, short-sea passenger 20,
specialized tanker 5, vehicle carrier 11
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes 49 countries; the 10
major fleet flags are: Greece 351 ships, Russia 66, Croatia 63,
Switzerland 31, Montenegro 29, Italy 27, Germany 23, Monaco 20, UK 20,
and Georgia 10
Airports:
total: 1
with paved runways over 3,047 m: 1
@Malta:Communications
Telephone system: 153,000 telephones; automatic system satisfies
normal requirements
local: NA
intercity: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands
international: 1 submarine cable and 1 INTELSAT (Atlantic Ocean) earth
station
Radio:
broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 4, shortwave 0
radios: NA
Television:
broadcast stations: 2
televisions: NA
@Malta:Defense Forces
Branches: Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force
Manpower availability: males age 15-49 98,525; males fit for military
service 78,305 (1995 est.)
Defense expenditures: exchange rate conversion - $21.4 million, about
0.9% of GDP (FY92/93)
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