:Malta Geography

Total area:
    320 km2
Land area:
    320 km2
Comparative area:
    slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Land boundaries:
    none
Coastline:
    140 km
Maritime claims:
  Contiguous zone:
    24 nm
  Continental shelf:
    200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation
  Exclusive fishing zone:
    25 nm
  Territorial sea:
    12 nm
Disputes:
    none
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%; includes irrigated 3%
Environment:
    numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce - increasing
    reliance on desalination
Note:
    strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily, 290 km
    north of Libya

:Malta People

Population:
    359,231 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
    14 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
    8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
    1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
    7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
    74 years male, 79 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
    2.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
    noun - Maltese (singular and plural); adjective - Maltese
Ethnic divisions:
    mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English
Religions:
    Roman Catholic 98%
Languages:
    Maltese and English (official)
Literacy:
    84% (male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
Labor force:
    127,200; government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing
    22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1990)
Organized labor:
    about 40% of labor force

:Malta Government

Long-form name:
    Republic of Malta
Type:
    parliamentary democracy
Capital:
    Valletta
Administrative divisions:
    none (administration directly from Valletta)
Independence:
    21 September 1964 (from UK)
Constitution:
    26 April 1974, effective 2 June 1974
Legal system:
    based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ
    jurisdiction, with reservations
National holiday:
    Independence Day, 21 September
Executive branch:
    president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
Legislative branch:
    unicameral House of Representatives
Judicial branch:
    Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal
Leaders:
  Chief of State:
    President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April 1989)
  Head of Government:
    Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy
    Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)
Political parties and leaders:
    Nationalist Party (NP), Edward FENECH ADAMI; Malta Labor Party (MLP), Alfred
    SANT
Suffrage:
    universal at age 18
Elections:
  House of Representatives:
    last held on 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)
Member of:
    C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO,
    IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL,
    WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
Diplomatic representation:
    Ambassador Albert BORG OLIVIER DE PUGET; Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue
    NW, Washington, DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3611 or 3612; there is a
    Maltese Consulate General in New York
  US:
    Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE; Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint
    Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535,
    Valletta); telephone [356] 240424, 240425, 243216, 243217, 243653, 223654;
    FAX same as phone numbers
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

:Malta 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 27% of GDP, with the electronics and
    textile industries major contributors. In 1990 inflation was held to a low
    3.0%. Per capita GDP at $7,000 places Malta in the middle-income range of
    the world's nations.
GDP:
    exchange rate conversion - $2.5 billion, per capita $7,000 (1991 est.); real
    growth rate 5.5% (1990)
Inflation rate (consumer prices):
    3.0% (1990)
Unemployment rate:
    3.8% (1990)
Budget:
    revenues $1.3 billion; expenditures $1.3 billion, including capital
    expenditures of $380 million (1992 plan)
Exports:
    $l.1 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
  commodities:
    clothing, textiles, footwear, ships
  partners:
    Italy 30%, Germany 22%, UK 11%
Imports:
    $2.0 billion (f.o.b., 1990)
  commodities:
    food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods
  partners:
    Italy 30%, UK 16%, Germany 13%, US 4%
External debt:
    $90 million, medium and long term (December 1987)
Industrial production:
    growth rate 19.0% (1990); accounts for 27% of GDP
Electricity:
    328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1991)
Industries:
    tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction, food manufacturing,
    textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco
Agriculture:
    accounts for 3% of GDP; 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
Economic aid:
    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:
    Maltese lira (plural - liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents
Exchange rates:
    Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3257 (March 1992), 0.3004 (1991), 0.3172
    (1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987)
Fiscal year:
    1 April - 31 March

:Malta Communications

Highways:
    1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35
    km improved and unimproved earth
Ports:
    Valletta, Marsaxlokk
Merchant marine:
    658 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 9,003,001 GRT/15,332,287 DWT;
    includes 3 passenger, 13 short-sea passenger, 241 cargo, 14 container, 2
    passenger-cargo, 16 roll-on/roll-off, 2 vehicle carrier, 1 barge carrier, 15
    refrigerated cargo, 11 chemical tanker, 12 combination ore/oil, 2
    specialized tanker, 3 liquefied gas, 124 petroleum tanker, 176 bulk, 23
    combination bulk; note - a flag of convenience registry; China owns 2 ships,
    former republics of the USSR own 52 ships, Cuba owns 10, Vietnam owns 6,
    Yugoslavia owns 9, Romania owns 4
Civil air:
    7 major transport aircraft
Airports:
    1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
Telecommunications:
    automatic system satisfies normal requirements; 153,000 telephones;
    excellent service by broadcast stations - 8 AM, 4 FM, and 2 TV; submarine
    cable and radio relay between islands; international service by 1 submarine
    cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station

:Malta Defense Forces

Branches:
    Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force
Manpower availability:
    males 15-49, 95,661; 76,267 fit for military service
Defense expenditures:
    exchange rate conversion - $21.9 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.)