1986 Edition

Agriculture

main crops — millet, sorghum, rice, corn, peanuts; cash crops — peanuts, cotton, livestock

overall, 20% self-sufficient; generally adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, and pork products; seasonal or periodic shortages in grain, animal fodder, fruits, other basic foodstuffs; main products— potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers, hogs, poultry, eggs

Airfields

38 total, 31 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m, 9 with runways 1, 220-2,439 m

1 usable with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m

Branches

Army, Air Force; paramilitary, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard

executive, consisting of Prime Minister and Cabinet; unicameral legislature (65-member House of Representatives); independent judiciary

Armed Forces, Police, Task Force, Paramilitary Dejima Force

Budget

(1982) revenues, $154 million; expenditures and net lending, $169 million

(1984) projects $486 million in expenditures, $475 million in revenues

Capital

Valletta

Civil air

5 major transport aircraft

8 major transport aircraft

Coastline

140 km People

Elections

at the discretion of the Prime Minister, but must be held before the expiration of a five-year electoral mandate; last election December 1981 Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party, Edward Fenech Adami; Malta Labor Party, Karmenu Mifsud Bonniei

Electric power

92,000 kW capacity (1985); 161 million kWh produced (1985), 20 kWh per capita

157,000 kW capacity (1985); 766 million kWh produced (1985), 2,158 kWh per capita

Ethnic divisions

mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English

Exports

$145.8 million (f.o.b., 1982); livestock, peanuts, dried fish, cotton, skins

$393.7 million (f.o.b., 1984); clothing, textiles, ships, printed matter

Fiscal year

calendar year Communications

1 January-31 December Communications

Fishing

catch 33,000 tons (1983 est.)

GDP

$1.0 billion (1982), $140 per capita; annual real growth rate 4.4% (1982)

$1.0 billion (1984), $3,010 per capita (1984); 68.9% private consumption, 27.4% gross investment; 17.4% government consumption, — 15.2% net foreign sector; change in stocks 1.0%; in 1984 real GDP growth was 1.2%

Government leaders

Agatha BARBARA, President (since February 1982); Karmenu MIFSUD BONNICI, Prime Minister (since December 1984)

Highways

approximately 15,700 km total; 1,670 km bituminous, 3,670 km gravel and improved earth, 10,360 km unimproved earth

1,292 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth

Imports

$232.6 million (f.o.b., 1982); textiles, vehicles, petroleum products, machinery, sugar, cereals

$717.8 million (c.i.f., 1984)

Infant mortality rate

11.2/1,000(1984)

Inland waterways

1,815 km navigable

Labor force

121,686(1984); 30% services (except government), 24% manufacturing, 21% government (except job corps), 8% construction, 5% utilities and drydocks, 4% agriculture; 8.3% registered unemployed

Language

Maltese and English (official)

Legal system

based on English common law; constitution adopted 1961, came into force 1964; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Life expectancy

73

Limits of territorial waters (claimed)

12 nm (fishing 25 nm)

Literacy

83%

Major industries

small local consumer goods and processing

tourism, ship repair yard, clothing, building industry, food manufacturing, textiles

Major trade partners

mostly franc zone and Western Europe; also with USSR, China

74% EC (24% Italy, 22% FRG, 17% UK); 6% US

Member of

Commonwealth, Council of Europe, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM, UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO Economy

Military budget

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $24.8 million; about 22.2% of central government budget Mediterranean Sea Land 313 km2; twice the size of Washington, D. C.; 45% agricultural; negligible forest; remainder urban, waste, or other Water

for fiscal year ending 31 December 1984, $12.2 million; about 2.5% of central government budget

Military manpower

males 15-49, 1,727,000; 872,000 fit for military service; no conscription

males 15-49, 89,000; 73,000 fit for military service

Monetary conversion rate

475 Communaute Financiere Af ricaine (CFA) francs= US$1 (1985)

0.43 Maltese lira=US$l (October 1985)

National holiday

Freedom Day, 31 March

Nationality

noun — Maltese (sing, and pi.); adjective — Maltese

Natural resources

gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone; bauxite, iron ore, manganese, lithium, and uranium deposits are known or suspected but not exploited

limestone, salt

Official name

Republic of Malta

Organized labor

approximately 40% of labor force Government

Political subdivisions

2 main populated islands, Malta and Gozo, divided into 13 electoral districts (divisions)

Population

354,000 (July 1986), average annual growth rate —0.2%

Ports

2 major (Valletta, Marsaxlokk [under development] ), 1 secondary, 1 minor

Railroads

642 km 1.000-meter gauge

Religion

98% Roman Catholic

Shortages

most consumer and industrial needs (fuels and raw materials) must be imported

Suffrage

universal over age 18; registration required

Supply

various facilities and equipment turned over by the UK in 1965; has received 2 patrol boats, helicopters, small arms, and mortars from Libya; vehicles and engineer equipment from Italy; patrol boats and helicopters from FRG

Telecommunications

domestic system poor and provides only minimal service; radiorelay, wire, and radio communications stations in use; expansion of radio relay in progress; 8,000 telephones (0. 1 per 100 popl.); 2 AM, 2 FM, no TV stations; 1 Atlantic and 1 Indian Ocean satellite ground station Defense Forces

modern automatic telecom system centered in Valletta; 113,000 telephones (34.6 per 100 popl.); 6 AM, 5 FM, 2 TV stations; 1 coaxial submarine cable Defense Forces

Type

parliamentary democracy, independent republic within the Commonwealth since December 1974

Voting strength

(1981 election) House of Representatives— Labor, 34 seats (49% of the vote); Nationalist, 31 seats (51% of the vote) Communist*: less than 100 (est.)