1989 Edition

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

cool summers and mild winters; humid; overcast about half the time

Coastline

140 km

1 1 3 km

Comparative area

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC

Contiguous zone

24 nm

Continental shelf

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

200 meters or to depth of exploitation

Environment

numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce — increasing reliance on desalination

strong westerly winds prevail

Exclusive fishing zone

25 nm

200 nm

Land boundaries

none

none

Land use

38% arable land; 3% permanent crops; 0% meadows and pastures; 0% forest and woodland; 59% other; includes 3% irrigated

NA% arable land; NA% permanent crops; NA% meadows and pastures; NA% forest and woodland; NA% other; extensive arable land and forests

Natural resources

limestone, salt

lead, iron ore

Note

strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily, 290 km north of Libya

located in Irish Sea equidistant from England, Scotland, and Ireland

Terrain

mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs

hills in north and south bisected by central valley

Territorial sea

12 nm

3 nm

Total area

320 km2; land area: 320 km2

588 km2; land area; 588 km2

Total area

10 km Mediterranean Sea Set rrji.mil mip V • FiHIt

Birth rate

1 5 births/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Birthrate

11 births/ 1,000 population (1990)

Death rate

8 deaths/ 1,000 population (1990)

1 5 deaths/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

Ethnic divisions

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

native Manx of NorseCeltic descent; British

Infant mortality rate

8 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

9 deaths/ 1 ,000 live births (1990)

Labor force

1 25,674; 30% services, 24% manufacturing, 21% government (except job corps), 8% construction, 5% utilities and drydocks, 4% agriculture (1987)

25,864(1981)

Language

Maltese and English (official)

English, Manx Gaelic

Life expectancy at birth

74 years male, 78 years female (1990)

72 years male, 78 years female (1990)

Literacy

83%

NA%, but compulsory education between ages of 5 and 15

Nationality

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

noun — Manxman, Manxwoman, adjective — Manx

Net migration rate

1 migrant/ 1 ,000 population (1990)

5 migrants/ 1,000 population (1990)

Organized labor

about 40% of labor force

22 labor unions patterned along British lines

Population

353,465 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)

64,859 (July 1990), growth rate 0.2% (1990)

Religion

98% Roman Catholic

Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends

Total fertility rate

2.0 children born/ woman (1990)

1 .8 children born/ woman (1990)

Administrative divisions

none (administration directly from Valletta)

none (British crown dependency)

Capital

Valletta

Douglas

Communists

fewer than 100 (est.)

probably none

Constitution

26 April 1974, effective 2 June 1974

1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act

Diplomatic representation

Ambassador Salvatore J. STELLINI; Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-361 1 or 3612; there is a Maltese Consulate General in New York; US — Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE; Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development House, St. Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535, Valletta); telephone [356] 623653 or 620424, 623216

none (British crown dependency)

Elections

House of Representatives — last held on 9 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results— NP 51.1%, MLP 48.9%; seats — (usually 65 total, but additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current total 69) MLP 34, NP 31 before popular vote adjustment; MLP 34, NP 35 after adjustment

House of Keys — last held in 1986 (next to be held 1991); results— percent of vote NA; seats — (24 total) independents 24

Executive branch

president, prime minister, deputy prime minister. Cabinet

British monarch, lieutenant governor, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)

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

red with the Three Legs of Man emblem (Trinacria), in the center; the three legs are joined at the thigh and bent at the knee; in order to have the toes pointing clockwise on both sides of the flag, a two-sided emblem is used

Independence

21 September 1964 (from UK)

none (British crown dependency)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal

High Court of Justice

Leaders

Chief of State — President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April 1989); Head of Government — Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAM1 (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987) Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party, Edward Fenech Adami; Malta Labor Party, Karmenu Mifsud Bonnici

Chief of State — Lord of Mann Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by Lieutenant Governor Maj. Gen. Laurence NEW (since 1985); Head of Government — President of the Legislative Council J. C. NIVISON (since 1985) Political parties and leaders: there is no party system and members sit as independents

Legal system

based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

English law and local statute

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Representatives

bicameral Parliament (Tynwald) consists of an upper house or Legislative Council and a lower house or House of Keys

Long-form name

Republic of Malta

none

Member of

CCC, Commonwealth, Council of Europe, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, I FAD, ILO, IMF, I MO, INTERPOL, ITU, IWC— International Wheat Council, NAM.UN, UNDP, UNESCO, UNICEF, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO

National holiday

Freedom Day, 31 March

Tynwald Day, 5 July

Suffrage

universal at age 18

universal at age 21

Type

parliamentary democracy

British crown dependency

Agriculture

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 Man, Isle of (British crown dependency)

Aid

US commitments, including Ex-lm (FY70-81), $172 million; Western (nonUS) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-87), $332 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million

Budget

revenues $844 million; expenditures $938 million, including capital expenditures of $226 million (1989 est.)

Currency

Maltese lira (plural — liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents

Electricity

328,000 kW capacity; 1,1 10 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1989)

Exchange rates

Maltese liri (LM) per US$1— 0.3332 (January 1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987), 0.3924(1986), 0.4676(1985)

Exports

$710 million (f.o.b., 1988); commodities— clothing, textiles, footwear, ships; partners— FRG 31%, UK 14%, Italy 14%

External debt

$90 million, medium and long-term (December 1987)

Fiscal year

1 April-31 March

GDP

$1.9 billion, per capita $5,100; real growth rate 7.1% (1988)

Imports

$1,360 million (c.i.f., 1988); commodities— food, petroleum, nonfood raw materials; partners— FRG 19%, UK 17%, Italy 17%, US 11%

Industrial production

growth rate 6.2% (1987)

Industries

tourism, ship repair yard, clothing, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

0.9% (1988)

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 30% of GDP, with the textile and clothing industry a major contributor. In 1988 inflation was held to a low 0.9%. Per capita GDP at $5,100 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's nations.

Offshore banking, manufacturing, and tourism are key sectors of the economy. The government's policy of offering incentives to high-technology companies and financial institutions to locate on the island has paid off in expanding

Unemployment rate

4.4% (1987)

Airports

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

Branches

Armed Forces, Police, Paramilitary Dejima Force

Civil air

8 major transport aircraft

Defense expenditures

1.3% of GDP, or $25 million (1 989 est.) 10km Irish Sea

Highways

1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth

Merchant marine

314 ships (1,000 CRT or over) totaling 3,677,797 GRT/ 6,357,733 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 4 short-sea passenger, 1 27 cargo, 2 container, 1 passenger-cargo, 13 roll-on/ roll-off cargo, 2 vehicle carrier, 6 refrigerated cargo, 7 chemical tanker, 4 combination ore/oil, 1 specialized tanker, 61 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 72 bulk, 1 1 combination bulk; note — a flag of convenience registry; China owns 1 ship, Cuba owns 8, and Vietnam owns 1

Military manpower

males 15-49, 92,610; 74,256 fit for military service

Ports

Valletta, Marsaxlokk

Telecommunications

modern automatic system centered in Valletta; 153,000 telephones; stations— 9 AM, 3 FM, 2 TV; 1 submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station Defense Forces