Edition 2003 — Malta — World Factbook

Administrative divisions

none (administered directly from Valletta); note - Local Councils carry out administrative orders

Age structure

0-14 years: 19.5% (male 40,448; female 37,623) 15-64 years: 67.5% (male 136,221; female 134,142) 65 years and over: 13% (male 21,730; female 30,256) (2003 est.)

Agriculture - products

potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs

Airports

1 (2002)

Airports - with paved runways

over 3,047 m: 1 (2002) Military Malta
total: 1

Area

land: 316 sq km
total: 316 sq km
water: 0 sq km

Area - comparative

slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC

Background

Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has become a freight transshipment point, financial center, and tourist destination. It is an official candidate for EU membership. Geography Malta

Birth rate

12.75 births/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Budget

expenditures: $1.6 billion, including capital expenditures of $NA (2000)
revenues: $1.5 billion

Capital

Valletta

Climate

Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers

Coastline

196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)

Constitution

1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974 and again in 1987

Country name

conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta
local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta
local short form: Malta

Currency

Maltese lira (MTL)

Currency code

MTL

Death rate

7.8 deaths/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Debt - external

$130 million (1997)

Diplomatic representation from the US

chief of mission: Ambassador Anthony H. GIOIA
embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta VLT 01
mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, Malta
telephone: [356] 21-235-960

Diplomatic representation in the US

chief of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL
consulate(s): New York

Disputes - international

none

Economic aid - recipient

$NA

Economy - overview

Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism. Malta is privatizing state-controlled firms and liberalizing markets in order to prepare for membership in the European Union. The island remains divided politically, however, over the question of joining the EU. Continued sluggishness in the global economy is holding back exports, tourism, and overall growth.

Electricity - consumption

1.644 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - exports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - imports

0 kWh (2001)

Electricity - production

1.768 billion kWh (2001)

Electricity - production by source

fossil fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001)

Elevation extremes

highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m

Environment - current issues

very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination

Environment - international agreements

party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Ethnic groups

Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Exchange rates

Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.43 (2002), 0.45 (2001), 0.44 (2000), 0.4 (1999), 0.39 (1998)

Executive branch

cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
chief of state: President Guido DE MARCO (since 4 April 1999)
election results: Guido DE MARCO elected president; percent of House of Representatives vote - 54%
elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term; election last held NA April 1999 (next to be held by April 2004); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
head of government: Prime Minister Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 6 September 1998); Deputy Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 4 April 1999)

Exports

$2 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Exports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, manufactures

Exports - partners

Singapore 17.3%, US 11.4%, UK 9.4%, Germany 9%, France 7.2%, China 6.5%, Italy 6% (2002)

FAX

[1] (202) 387-5470; [356] 2124-3229
chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612

Fiscal year

1 April - 31 March Communications Malta

Flag description

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 Malta

GDP

purchasing power parity - $6.818 billion (2002 est.)

GDP - composition by sector

agriculture: 2.8%
industry: 25.5%
services: 71.7% (1999)

GDP - per capita

purchasing power parity - $17,200 (2002 est.)

GDP - real growth rate

1.2% (2002 est.)

Geographic coordinates

35 50 N, 14 35 E

Geography - note

the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being 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 People Malta

Government type

republic

Highways

paved: 1,972 km
total: 2,254 km
unpaved: 282 km (2000)

HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate

0.1% (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - deaths

less than 100 (2001 est.)

HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS

NA

Household income or consumption by percentage share

highest 10%: NA%
lowest 10%: NA%

Illicit drugs

minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe This page was last updated on 18 December, 2003

Imports

$2.8 billion f.o.b. (2001)

Imports - commodities

machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, and tobacco

Imports - partners

Italy 18.3%, France 12.1%, South Korea 11.3%, UK 7.5%, Singapore 5.3%, Germany 5.2%, Japan 5%, US 4.6%, Spain 4.2% (2002)

Independence

21 September 1964 (from UK)

Industrial production growth rate

NA%

Industries

tourism; electronics, ship building and repair, construction; food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco

Infant mortality rate

female: 5.34 deaths/1,000 live births (2003 est.)
male: 5.87 deaths/1,000 live births
total: 5.62 deaths/1,000 live births

Inflation rate (consumer prices)

2.4% (2002 est.)

International organization participation

C, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Internet country code

.mt

Internet Service Providers (ISPs)

6 (2002)

Internet users

59,000 (2002) Transportation Malta

Irrigated land

20 sq km (1998 est.)

Judicial branch

Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister

Labor force

160,000 (2002 est.)

Labor force - by occupation

industry 24%, services 71%, agriculture 5% (1999 est.)

Land boundaries

0 km

Land use

arable land: 31.25%
other: 65.62% (1998 est.)
permanent crops: 3.13%

Languages

Maltese (official), English (official)

Legal system

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

Legislative branch

unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms)
election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31
elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by April 2008)

Life expectancy at birth

female: 81.14 years (2003 est.)
male: 75.94 years
total population: 78.43 years

Literacy

definition: age 10 and over can read and write
female: 93.6% (2003 est.) Government Malta
male: 92%
total population: 92.8%

Location

Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)

Map references

Europe

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

Median age

female: 38.8 years (2002)
male: 35.6 years
total: 37.2 years

Merchant marine

convenience: Australia 4, Austria 6, Bangladesh 1, Belgium 3, Bulgaria 19, Canada 2, China 16, Croatia 14, Cuba 1, Cyprus 7, Denmark 3, Estonia 5, Finland 1, Germany 54, Greece 627, Hong Kong 12, Iceland 3, India 10, Iran 2, Israel 26, Italy 36, Japan 2, Latvia 24, Lebanon 6, Monaco 29, Netherlands 10, Nigeria 2, Norway 43, Poland 29, Portugal 2, Romania 15, Russia 85, Saudi Arabia 1, Slovenia 2, South Korea 5, Spain 1, Switzerland 54, Syria 4, Turkey 84, Ukraine 25, UAE 3, UK 4, US 10 (2002 est.)
note: includes some foreign-owned ships registered here as a flag of
ships by type: bulk 459, cargo 280, chemical tanker 45, combination bulk 10, combination ore/oil 10, container 80, liquefied gas 3, livestock carrier 3, multi-functional large-load carrier 1, passenger 6, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 236, refrigerated cargo 37, roll on/roll off 41, short-sea passenger 7, vehicle carrier 15
total: 1,234 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 25,885,128 GRT/42,467,864 DWT

Military branches

Armed Forces (including land forces [with subordinate air squadron and maritime squadron] and the Revenue Security Corps), Maltese Police Force

Military expenditures - dollar figure

$60 million (2000 est.)

Military expenditures - percent of GDP

1.7% (2000) Transnational Issues Malta

Military manpower - availability

males age 15-49: 99,312 (2003 est.)

Military manpower - fit for military service

males age 15-49: 79,080 (2003 est.)

National holiday

Independence Day, 21 September (1964)

Nationality

adjective: Maltese
noun: Maltese (singular and plural)

Natural hazards

NA

Natural resources

limestone, salt, arable land

Net migration rate

2.34 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2003 est.)

Oil - consumption

20,000 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Oil - exports

NA (2001)

Oil - imports

NA (2001)

Oil - production

0 bbl/day (2001 est.)

Political parties and leaders

Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Edward FENECH ADAMI]

Political pressure groups and leaders

NA

Population

400,420 (July 2003 est.)

Population below poverty line

NA%

Population growth rate

0.73% (2003 est.)

Ports and harbors

Marsaxlokk, Valletta

Radio broadcast stations

AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)

Radios

255,000 (1997)

Railways