Malta Population: 411,277
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| 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 transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008. |
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| Geography | |
| 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 | |
| Location: | Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy) |
| Geographic coordinates: | 35 50 N, 14 35 E |
| Area: | total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km Size comparison: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC |
| Land Boundaries: | 0 km |
| Coastline: | 196.8 km (excludes 56 km for the island of Gozo) |
| Maritime claims: | territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200 m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm |
| Climate: | Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers |
| Terrain: | mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs |
| Elevation extremes: | lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli) |
| Natural resources: | limestone, salt, arable land |
| Land use: | arable land: 31.25% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 65.62% (2005) |
| Irrigated land: | 32 sq km (2003) |
| Natural hazards: | NA |
| Current Environment Issues: | limited natural freshwater resources; increasing reliance on desalination |
| International Environment Agreements: | party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements |
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| People | |
| Population: | 411,277 (July 2013 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 15.3% (male 32,126/female 30,603) 15-24 years: 12.9% (male 27,284/female 25,771) 25-54 years: 40.5% (male 85,066/female 81,672) 55-64 years: 14.1% (male 28,853/female 29,104) 65 years and over: 17.2% (male 31,397/female 39,401) (2013 est.) population pyramid: |
| Median age: | total: 40.3 years male: 39.1 years female: 41.7 years (2012 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.359% (2012 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 10.31 births/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Death rate: | 8.72 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 2 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.05 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.03 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.79 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2011 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.65 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.08 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.2 deaths/1,000 live births (2012 est.) |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 79.85 years male: 77.57 years female: 82.26 years (2012 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.53 children born/woman (2013 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | fewer than 500 (2009 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | fewer than 100 (2009 est.) |
| Nationality: | noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese |
| Ethnic groups: | Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) |
| Religions: | Roman Catholic (official) 98% |
| Languages: | Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 91.7% female: 93.9% (2005 Census) |
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| Government | |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October |
| Administrative divisions: | 68 localities (Il-lokalita); Attard, Balzan, Birgu, Birkirkara, Birzebbuga, Bormla, Dingli, Fgura, Floriana, Fontana, Ghajnsielem, Gharb, Gharghur, Ghasri Ghaxaq, Gudja, Gzira, Hamrun, Iklin, Imdina, Imgarr, Imqabba, Imsida, Imtarfa, Isla, Kalkara, Kercem, Kirkop, Lija, Luqa, Marsa, Marsaskala, Marsaxlokk, Mellieha, Mosta, Munxar, Nadur, Naxxar, Paola, Pembroke, Pieta, Qala, Qormi, Qrendi, Rabat, Rabat (Ghawdex), Safi, San Giljan/Saint Julian, San Gwann/Saint John, San Lawrenz/Saint Lawrence, Sannat, San Pawl il-Bahar/Saint Paul's Bay, Santa Lucija/Saint Lucia, Santa Venera/Saint Venera, Siggiewi, Sliema, Swieqi, Tarxien, Ta' Xbiex, Valletta, Xaghra, Xewkija, Xghajra, Zabbar, Zebbug, Zebbug (Ghawdex), Zejtun, Zurrieq |
| Independence: | 21 September 1964 (from the UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 21 September (1964); Republic Day, 13 December (1974) |
| Constitution: | 1964; amended many times |
| Legal system: | mixed legal system of English common law and civil law (based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes) |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President George ABELA (since 4 April 2009) head of government: Prime Minister Joseph MUSCAT (since 11 March 2013) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister (For more information visit the World Leaders website ) elections: president elected by a resolution of the House of Representatives for a five-year term; election last held on 12 January 2009 (next to be held by April 2014); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: George ABELA elected president by the House of Representatives |
| Legislative branch: | unicameral House of Representatives (normally 65 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation by the Single Transferrable Vote (STV) to serve five-year terms; note - the parliament elected in 2008 is composed of 69 seats; when the political party winning an absolute majority of first-count votes (or a plurality of first-count votes in an election where only two parties are represented in parliament) does not win an absolute majority of seats, the constitution provides for the winning party to be awarded additional number of seats in parliament to guarantee it an absolute majority; in the event that more than two parties are represented in parliament, with none acquiring the absolute majority of votes, the party winning the majority of seats prevails elections: last held on 8 March 2008 (next to be held by March 2013) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 49.3%, PL 48.8%, other 1.9%; seats by party - PN 35, PL 34 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court; Court of First Instance; Court of Appeal note: magistrates and judges for the courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister |
| Political parties and leaders: | Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD (Green Party) [Michael BRIGUGLIO]; Labor Party or PL [Joseph MUSCAT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | Alliance of Liberal Democrats Malta (Alleanza Liberali-Demokratika Malta) of ALDM (for divorce, abortion, gay marriage, women's rights); Together for a Better Environment (Flimkien Ghal-Ambjent Ahjar) or FAA (pro-environment) other: environmentalists |
| International organization participation: | Australia Group, C, CD, CE, EAPC, EBRD, ECB, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NSG, OAS (observer), OPCW, OSCE, PCA, PFP, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Joseph COLE chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611 through 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York |
| Diplomatic representation from the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador Gina ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY embassy: Ta' Qali National Park, Attard, ATD 4000 mailing address: 5800 Valetta Place, Dulles, VA 20189 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 2124 3229 |
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| Economy | |
| Malta - the smallest economy in the euro zone - produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has few domestic energy sources. Malta's geographic position between Europe and North Africa makes it a target for irregular migration, which has strained Malta's political and economic resources. Malta's fertility rate is below the EU average, and population growth in recent years has largely been from immigration, putting increasing pressure on the pension system. Malta adopted the euro on 1 January 2008. Malta's economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing, and tourism, and was hurt by the global economic downturn. Malta has low unemployment relative to other European countries, and growth has recovered since the 2009 recession. Malta's financial services industry has grown in recent years and it has avoided contagion from the European financial crisis, largely because its debt is mostly held domestically and its banks have low exposure to the sovereign debt of peripheral European countries. Malta reduced its deficit below 3 percent of GDP, leading the EU to dismiss its official excessive deficit procedure against Malta in 2012. | |
| GDP (purchasing power parity): | GDP (purchasing power parity): $11.14 billion (2012 est.) $11.01 billion (2011 est.) $10.78 billion (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP (official exchange rate): | GDP (official exchange rate): $8.415 billion (2012 est.) |
| GDP - real growth rate: | 1.2% (2012 est.) 2.1% (2011 est.) 2.5% (2010 est.) |
| GDP - per capita (PPP): | GDP - per capita (PPP): $26,100 (2012 est.) $26,000 (2011 est.) $25,700 (2010 est.) note: data are in 2012 US dollars |
| GDP - composition by sector: | agriculture: 1.9% industry: 17.2% services: 80.9% (2010 est.) |
| Labor force: | 180,200 (2011 est.) |
| Labor force - by occupation: | agriculture: 1.5% industry: 24.7% services: 73.9% (2011) |
| Unemployment rate: | 6.1% (2012 est.) 6.4% (2011 est.) |
| Population below poverty line: | 15.4% (2011) |
| Household income or consumption by percentage share: | lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA% |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index: | 27.4 (2011) 26 (2007) |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices): | Inflation rate (consumer prices): 2.5% (2012 est.) 2.7% (2011 est.) |
| Investment (gross fixed): | Investment (gross fixed): 15.8% of GDP (2012 est.) |
| Budget: | revenues: $3.526 billion expenditures: $3.854 billion (2012 est.) |
| Public debt: | 77% of GDP (2012 est.) 71.9% of GDP (2011 est.) note: Malta reports public debt at nominal value outstanding at the end of the year, according to guidelines set out in the Maastricht Treaty for general government gross debt; the data include the following categories of government liabilities (as defined in ESA95): currency and deposits (AF.2), securities other than shares excluding financial derivatives (AF.3, excluding AF.34), and loans (AF.4); general government comprises the central government, state government, local government and social security funds |
| Agriculture - products: | potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs |
| Industries: | tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco, aviation services, financial services, information technology services |
| Industrial production growth rate: | NA% |
| Electricity - production: | 2.168 billion kWh (2011) country comparison to the world: 134 |
| Electricity - consumption: | 1.991 billion kWh (2010) |
| Electricity - exports: | 0 kWh (2011 est.) |
| Electricity - imports: | 0 kWh (2011 est.) |
| Natural gas - production: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - consumption: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - exports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - imports: | 0 cu m (2010 est.) |
| Natural gas - proved reserves: | 0 cu m (1 January 2012 est.) |
| Current account balance: | -$221.2 million (2012 est.) -$268.8 million (2011 est.) |
| Exports: | $3.67 billion (2012 est.) $3.635 billion (2011 est.) |
| Exports - commodities: | machinery and mechanical appliances; mineral fuels, oils and products; pharmaceutical products; printed books and newspapers; aircraft/spacecraft and parts thereof; toys, games, and sports requisites |
| Exports - partners: | Germany 14%, France 10.5%, Greece 7.7%, Italy 7.4%, UK 6.4% (2011) |
| Imports: | $4.648 billion (2012 est.) $4.856 billion (2011 est.) |
| Imports - commodities: | mineral fuels, oils and products; electrical machinery; aircraft/spacecraft and parts thereof; machinery and mechanical appliances; plastic and other semi-manufactured goods; vehicles and parts thereof |
| Imports - partners: | Italy 32%, France 8.4%, UK 8%, Germany 6.9% (2011) |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold: | $498.4 million (31 December 2012 est.) $515.5 million (31 December 2011 est.) |
| Debt - external: | $48.79 billion (30 June 2011) $5.978 billion (31 December 2010) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home: | $17.25 billion (31 December 2010) $9.019 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad: | $1.213 billion (2010 est.) |
| Market value of publicly traded shares: | $3.424 billion (31 December 2011) $2.399 billion (31 December 2010) $1.982 billion (31 December 2009) |
| Exchange rates: | euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.7838 (2012 est.) 0.7185 (2011 est.) 0.755 (2010 est.) 0.7198 (2009 est.) 0.6827 (2008 est.) |
| Fiscal year: | calendar year |
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| Communications | |
| Telephones in use: | 232,300 (2011) country comparison to the world: 126 |
| Cellular Phones in use: | 521,700 (2011) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: automatic system featuring submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands domestic: combined fixed-line and mobile-cellular subscribership exceeds 180 per 100 persons international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) (2011) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | |
| Television broadcast stations: | |
| Internet country code: | .mt |
| Internet hosts: | 14,754 (2012) |
| Internet users: | 240,600 (2009) |
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| Transportation | |
| Airports: | 1 (2012) country comparison to the world: 226 |
| Airports (paved runways): | total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2012) |
| Heliports: | 2 (2012) |
| Roadways: | total: 3,096 km paved: 2,710 km unpaved: 386 km (2005) |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1,650 by type: bulk carrier 544, cargo 351, carrier 1, chemical tanker 324, container 117, liquefied gas 36, passenger 50, passenger/cargo 18, petroleum tanker 160, refrigerated cargo 7, roll on/roll off 22, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 18 foreign-owned: 1,437 (Angola 7, Azerbaijan 1, Belgium 7, Bermuda 15, Bulgaria 8, Canada 5, China 6, Croatia 6, Cyprus 32, Denmark 34, Egypt 1, Estonia 16, Finland 3, France 8, Germany 135, Greece 469, Hong Kong 4, India 3, Iran 48, Ireland 4, Israel 3, Italy 45, Japan 5, Kuwait 3, Latvia 8, Lebanon 6, Libya 5, Luxembourg 3, Malaysia 1, Monaco 3, Netherlands 3, Norway 96, Oman 5, Poland 21, Portugal 3, Romania 7, Russia 45, Saudi Arabia 2, Singapore 4, Slovenia 4, South Korea 2, Spain 8, Sweden 1, Switzerland 20, Syria 4, Turkey 233, UAE 1, UK 21, Ukraine 29, US 34) registered in other countries: 2 (Panama 2) (2010) |
| Ports and terminals: | Marsaxlokk (Malta Freeport), Valletta |
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| Military | |
| Military branches: | Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2010) |
| Military service age and obligation: | 17 years 6 months of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2011) |
| Manpower available for military service: | males age 16-49: 95,499 females age 16-49: 90,919 (2010 est.) |
| Manpower fit for military service: | males age 16-49: 79,645 females age 16-49: 75,684 (2010 est.) |
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