President: George Abela Prime minister: Lawrence Gonzi
Population
10,884,958
409,836
Life Expectancy
58.610 years
79.850 years
Capital City
Valletta
Largest city
Camayenne (population: 1,871,240)
Birkirkara (population: 21,676)
Human Development Index
0.423
0.894
GDP per capita
$25,800 US
Literacy Rate
29.5%
92.8%
Corruption Perception Index
1.6
5.8
Percentage of Women in Parliament
19.3%
8.7%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
Death Penalty
Legal
Abolished
Political System
republic
republic
Independence date
21 September 1964 (from UK)
Religions
Muslim 85%, Christian 8%, indigenous beliefs 7%
Roman Catholic 98%
Languages
French (official); note - each ethnic group has its own language
Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)
Exports
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
External Debt
$48,790,000,000 US
Exchange Rate
euros (EUR) per US dollar - 0.6494 (2008 est.), 0.6795 (January 2008), Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.700%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
Location
Western Africa, bordering the North Atlantic Ocean, between Guinea-Bissau and Sierra Leone
Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
Area
245,857 km sq
316 km sq
Coastline
320 km
197 km
Climate
generally hot and humid; monsoonal-type rainy season (June to November) with southwesterly winds; dry season (December to May) with northeasterly harmattan winds
