President: George Abela Prime minister: Lawrence Gonzi
President: Abdelaziz Bouteflika
Population
409,836
37,367,226
Life Expectancy
79.850 years
74.730 years
Capital City
Valletta
Algiers
Largest city
Birkirkara (population: 21,676)
Algiers (population: 1,977,660)
Human Development Index
0.894
0.748
GDP per capita
$25,800 US
$7,400 US
Literacy Rate
92.8%
69.9%
Corruption Perception Index
5.8
3.2
Percentage of Women in Parliament
8.7%
6.5%
Wealthiest Citizens
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
10.000%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Abolished in practice
Political System
republic
republic
Independence date
21 September 1964 (from UK)
5 July 1962 (from France)
Religions
Roman Catholic 98%
Sunni Muslim (state religion) 99%, Christian and Jewish 1%
Languages
Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)
Arabic (official), French, Berber dialects
Exports
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
petroleum, natural gas, and petroleum products 97%
External Debt
$48,790,000,000 $
$4,699,000,000 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)
Algerian dinars (DZD) per US dollar - 63.25 (2008 est.), 69.9 (2007), 72.647 (2006), 73.276 (2005), 72.061 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.700%
3.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
2
Location
Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
Northern Africa, bordering the Mediterranean Sea, between Morocco and Tunisia
arid to semiarid; mild, wet winters with hot, dry summers along coast; drier with cold winters and hot summers on high plateau; sirocco is a hot, dust/sand-laden wind especially common in summer
