President: George Abela Prime minister: Lawrence Gonzi
Head of State: President Hu Jintau
Population
409,836
1,343,239,923
Life Expectancy
79.850 years
74.840 years
Capital City
Valletta
Beijing
Largest city
Birkirkara (population: 21,676)
Shanghai (population: 14,608,500)
Human Development Index
0.894
0.762
GDP per capita
$25,800 US
$8,500 US
Literacy Rate
92.8%
90.9%
Corruption Perception Index
5.8
3.6
Percentage of Women in Parliament
8.7%
21.3%
Wealthiest Citizens
NA
Liu Yongxing ($3.0bn US)
Unemployment Rate
6.400%
6.500%
Death Penalty
Abolished
Legal
Political System
republic
Communist state
Independence date
21 September 1964 (from UK)
221 BC (unification under the Qin or Ch'in Dynasty); 1 January 1912 (Qing or Ch'ing Dynasty replaced by the Republic of China); 1 October 1949 (People's Republic of China established)
Religions
Roman Catholic 98%
Daoist (Taoist), Buddhist, Christian 3%-4%, Muslim 1%-2% note: officially atheist (2002 est.)
Languages
Maltese (official) 90.2%, English (official) 6%, multilingual 3%, other 0.8% (2005 census)
Standard Chinese or Mandarin (Putonghua, based on the Beijing dialect), Yue (Cantonese), Wu (Shanghainese), Minbei (Fuzhou), Minnan (Hokkien-Taiwanese), Xiang, Gan, Hakka dialects, minority languages (see Ethnic groups entry)
Exports
machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
electrical and other machinery, including data processing equipment, apparel, textile, iron and steel, optical and medical equipment
External Debt
$48,790,000,000 $
$697,200,000,000 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)
Renminbi yuan (RMB) per US dollar - 6.9385 (2008 est.), 7.61 (2007), 7.97 (2006), 8.1943 (2005), 8.2768 (2004)
Military Budget as percentage of GDP
0.700%
4.300%
Beijing Olympics Medal Count
0
100
Location
Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
Eastern Asia, bordering the East China Sea, Korea Bay, Yellow Sea, and South China Sea, between North Korea and Vietnam
