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| Introduction | Malta |
| 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 of 2004. |
| People | Malta |
| Population: | 396,851 (July 2004 est.) |
| Age structure: | 0-14 years: 18.1% (male 36,891; female 34,912) 15-64 years: 68.5% (male 137,259; female 134,611) 65 years and over: 13.4% (male 22,691; female 30,487) (2004 est.) |
| Median age: | total: 38 years male: 36.6 years female: 39.5 years (2004 est.) |
| Population growth rate: | 0.42% (2004 est.) |
| Birth rate: | 10.09 births/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Death rate: | 7.93 deaths/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Net migration rate: | 2.07 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2004 est.) |
| Sex ratio: | at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.74 male(s)/female total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (2004 est.) |
| Infant mortality rate: | total: 3.94 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.4 deaths/1,000 live births (2004 est.) male: 4.45 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Life expectancy at birth: | total population: 78.68 years male: 76.51 years female: 80.98 years (2004 est.) |
| Total fertility rate: | 1.49 children born/woman (2004 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate: | 0.1% (2001 est.) |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS: | NA |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths: | less than 100 (2001 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 98% |
| Languages: | Maltese (official), English (official) |
| Literacy: | definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.) |
| Government | Malta |
| Country name: | conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta |
| Government type: | republic |
| Capital: | Valletta |
| Administrative divisions: | none (administered directly from Valletta); note - Local Councils carry out administrative orders |
| Independence: | 21 September 1964 (from UK) |
| National holiday: | Independence Day, 21 September (1964) |
| Constitution: | 1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974 and again in 1987 |
| Legal system: | based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
| Suffrage: | 18 years of age; universal |
| Executive branch: | chief of state: President Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term; election last held 29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); 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 election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; percent of House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes |
| 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) elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31 |
| Judicial branch: | Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both 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 [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI] |
| Political pressure groups and leaders: | NA |
| International organization participation: | C, CE, EBRD, EU (new member), FAO, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, NAM, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO |
| Diplomatic representation in the US: | chief of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL consulate(s): New York FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 |
| 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, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229 |
| 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 |
| Communications | Malta |
| Telephones - main lines in use: | 208,300 (2003) |
| Telephones - mobile cellular: | 290,000 (2003) |
| Telephone system: | general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) |
| Radio broadcast stations: | AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999) |
| Radios: | 255,000 (1997) |
| Television broadcast stations: | 6 (2000) |
| Televisions: | 280,000 (1997) |
| Internet country code: | .mt |
| Internet hosts: | 7,156 (2004) |
| Internet Service Providers (ISPs): | 6 (2002) |
| Internet users: | 120,000 (2002) |
| Transportation | Malta |
| Highways: | total: 2,254 km paved: 1,972 km unpaved: 282 km (2000) |
| Ports and harbors: | Marsaxlokk, Valletta |
| Merchant marine: | total: 1,176 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 25,102,401 GRT/41,176,791 DWT by type: bulk 468, cargo 251, chemical tanker 46, combination bulk 8, combination ore/oil 8, container 74, liquefied gas 4, livestock carrier 2, multi-functional large load carrier 1, passenger 7, passenger/cargo 1, petroleum tanker 210, refrigerated cargo 40, roll on/roll off 35, short-sea/passenger 6, vehicle carrier 15 registered in other countries: 18 (2003 est.) foreign-owned: Australia 4, Austria 6, Bangladesh 3, Belgium 13, Bulgaria 19, Canada 8, China 14, Croatia 9, Cyprus 6, Denmark 4, Estonia 1, Finland 1, France 1, Germany 52, Greece 603, Hong Kong 3, Iceland 5, India 4, Indonesia 2, Iran 4, Israel 20, Italy 24, Japan 3, South Korea 2, Latvia 25, Lebanon 6, Madagascar 1, Monaco 14, Netherlands 5, Nigeria 1, Norway 32, Pakistan 1, Poland 30, Portugal 3, Romania 8, Russia 69, Saudi Arabia 1, Singapore 2, Slovenia 3, Switzerland 30, Syria 4, Taiwan 1, Turkey 108, Ukraine 22, United Kingdom 2, United States 8 |
| Airports: | 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with paved runways: | total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
| Military | Malta |
| Military branches: | Armed Forces: Land Forces (including Air Squadron and Maritime Squadron), Revenue Security Corps |
| Military manpower - availability: | males age 15-49: 99,324 (2004 est.) |
| Military manpower - fit for military service: | males age 15-49: 79,128 (2004 est.) |
| Military expenditures - dollar figure: | $33.3 million (2003) |
| Military expenditures - percent of GDP: | 0.7% (2003) |
| Transnational Issues | Malta |
| Disputes - international: | none |
| Illicit drugs: | minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe |
| This page was last updated on 16 December, 2004 |
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