Map of Malta | Geography | People | Government | Economy | Energy | Communication
Military | Transportation | Transnational Issues | Year: Guide1989199019911992199319941995199619971998199920002001200220032004200520062007200820092010201120122013201420152016201720182019202020212022202320242025 | More stats

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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 it declared itself a republic. Since about the mid-1980s the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point a financial center and a tourist destination while its key industries moved toward more service-oriented activities. Malta became an EU member in May 2004 and began using the euro as currency in 2008.


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Location: Southern Europe islands in the Mediterranean Sea south of Sicily (Italy)

Geographic coordinates: 35 50 N 14 35 E

Map reference: Europe

Area
Total: 316 km²
Land: 316 km²
Water: 0 km²
Rank: 208
Comparative: 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
Extremes highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m

Natural resources: limestone salt arable land

Land use
Agricultural land: 32.3%
Forest: 0.9%
Other: 66.8%

Irrigated land: 32 km² (2007)

Major rivers

Major watersheds area km²

Total water withdrawal

Total renewable water resources: 0.05 km³ (2011)

Natural hazards: NA

Geography
Note: 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


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Population: 413,965 (July 2015 est.)
Rank: 176
Growth rate: 0.31% (2015 est.)
Growth rate rank: 174
Below poverty line: 15.7% (2013 est.)

Nationality
Noun: Maltese
Adjective: Maltese

Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

Languages: Maltese (official) 90.1% English (official) 6% multilingual 3% other 0.9% (2005 est.)

Religions: Roman Catholic (official) more than 90% (2011 est.)

Demographic profile

Age structure
0-14 years: 15.05%
15-24 years: 12.22%
25-54 years: 40.24%
55-64 years: 13.98%
65 years and over: 18.5% (2015 est.)

Dependency ratios
Total dependency ratio: 50.8%
Youth dependency ratio: 21.8%
Elderly dependency ratio: 29%
Potential support ratio: 3.4%

Median age
Total: 41.2 years
Male: 40 years
Female: 42.4 years

Population growth rate: 0.31% (2015 est.)
Rank: 174

Birth rate: 10.18 births/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 192

Death rate: 9.09 deaths/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 66

Net migration rate: 1.98 migrant(s)/1000 population (2015 est.)
Rank: 51

Population distribution

Urbanization
Urban population: 95.4% of total population
Rate of urbanization: 0.46% annual rate of change

Major urban areas
Population: VALLETTA (capital) 197,000 (2014)

Environment
Current issues: limited natural freshwater resources; increasing reliance on desalination
International 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
International agreements signed but not ratified: none of the selected agreements

Air pollutants

Sex ratio
At birth: 1.06 male/female
0-14 years: 1.05 male/female
15-24 years: 1.06 male/female
25-54 years: 1.05 male/female
55-64 years: 0.98 male/female
65 years and over: 0.81 male/female
Total population: 0.99 male/female

Mothers mean age at first birth

Maternal mortality ratio

Infant mortality rate
Total: 3.56 deaths/1000 live births
Male: 3.97 deaths/1000 live births
Female: 3.14 deaths/1000 live births
Rank: 203

Life expectancy at birth
Total population: 80.25 years
Male: 77.92 years
Female: 82.71 years
Rank: 36

Total fertility rate: 1.54 children born/woman (2015 est.)
Rank: 190

Contraceptive prevalence rate

Drinking water source:

Current health expenditure

Physicians density: 3.49 physicians/1000 population (2013)

Hospital bed density: 4.8 beds/1000 population (2012)

Sanitation facility access:

Hiv/Aids
Adult prevalence rate: NA
People living with hivaids: NA
Deaths: NA

Major infectious diseases

Obesity adult prevalence rate: 28.7% (2014)
Rank: 32

Alcohol consumption

Tobacco use

Children under the age of 5 years underweight

Education expenditures: 8% of GDP (2011)
Rank: 23

Literacy
Definition: age 15 and over can read and write
Total population: 94.4%
Male: 93.1%
Female: 95.8%

School life expectancy primary to tertiary education
Total: 14 years
Male: 14 years
Female: 15 years

Youth unemployment


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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
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

Dependent areas

Independence: 21 September 1964 (from the UK)

National holiday: Independence Day 21 September (1964); Republic Day 13 December (1974)

Constitution: many previous; latest adopted 21 September 1964; amended many times last in 2014 (2014)

Legal system: mixed legal system of English common law and civil law (based on the Roman and Napoleonic civil codes)

International law organization participation: accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations; accepts ICCt jurisdiction

Citizenship

Suffrage: 18 years of age (16 in Local Council elections); universal

Executive branch
Chief of state: President Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA
Head of government: Prime Minister Joseph MUSCAT
Cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Electionsappointments: president indirectly elected by the House of Representatives for a 5-year term ; election last held on 4 April 2014 (next to be held by April 2019); following legislative elections the leader of the majority party or majority coalition usually appointed prime minister by the president for a 5-year term; deputy prime minister appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Election results: Marie-Louise Coleiro PRECA elected president; House of Representatives vote - unanimous; Joseph MUSCAT (PL) appointed prime minister

Legislative branch
Description: unicameral House of Representatives or Il-Kamra Tad-Deputati a component of the Parliament of Malta ; note - the parliament elected in 2013 has 69 seats
Elections: last held on 9 March 2013
Election results: percent of vote by party - PL 54.8% PN 43.3% other 1.9%; seats by party - PL 39 PN 30

Judicial branch
Highest court: Court of Appeal ; Constitutional Court (consists of 3 judges); Court of Criminal Appeal (consists of either 1 or 3 judges)
Judge selection and term of office: Court of Appeal and Constitutional Court judges appointed by the president usually upon the advice of the prime minister; judges of both courts serve until age 65
Subordinate courts: Civil Court ; Criminal Court; Court of Magistrates; Gozo Courts (for the islands of Gozo and Comino}

Political parties and leaders:

International organization participation: Australia Group C CD CE EAPC EBRD ECB EIB EMU EU FAO IAEA IBRD ICAO ICC (NGOs) ICCt 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 Marisa Maria Louise MICALLEF
In the us chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW Washington DC 20,008
In the us telephone: [1] 462-3,611 through 3,612
In the us FAX: [1] 387-5,470
From the us chief of mission: Ambassador Gina ABERCROMBIE-WINSTANLEY
From the us embassy: Ta' Qali National Park Attard ATD 4,000
From the us mailing address: 5,800 Valletta Place Dulles VA 20,189
From the us telephone: [356] 2,561 4,000
From the us FAX: [356] 2,124 3,229

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; according to legend the colors are taken from the red and white checkered banner of Count Roger of Sicily who removed a bi-colored corner and granted it to Malta in 1091; an uncontested explanation is that the colors are those of the Knights of Saint John who ruled Malta from 1530 to 1798; in 1942 King George VI of the United Kingdom awarded the George Cross to the islanders for their exceptional bravery and gallantry in World War II; since independence in 1964 the George Cross bordered in red has appeared directly on the white field

National symbols: Maltese eight-pointed cross; national colors: red white

National anthem
Name: 'L-Innu Malti'
Lyrics and music: Dun Karm PSAILA/Robert SAMMUT
Note: adopted 1945; written in the form of a prayer

National heritage


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Economy overview: 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. Malta has weathered the Eurozone crisis better than most EU member states due to a low debt-to-GDP ratio and financially sound banking sector. It has low unemployment relative to other European countries and growth has recovered since the 2009 recession. In 2014 Malta led the Eurozone in growth expanding by nearly 3.5%. Also in 2014 the government began promoting public-private partnerships in the healthcare sector to establish Malta as a Mediterranean health hub for medical tourism reduced residential and commercial energy tariffs by 25% and implemented a citizenship purchase program to increase government revenue and attract foreign investors. The government has implemented new programs including free child care to encourage increased labor participation. The high cost of borrowing and small labor market present potential constraints to future economic growth.

Real gdp purchasing power parity:
Note: data are in 2014 US dollars
Rank: 153

Real gdp growth rate:
Rank: 143

Real gdp per capita:
Note: data are in 2012 US dollars
Rank: 53

Gross national saving:
Rank: 100

Gdp composition by end use
Household consumption: 53.8%
Government consumption: 20.2%
Investment in fixed capital: 18.8%
Investment in inventories: -0.4%
Exports of goods and services: 147%
Imports of goods and services: -139.5%: (2014 est.)

Gdp composition by sector of origin
Agriculture: 1.1%
Industry: 23.7%
Services: 75.2%

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: -3.6% (2014)
Rank: 195

Labor force: 180,100 (2014 est.)
Rank: 174
By occupation agriculture: 1.5%
By occupation industry: 25.7%
By occupation services: 72.8%

Unemployment rate:
Rank: 61

Youth unemployment

Population below poverty line: 15.7% (2013 est.)

Gini index

Household income or consumption by percentage share
Lowest 10: NA%
Highest 10: NA%

Distribution of family income gini index:
Rank: 126

Budget
Revenues: $4.721 billion
Expenditures: $4.918 billion
Surplus or deficit: -1.9% of GDP (2015 est.)
Surplus or deficit rank: 95

Taxes and other revenues: 44.7% of GDP (2015 est.)
Rank: 38

Public debt:
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 : 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
Rank: 34

Revenue

Fiscal year: calendar year

Inflation rate consumer prices:
Rank: 38

Central bank discount rate:
Note: this is the European Central Bank's rate on the marginal lending facility which offers overnight credit to banks in the euro area
Rank: 130

Commercial bank prime lending rate:
Rank: 163

Stock of narrow money:
Note: see entry for the European Union for money supply for the entire euro area; the European Central Bank controls monetary policy for the 18 members of the Economic and Monetary Union (EMU); individual members of the EMU do not control the quantity of money circulating within their own borders
Rank: 95

Stock of broad money:
Rank: 94

Stock of domestic credit:
Rank: 95

Market value of publicly traded shares:
Rank: 92

Current account balance:
Rank: 60

Exports:
Rank: 127
Commodities: machinery and mechanical appliances; mineral fuels oils and petroleum products; pharmaceutical products; books and newspapers; aircraft/spacecraft and parts; toys games and sports equipment
Partners: Germany 20.1% France 12.8% Italy 9.3% Libya 6.7% UK 6.6% (2014)

Imports:
Rank: 127
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
Partners: Italy 22.8% US 8.6% UK 7.4% Germany 5.9% Canada 5.6% Spain 4.6% Netherlands 4.5% France 4.4% (2014)

Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
Rank: 146

Debt external:
Rank: 64

Stock of direct foreign investment at home:
Rank: 83

Stock of direct foreign investment abroad:
Rank: 77

Exchange rates:


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Electricity
Production: 2.17 billion kWh (2014)
Production rank: 135
Consumption: 2.061 billion kWh (2014 est.)
Consumption rank: 141
Exports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 172
Imports: 0 kWh (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 175
Installed generating capacity: 653,200 kW (2014 est.)
Installed generating capacity rank: 135
Generation sources fossil fuels: 91.7% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources fossil fuels rank: 58
Generation sources nuclear: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources nuclear rank: 143
Generation sources hydroelectricity: 0% of total installed capacity (2013 est.)
Generation sources hydroelectricity rank: 185
Generation sources other renewable sources: 8.3% of total installed capacity (2014 est.)
Generation sources other renewable sources rank: 73

Coal

Petroleum
Petroleum total petroleum production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Petroleum total petroleum production rank: 201
Crude oil exports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil exports rank: 157
Crude oil imports: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Crude oil imports rank: 96
Crude oil proven reserves: 0 bbl (1 January 2014 est.)
Crude oil proven reserves rank: 167

Crude oil

Refined petroleum
Products production: 0 bbl/day (2014 est.)
Products production rank: 176
Products consumption: 39,450 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products consumption rank: 109
Products exports: 14,410 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products exports rank: 77
Products imports: 36,480 bbl/day (2013 est.)
Products imports rank: 83

Natural gas
Production: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Production rank: 169
Consumption: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Consumption rank: 174
Exports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Exports rank: 148
Imports: 0 m³ (2013 est.)
Imports rank: 101
Proven reserves: 0 m³ (1 January 2014 est.)
Proven reserves rank: 172

Carbon dioxide emissions
From consumption of energy: 1.697 million Mt (2013 est.)
From consumption of energy rank: 154

Energy consumption per capita


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Telephones
Fixed lines total subscriptions: 230,000
Fixed lines subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 56
Fixed lines rank: 126
Mobile cellular total: 546,200
Mobile cellular subscriptions per 100 inhabitants: 132
Mobile cellular rank: 169

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 (2011)

Broadcast media: 2 publicly owned TV stations Television Malta (TVM) broadcasting nationally plus an educational channel; several privately owned national television stations two of which are owned by political parties; Italian and British broadcast programs are available; multi-channel cable and satellite TV services are available; publicly owned radio broadcaster operates 1 station; roughly 20 commercial radio stations (2011)

Internet
Country code: .mt
Users total: 166,000
Users percent of population: 40.2%
Users rank: 160

Broadband fixed subscriptions


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Military expenditures:
Rank: 122

Military and security forces

Military service age and obligation: 18 years of age for voluntary military service; no conscription (2014)

Space program

Terrorist groups


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National air transport system

Civil aircraft registration country code prefix

Airports: 1 (2013)
Rank: 225
With paved runways total: 1
With paved runways over 3047 m: 1

Heliports: 2 (2013)

Pipelines

Railways

Roadways
Total: 3,096 km
Paved: 2,704 km
Unpaved: 392 km
Rank: 165

Waterways

Merchant marine
Total: 1650
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: 1437
Registered in other countries: 2 (2010)
Rank: 4

Ports and terminals
Major seaport: Marsaxlokk Valletta
Container port: Marsaxlokk (2,360,000)


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Disputes international: none

Refugees and internally displaced persons

Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe