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Background:
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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. |
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Location:
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Southern
Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of
Sicily (Italy) |
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Geographic coordinates:
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35 50 N,
14 35 E |
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Map references:
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Europe
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Area:
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total:
316 sq km
land: 316 sq km
water: 0 sq km |
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Area - comparative:
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slightly
less than twice the size of Washington, DC |
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Land boundaries:
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0 km |
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Coastline:
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196.8 km
(does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo) |
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Maritime claims:
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territorial sea: 12 nm
contiguous zone: 24 nm
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of
exploitation
exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm |
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Climate:
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Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry
summers |
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Terrain:
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mostly
low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
cliffs |
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Elevation extremes:
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lowest
point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m
highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)
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Natural resources:
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limestone, salt, arable land |
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Land use:
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arable
land: 28.13%
permanent crops: 3.13%
other: 68.74% (2001) |
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Irrigated land:
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20 sq km
(1998 est.) |
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Natural hazards:
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NA |
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Environment - current issues:
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very
limited natural fresh water resources; increasing
reliance on desalination |
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Environment - international agreements:
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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
signed, but not ratified: none of the selected
agreements |
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Geography - note:
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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:
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398,534
(July 2005 est.) |
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Age structure:
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0-14
years: 17.6% (male 36,056/female 34,097)
15-64 years: 68.8% (male 138,537/female 135,666)
65 years and over: 13.6% (male 23,184/female
30,994) (2005 est.) |
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Median age:
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total:
38.36 years
male: 36.91 years
female: 39.84 years (2005 est.) |
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Population growth rate:
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0.42%
(2005 est.) |
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Birth rate:
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10.17
births/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Death rate:
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8
deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Net migration rate:
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2.06
migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.) |
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Sex ratio:
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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: 0.75 male(s)/female
total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
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Infant mortality rate:
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total:
3.89 deaths/1,000 live births
male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births
female: 3.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
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Life expectancy at birth:
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total
population: 78.86 years
male: 76.7 years
female: 81.15 years (2005 est.) |
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Total fertility rate:
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1.5
children born/woman (2005 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate:
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0.2%
(2001 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS:
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less than
500 (2003 est.) |
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HIV/AIDS - deaths:
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less than
100 (2003 est.) |
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Nationality:
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noun:
Maltese (singular and plural)
adjective: Maltese |
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Ethnic groups:
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Maltese
(descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians,
with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean
stock) |
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Religions:
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Roman
Catholic 98% |
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Languages:
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Maltese
(official), English (official) |
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Literacy:
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definition: age 10 and over can read and write
total population: 92.8%
male: 92%
female: 93.6% (2003 est.) |
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Country name:
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conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta
local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta
local short form: Malta |
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Government type:
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republic
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Capital:
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Valletta
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Administrative divisions:
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none
(administered directly from Valletta); note - Local
Councils carry out administrative orders |
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Independence:
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21
September 1964 (from UK) |
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National holiday:
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Independence Day, 21 September (1964) |
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Constitution:
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1964
constitution; amended many times |
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Legal system:
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based on
English common law and Roman civil law; accepts
compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations |
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Suffrage:
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18 years
of age; universal |
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Executive branch:
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chief
of state: President Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 4
April 2004)
head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI
(since 23 March 2004)
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 |
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Legislative branch:
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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 |
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Judicial branch:
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Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both
courts are appointed by the president on the advice of
the prime minister |
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Political parties and leaders:
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Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or
AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred
SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI] |
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Political pressure groups and leaders:
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NA |
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International organization participation:
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Australia
Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA,
IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW,
OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU
(observer affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO |
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Diplomatic representation in the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL
chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington,
DC 20008
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612
FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470
consulate(s): New York |
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Diplomatic representation from the US:
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chief
of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires
William GRANT
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 |
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Flag description:
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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 |
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Economy - overview:
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Major
resources are limestone, a favorable geographic
location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces
only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh
water supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. The
economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing
(especially electronics and textiles), and tourism.
Continued sluggishness in the European economy is
holding back exports, tourism, and overall growth. |
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GDP (purchasing power parity):
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$7.223
billion (2004 est.) |
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GDP - real growth rate:
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1% (2004
est.) |
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GDP - per capita:
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purchasing power parity - $18,200 (2004 est.) |
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GDP - composition by sector:
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agriculture: 3%
industry: 23%
services: 74% (2003 est.) |
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Labor force:
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160,000
(2002 est.) |
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Labor force - by occupation:
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agriculture 5%, industry 24%, services 71% (1999 est.)
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Unemployment rate:
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7% (2003
est.) |
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Population below poverty line:
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NA% |
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Household income or consumption by percentage share:
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lowest
10%: NA%
highest 10%: NA% |
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Inflation rate (consumer prices):
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2.9%
(2004 est.) |
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Investment (gross fixed):
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26.4% of
GDP (2004 est.) |
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Budget:
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revenues: $2.27 billion
expenditures: $2.549 billion, including capital
expenditures of NA (2004 est.) |
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Agriculture - products:
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potatoes,
cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus,
cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
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Industries:
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tourism;
electronics, ship building and repair, construction;
food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing,
tobacco |
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Industrial production growth rate:
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NA% |
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Electricity - production:
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2.15
billion kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - production by source:
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fossil
fuel: 100%
hydro: 0%
nuclear: 0%
other: 0% (2001) |
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Electricity - consumption:
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2 billion
kWh (2002) |
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Electricity - exports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Electricity - imports:
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0 kWh
(2002) |
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Oil - production:
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0 bbl/day
(2004 est.) |
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Oil - consumption:
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20,000
bbl/day (2001 est.) |
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Oil - exports:
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NA |
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Oil - imports:
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NA |
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Current account balance:
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$-241
million (2004 est.) |
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Exports:
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$2.625
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Exports - commodities:
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machinery
and transport equipment, manufactures |
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Exports - partners:
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US 15.7%,
France 15.5%, Singapore 14.5%, UK 11.2%, Germany 10.8%
(2004) |
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Imports:
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$3.407
billion f.o.b. (2004 est.) |
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Imports - commodities:
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machinery
and transport equipment, manufactured and
semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, and tobacco |
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Imports - partners:
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Italy
25.4%, France 13.1%, UK 12%, Germany 8.9%, US 5.2%,
Singapore 4.1% (2004) |
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Reserves of foreign exchange and gold:
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$2.865
billion (2004 est.) |
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Debt - external:
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$130
million (1997) |
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Economic aid - recipient:
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NA |
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Currency (code):
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Maltese
lira (MTL) |
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Currency code:
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MTL |
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Exchange rates:
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Maltese
liri per US dollar - 0.3444 (2004), 0.3773 (2003),
0.4337 (2002), 0.4501 (2001), 0.4382 (2000) |
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Fiscal year:
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1 April -
31 March |
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Telephones - main lines in use:
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208,300
(2003) |
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Telephones - mobile cellular:
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290,000
(2003) |
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Telephone system:
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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) |
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Radio broadcast stations:
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AM 1, FM
18, shortwave 6 (1999) |
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Radios:
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255,000
(1997) |
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Television broadcast stations:
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6 (2000)
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Televisions:
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280,000
(1997) |
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Internet country code:
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.mt |
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Internet hosts:
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7,156
(2004) |
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Internet Service Providers (ISPs):
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6 (2002)
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Internet users:
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120,000
(2002) |
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Highways:
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total:
2,222 km
paved: 2,000 km
unpaved: 222 km (2002) |
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Ports and harbors:
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Marsaxlokk, Valletta |
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Merchant marine:
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total:
1,140 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 25,102,401
GRT/41,176,791 DWT
by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 438, cargo
303, chemical tanker 70, combination ore/oil 2,
container 54, liquefied gas 8, livestock carrier 1,
passenger 5, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 162,
refrigerated cargo 43, roll on/roll off 26, specialized
tanker 1, vehicle carrier 13
foreign-owned: 1,080 (Austria 3, Azerbaijan 1,
Bangladesh 3, Belgium 12, British 1, Bulgaria 18, Canada
9, China 15, Croatia 10, Cyprus 2, Czech Republic 2,
Estonia 2, Finland 1, France 5, Germany 51, Greece 527,
Hong Kong 1, Iceland 7, Iran 4, Israel 26, Italy 17,
Japan 2, Latvia 30, Lebanon 6, Madagascar 1, Monaco 3,
Netherlands 3, Norway 42, Pakistan 2, Poland 24,
Portugal 4, Romania 5, Russia 64, Slovenia 3, South
Korea 4, Sweden 3, Switzerland 32, Syria 6, Taiwan 1,
Turkey 87, Ukraine 25, UAE 5, United Kingdom 8, United
States 3)
registered in other countries: 3 (2005) |
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Airports:
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1 (2004
est.) |
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Airports - with paved runways:
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total:
1
over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.) |
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Military branches:
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Armed
Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime
elements) (2005) |
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Military service age and obligation:
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18 years
of age for voluntary military service; no conscription
(2001) |
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Manpower available for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 90,651 (2005 est.) |
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Manpower fit for military service:
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males
age 18-49: 74,525 (2005 est.) |
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Military expenditures - dollar figure:
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$31.1
million (2004) |
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Military expenditures - percent of GDP:
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0.7%
(2004) |
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Disputes - international:
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none |
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Illicit drugs:
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minor
transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to
Western Europe |
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This page was last updated on
20 October, 2005 |
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