237 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
237 lines
19 KiB
Plaintext
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MALTA
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GEOGRAPHY
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Total area: 320 km2; land area: 320 km2
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Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington,
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DC
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Land boundaries: none
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Coastline: 140 km
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Maritime claims:
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Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
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Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
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Exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm;
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Territorial sea: 12 nm
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Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry
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summers
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Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal
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cliffs
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Natural resources: limestone, salt
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Land use: arable land 38%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures
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0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 59%; includes irrigated 3%
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Environment: numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very
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scarce--increasing reliance on desalination
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Note: strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south
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of Sicily, 290 km north of Libya
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PEOPLE
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Population: 356,427 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
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Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
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Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
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Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
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Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
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Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1991)
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Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
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Nationality: noun--Maltese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Maltese
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Ethnic divisions: mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish,
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Italian, English
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Religion: Roman Catholic 98%
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Language: Maltese and English (official)
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Literacy: 84% (male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can
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read and write (1985)
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Labor force: 126,135; government (excluding job corps) 37%,
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services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%,
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agriculture 2% (1989)
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Organized labor: about 40% of labor force
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GOVERNMENT
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Long-form name: Republic of Malta
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Type: parliamentary democracy
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Capital: Valletta
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Administrative divisions: none (administration directly from
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Valletta)
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Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)
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Constitution: 26 April 1974, effective 2 June 1974
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Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; has
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accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
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National holiday: Freedom Day, 31 March
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Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister,
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Cabinet
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Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
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Judicial branch: Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal
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Leaders:
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Chief of State--President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April
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1989);
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Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH
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ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO
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(since 14 May 1987)
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Political parties and leaders:
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Nationalist Party, Edward FENECH ADAMI;
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Malta Labor Party, Karmenu MIFSUD BONNICI
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Suffrage: universal at age 18
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Elections:
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House of Representatives--last held on 9 May 1987 (next to be
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held by May 1992);
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results--NP 51.1%, MLP 48.9%;
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seats--(usually 65 total, but additional seats are given to the party
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with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current
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total 69) MLP 34, NP 31 before popular vote adjustment; MLP 34, NP 35
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after adjustment
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Communists: fewer than 100 (est.)
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Member of: C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD,
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ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA,
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UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
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Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Salvatore J. STELLINI;
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Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone
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(202) 462-3611 or 3612; there is a Maltese Consulate General in New York;
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US--Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE; Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development
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House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O.
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Box 535, Valletta); telephone 356 240424, 240425, 243216, 243217,
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243653, 223654
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Flag: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in
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the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross,
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edged in red
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ECONOMY
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Overview: Significant resources are limestone, a favorable
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geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only
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about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has no
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domestic energy sources. Consequently, the economy is highly dependent on
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foreign trade and services. Manufacturing and tourism are the largest
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contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 27% of GDP,
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with the electronics and textile industries major contributors. In 1989
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inflation was held to a low 0.9%. Per capita GDP at $5,500 places Malta
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in the middle-income range of the world's nations.
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GDP: $1.9 billion, per capita $5,500 (1988); real growth rate 6.4%
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(1989)
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Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1989)
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Unemployment rate: 3.7% (1989)
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Budget: revenues $1,020 million; expenditures $1,230 million,
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including capital expenditures of $380 million (1990 est.)
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Exports: $866 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--clothing, textiles, footwear, ships;
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partners--Italy 30%, FRG 22%, UK 11%
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Imports: $1,328 million (f.o.b., 1989);
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commodities--food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods;
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partners--Italy 30%, UK 16%, FRG 13%, US 4%
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External debt: $90 million, medium and long-term (December 1987)
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Industrial production: growth rate 19.2% (1989); accounts
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for 27% of GDP
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Electricity: 328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced,
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2,990 kWh per capita (1989)
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Industries: tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction,
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food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco
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Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; overall, 20% self-sufficient;
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main products--potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes,
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citrus, cut flowers, green peppers, hogs, poultry, eggs; generally
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adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, pork products; seasonal
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or periodic shortages in grain, animal fodder, fruits, other basic
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foodstuffs
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Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172
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million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments
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(1970-88), $333 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million;
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Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million
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Currency: Maltese lira (plural--liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100
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cents
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Exchange rates: Maltese liri (LM) per US$1--0.3004 (January 1991),
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0.3172 (1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987), 0.3924
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(1986), 0.4676 (1985)
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Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
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COMMUNICATIONS
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Highways: 1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed
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stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth
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Ports: Valletta, Marsaxlokk
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Merchant marine: 415 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,005,791
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GRT/8,644,369 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 8 short-sea passenger, 160
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cargo, 5 container, 2 passenger-cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3
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vehicle carrier, 1 barge carrier, 6 refrigerated cargo, 9 chemical
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tanker, 8 combination ore/oil, 2 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas,
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79 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 104 bulk, 11 combination
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bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; China owns 1 ship, USSR owns
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7, Cuba owns 7, and Vietnam owns 1
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Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft
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Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
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Telecommunications: modern automatic system centered in Valletta;
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163,800 telephones; stations--9 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; 1 submarine cable;
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1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
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DEFENSE FORCES
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Branches: Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force
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Manpower availability: males 15-49, 94,081; 75,222 fit for military
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service
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Defense expenditures: $21.9 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.)
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