Located in Mediterranean Sea , Area 320 square kilometres 124 square miles 239 metres (about 784 feet) Malta, one of the smallest countries in the world, is located in the central Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily. Malta consists of a small group of islands- Malta, Gozo, Kemmuna, Kemmunett, and Filfla. The island nation is twice the size of Liechtenstein.

The terrain of the islands of Malta is comparatively low. The coastline is heavily indented, and the interior is mostly limestone hills. Malta has no permanent rivers or lakes.

The climate is temperate for most of the year, with a mean temperature of 19°C (66°F). Average annual rainfall is about 560 millimetres (about 22 inches).

Increasing pressure from industry and continuing growth in tourism are placing a severe strain on Malta's water resources. The country relies upon expensive seawater desalinization facilities for expanding the water supply, despite significant losses of water from leakage and wasteful agricultural applications. Recent attempts to reform water-pricing structures have failed to reflect the resource's true scarcity.

Grand Harbour, on Malta's east coast, is one of the world's finest natural anchorages. Because of the island's strategic location in the Mediterranean Sea, it has been a shipping and naval centre since ancient times. From 1800 until 1959, the Royal Navy used Grand Harbour as a key outpost in defending the British Empire. Malta's capital city and major port, Valletta, is situated on a peninsula between Grand Harbour to the south and Marsamxett Harbour to the north.

Official name Republic of Malta

Capital Valletta Area 320 square kilometres 124 square miles Major cities (Population) Valletta 9,183 (1991)

Population 366,000 (1995) Population: Regional Comparison (in thousands)

Region Southern Europe Population growth rate 0.7 per cent (1990-1995) Population density 1,159 persons per square kilometre 3,001.8 persons per square mile (1995) Per cent urban 89.3 per cent (1995) Per cent rural 10.7 per cent (1995) Life expectancy, female 78 years (1995) Life expectancy, male 74 years (1995) Infant mortality rate 9 deaths per 1,000 live births (1990) Literacy rates Total 84 per cent (1985) Female 82 per cent (1985) Male 86 per cent (1985) Literacy (in per cent)

Ethnic divisions Sicilian, French, Spanish, Italian, English Languages Maltese (official), English (official), Italian Religions Roman Catholic 98 per cent

Government Parliamentary democracy

Parties Malta Labour Party (MLP) and Nationalist Party (pn)

PRIM MINISTER DR.ALFRED SANT (Labour party)

Independence 21 September 1964 (from the United Kingdom) Constitution 26 April 1974; effective 2 June 1974 Voting rights Universal at age 18 Member of Commonwealth, CCC, CE, EBRD, Eurocontrol, FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent member), ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO

Gross domestic product (GDP) US$2.44 billion (1993) GDP per capita US$6,925 (1991) Government expenditures US$877 million (1992) Government revenues US$965.5 million (1992) Government deficit/surplus US$88.4 million (1992) National Budget (in million US$)

Monetary unit 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents = 1,000 mils Major trade partners for exports Italy, Germany, United Kingdom Major trade partners for imports Italy, United Kingdom, Germany, United States Exports Flowers, food and livestock, machinery, transport equipment, clothing, footwear, tobacco, basic manufactured goods, machinery Imports Food, petroleum, chemicals, textiles, transport equipment, machinery and semi-finished goods Industries Tourism, electronics, shipbuilding and repair, food processing, stone quarrying, printing and publishing, production of wood products, rubber, chemicals, metals, machinery, textiles, beverages, tobacco Agriculture Accounted for 3 per cent of GDP and about 3 per cent of the workforce in 1991; overall, 20 per cent self-sufficient; main products are potatoes, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus fruit, cut flowers; livestock and livestock products include; pigs, cattle, milk; generally adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, pork products; seasonal or periodic shortages of grain, animal fodder, fruit, other basic foodstuffs. Natural resources Limestone, salt, sand Sources

The many ancient monuments and remains on Malta attest to the great age of its civilization. Remains from Stone Age and Bronze Age peoples have been found in underground burial chambers on the largest island of the group, Malta. The islands became a Phoenician colony about 1000 BC. In 736 BC they were occupied by the Greeks, who called the colony Melita, and later the islands passed successively into the possession of Carthage and Rome. At the division of the Roman Empire in AD 395, Malta was assigned to the Eastern Roman Empire. Arabs occupied the islands in 870. A Norman army conquered the Maltese Arabs in 1090, and Malta was later associated with the kingdom of Sicily. In 1530 Holy Roman Emperor Charles V granted Malta to the Knights of Saint John of Jerusalem, who ruled the islands until the 19th century. After a famous and unsuccessful siege by the Ottoman Turks in 1565, the Knights fortified the port of Valletta so strongly that it became one of the greatest Mediterranean strongholds. Invaded by Napoleon I in 1798, Malta appealed to the United Kingdom for aid. The British compelled the withdrawal of the French, and Malta became a British colony in 1814. After centuries of occupation, Malta became independent in 1964. Ethnic groups in Malta include Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, and English peoples.

The Maltese speak a language similar in vocabulary to Arabic, although its alphabet and grammatical structure are derived from Latin. Both Maltese and English are official languages. Italian is widely spoken.

The Maltese are predominantly Roman Catholic.

GOVERNMENT According to the terms of the constitution of 1964, substantially amended in 1974, Malta is a constitutional republic. The head of state is the president, who is appointed by parliament to serve a term of five years. Legislative authority is held by the House of Representatives, composed of 65 members elected to five-year terms by the people. The head of government is a prime minister appointed by the president from among the members of parliament and responsible to the legislature. A cabinet assists the prime minister.

Major manufacturing industries produce processed food and beverages, textiles and clothing, furniture and wood products, tobacco products, machinery, rubber and plastic goods, and chemicals. Printing and publishing, are also important as is tourism, with more than half of Malta's visitors coming from the United Kingdom. Shipping-related industries are vital to Malta's economy, including shipbuilding facilities, repair facilities, and trans-shipment centres. Most of Malta's agricultural products are cultivated on small terraced slopes. Principal crops include potatoes, tomatoes, melons, wheat, and citrus fruit. Some poultry, rabbits, cattle, goats, and sheep are raised. Because the population is dense and the soil is poor, Malta must import most of its food. The currency of Malta is the Maltese lira.

Education is free and compulsory for children from the ages of 3 to 16. The University of Malta in Msida provides higher education.

Valletta's Limestone Buildings Valletta, the capital city, cultural centre, and chief port of the Mediterranean island-nation of Malta, was founded in the 1560s. The city lies at the tip of a long, narrow peninsula on the east coast of Malta's main island. Most of its buildings are made of local limestone, and the narrow streets form a grid pattern sloping to the water. Among the historic structures left standing in Valletta after heavy bombing by Axis nations during World War II (1939-1945) are the 16th-century Cathedral of Saint John and the Palace of the Grand Masters. Ballad Singing Because of its prominent location in the Mediterranean, Malta has long been a bridge between the cultures of the Arabic world and of southern Europe, particularly Italy. These diverse influences are reflected in Maltese music. Narrative ballads and improvisatory rhyming contests are the two most popular vocal song genres. They are sung mainly at family gatherings and religious festivals. This example, "The Ballad of Serenity", is the story of a man's journey through the world in search of inner peace. The 3/4 rhythm reflects the influence of European waltzes.

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