Part 38
Peninsular Malaysia--rubber and oil palm processing and manufacturing, light manufacturing industry, electronics, tin mining and smelting, logging and processing timber;
Sabah--logging, petroleum production;
Sarawak--agriculture processing, petroleum production and refining, logging
_#_Agriculture:
Peninsular Malaysia--natural rubber, palm oil, rice;
Sabah--mainly subsistence, but also rubber, timber, coconut, rice;
Sarawak--rubber, timber, pepper; there is a deficit of rice in all areas; fish catch of 608,000 metric tons in 1987
_#_Illicit drugs: transit point for Golden Triangle heroin going to the US, Western Europe, and the Third World
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-84), $170 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $4.5 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $42 million
_#_Currency: ringgit (plural--ringgits); 1 ringgit (M$) = 100 sen
_#_Exchange rates: ringgits (M$) per US$1--2.7151 (January 1991), 1.7048 (1990), 2.7088 (1989), 2.6188 (1988), 2.5196 (1987), 2.5814 (1986), 2.4830 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads:
Peninsular Malaysia--1,665 km 1.04-meter gauge; 13 km double track, government owned;
Sabah--136 km 1.000-meter gauge
_#_Highways:
Peninsular Malaysia--23,600 km (19,352 km hard surfaced, mostly bituminous-surface treatment, and 4,248 km unpaved);
Sabah--3,782 km;
Sarawak--1,644 km
_#_Inland waterways:
Peninsular Malaysia--3,209 km;
Sabah--1,569 km;
Sarawak--2,518 km
_#_Ports: Tanjong Kidurong, Kota Kinabalu, Kuching, Pasir Gudang, Penang, Port Kelang, Sandakan, Tawau
_#_Merchant marine: 157 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 1,530,756 GRT/2,246,358 DWT; includes 1 short-sea passenger, 65 cargo, 22 container, 2 vehicle carrier, 2 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 1 livestock carrier, 31 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 3 chemical tanker, 6 liquefied gas, 1 passenger-cargo, 23 bulk
_#_Civil air: 53 major transport aircraft
_#_Pipelines: crude oil, 1,307 km; natural gas, 379 km
_#_Airports: 125 total, 119 usable; 32 with permanent-surface runways; 1 with runways over 3,659 m; 7 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 18 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: good intercity service provided to peninsular Malaysia mainly by microwave relay, adequate intercity radio relay network between Sabah and Sarawak via Brunei; international service good; good coverage by radio and television broadcasts; 994,860 telephones (1984); stations--28 AM, 3 FM, 33 TV; submarine cables extend to India and Sarawak; SEACOM submarine cable links to Hong Kong and Singapore; satellite earth stations--1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Pacific Ocean INTELSAT, and 2 domestic
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Royal Malaysian Army, Royal Malaysian Navy, Royal Malaysian Air Force, Royal Malaysian Police Force, Marine Police, Sarawak Border Scouts
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 4,620,418; 2,815,910 fit for military service; 180,991 reach military age (21) annually
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.7 billion, 3.9% of GDP (1990) _%_ _@_Maldives _*_Geography _#_Total area: 300 km2; land area: 300 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly more than 1.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 644 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive economic zone: 35-310 nm (defined by geographic coordinates; segment of zone coincides with maritime boundary with India);
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: tropical; hot, humid; dry, northeast monsoon (November to March); rainy, southwest monsoon (June to August)
_#_Terrain: flat with elevations only as high as 2.5 meters
_#_Natural resources: fish
_#_Land use: arable land 10%; permanent crops 0%; meadows and pastures 3%; forest and woodland 3%; other 84%
_#_Environment: 1,200 coral islands grouped into 19 atolls
_#_Note: archipelago of strategic location astride and along major sea lanes in Indian Ocean
_*_People _#_Population: 226,200 (July 1991), growth rate 3.7% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 46 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 9 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 0 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 72 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 61 years male, 65 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 6.5 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Maldivian(s); adjective--Maldivian
_#_Ethnic divisions: admixtures of Sinhalese, Dravidian, Arab, and black
_#_Religion: Sunni Muslim
_#_Language: Divehi (dialect of Sinhala; script derived from Arabic); English spoken by most government officials
_#_Literacy: 92% (male 92%, female 92%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
_#_Labor force: 66,000 (est.); 25% engaged in fishing industry
_#_Organized labor: none
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Maldives
_#_Type: republic
_#_Capital: Male
_#_Administrative divisions: 19 district (atolls); Aliff, Baa, Daalu, Faafu, Gaafu Aliff, Gaafu Daalu, Haa Aliff, Haa Daalu, Kaafu, Laamu, Laviyani, Meemu, Naviyani, Noonu, Raa, Seenu, Shaviyani, Thaa, Waavu
_#_Independence: 26 July 1965 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 4 June 1964
_#_Legal system: based on Islamic law with admixtures of English common law primarily in commercial matters; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Independence Day, 26 July (1965)
_#_Executive branch: president, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral Citizens' Council (Majlis)
_#_Judicial branch: High Court
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State and Head of Government--President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM (since 11 November 1978)
_#_Political parties and leaders: no organized political parties; country governed by the Didi clan for the past eight centuries
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President--last held 23 September 1988 (next to be held September 1994); results--President Maumoon Abdul GAYOOM reelected;
Citizens' Council--last held on 7 December 1989 (next to be held 7 December 1994); results--percent of vote NA; seats--(48 total, 40 elected)
_#_Communists: negligible
_#_Member of: AsDB, C, CP, ESCAP, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, OIC, SAARC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Maldives does not maintain an embassy in the US, but does have a UN mission in New York;
US--the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka is accredited to Maldives and makes periodic visits there; US Consular Agency, Midhath Hilmy, Male; telephone 2581
_#_Flag: red with a large green rectangle in the center bearing a vertical white crescent; the closed side of the crescent is on the hoist side of the flag
_*_Economy _#_Overview: The economy is based on fishing, tourism, and shipping. Agriculture is limited to the production of a few subsistence crops that provide only 10% of food requirements. Fishing is the largest industry, employing 25% of the work force and accounting for over 60% of exports; it is also an important source of government revenue. During the 1980s tourism has become one of the most important and highest growth sectors of the economy. In 1988 industry accounted for about 5% of GDP. Real GDP is officially estimated to have increased by about 10% annually during the period 1974-87, and GDP estimates for 1988 show a further growth of 9% on the strength of a record fish catch and an improved tourist season.
_#_GDP: $136 million, per capita $670; real growth rate 9.2% (1988)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 14% (1988 est.)
_#_Unemployment rate: NEGL%
_#_Budget: revenues $51 million; expenditures $50 million, including capital expenditures of $25 million (1988 est.)
_#_Exports: $39.4 million (f.o.b., 1988);
commodities--fish 57%, clothing 39%;
partners--Thailand, Western Europe, Sri Lanka
_#_Imports: $105.7 million (c.i.f., 1988);
commodities--intermediate and capital goods 47%, consumer goods 42%, petroleum products 11%;
partners--Japan, Western Europe, Thailand
_#_External debt: $70 million (December 1989)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate - 5.0% (1988); accounts for 5% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 5,000 kW capacity; 11 million kWh produced, 50 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: fishing and fish processing, tourism, shipping, boat building, some coconut processing, garments, woven mats, coir (rope), handicrafts
_#_Agriculture: accounts for almost 30% of GDP (including fishing); fishing more important than farming; limited production of coconuts, corn, sweet potatoes; most staple foods must be imported; fish catch of 63,000 tons (1988 est.)
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-88), $28 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $105 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $14 million
_#_Currency: rufiyaa (plural--rufiyaa); 1 rufiyaa (Rf) = 100 laaris
_#_Exchange rates: rufiyaa (Rf) per US$1--9.937 (January 1991), 9.509 (1990), 9.0408 (1989), 8.7846 (1988), 9.2230 (1987), 7.1507 (1986), 7.0981 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Highways: Male has 9.6 km of coral highways within the city
_#_Ports: Male, Gan
_#_Merchant marine: 17 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 53,131 GRT/85,770 DWT; includes 14 cargo, 1 container, 1 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 1 bulk
_#_Civil air: 1 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 2 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
_#_Telecommunications: minimal domestic and international facilities; 2,804 telephones; stations--2 AM, 1 FM, 1 TV; 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: National Security Service (paramilitary police force)
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 50,788; 28,378 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $1.8 million, NA% of GDP (1984 est.) _%_ _@_Mali _*_Geography _#_Total area: 1,240,000 km2; land area: 1,220,000 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Texas
_#_Land boundaries: 7,243 km total; Algeria 1,376 km, Burkina 1,000 km, Guinea 858 km, Ivory Coast 532 km, Mauritania 2,237 km, Niger 821 km, Senegal 419 km
_#_Coastline: none--landlocked
_#_Maritime claims: none--landlocked
_#_Disputes: the disputed international boundary between Burkina and Mali was submitted to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in October 1983 and the ICJ issued its final ruling in December 1986, which both sides agreed to accept; Burkina and Mali are proceeding with boundary demarcation, including the tripoint with Niger
_#_Climate: subtropical to arid; hot and dry February to June; rainy, humid, and mild June to November; cool and dry November to February
_#_Terrain: mostly flat to rolling northern plains covered by sand; savanna in south, rugged hills in northeast
_#_Natural resources: gold, phosphates, kaolin, salt, limestone, uranium; bauxite, iron ore, manganese, tin, and copper deposits are known but not exploited
_#_Land use: arable land 2%; permanent crops NEGL%; meadows and pastures 25%; forest and woodland 7%; other 66%; includes irrigated NEGL%
_#_Environment: hot, dust-laden harmattan haze common during dry seasons; desertification
_#_Note: landlocked
_*_People _#_Population: 8,338,542 (July 1991), growth rate 2.4% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 51 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 21 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: - 6 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 114 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 45 years male, 47 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 7.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Malian(s); adjective--Malian
_#_Ethnic divisions: Mande (Bambara, Malinke, Sarakole) 50%, Peul 17%, Voltaic 12%, Songhai 6%, Tuareg and Moor 5%, other 10%
_#_Religion: Muslim 90%, indigenous beliefs 9%, Christian 1%
_#_Language: French (official); Bambara spoken by about 80% of the population; numerous African languages
_#_Literacy: 32% (male 41%, female 24%) age 15 and over can read and write (1990 est.)
_#_Labor force: 2,666,000 (1986 est.); agriculture 80%, services 19%, industry and commerce 1% (1981); 50% of population of working age (1985)
_#_Organized labor: National Union of Malian Workers (UNTM) is umbrella organization for over 13 national unions
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Mali
_#_Type: republic; the single-party constitutional government was overthrown on 26 March 1991; the new ruling National Reconciliation Council has promised a multiparty democracy
_#_Capital: Bamako
_#_Administrative divisions: 7 regions (regions, singular--region); Gao, Kayes, Koulikoro, Mopti, Segou, Sikasso, Tombouctou; note--there may be a new capital district of Bamako
_#_Independence: 22 September 1960 (from France; formerly French Sudan)
_#_Constitution: 2 June 1974, effective 19 June 1979; amended September 1981 and March 1985; suspended following the coup of 26 March 1991
_#_Legal system: based on French civil law system and customary law; judicial review of legislative acts in Constitutional Section of Court of State; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction
_#_National holiday: Anniversary of the Proclamation of the Republic, 22 September (1960)
_#_Executive branch: National Conciliation Council led by the military, following the coup of 26 March 1991
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly (Assemble Nationale)
_#_Judicial branch: Supreme Court (Cour Supreme)
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--following the military coup of 26 March 1991 President Gen. Moussa TRAORE was deposed and the National Reconciliation Council, led by Lt. Col. Amadou Toumani TOURE and Lt. Col. Kafougouna KONE, was installed;
Head of Government--Interim Premier Soumana SACKO (since 2 April 1991)
_#_Political parties and leaders: formerly the only party, the Democratic Union of Malian People (UDPM), was disbanded after the coup of 26 March 1991, and the new regime legalized the formation of political
## parties on 5 April 1991; new political parties are--Union of Democratic
Forces (UFD), Demba DIALLO; Union for Democracy and Development (UDD), Moussa Bala COULIBALY; Sudanese Union/African Democratic Rally (US-RDA), Mamadou Madeira KEITA; African Party for Solidarity and Justice (ADEMA), Alpha Oumar KONARE; Party for Democracy and Progress (PDP), Idrissa TRAORE; Democratic Party for Justice (PDJ), Abdul BA; Rally for Democracy and Progress (RDP), Almany SYLLA; Party for the Unity of Malian People (PUPM), Nock AGATTIA; Hisboulah al Islamiya, Hamidou DRAMERA; Union of Progressive Forces (UFP), Yacouba SIDIBE; National Congress of Democratic Initiative (CNID), Mountaga TALL; Assembly for Justice and Progress, Kady DRAME; other parties forming
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 21
_#_Elections:
President--last held on 9 June 1985 (next to be held June 1991); results--General Moussa TRAORE was reelected without opposition;
National Assembly--last held on 26 June 1988 (next to be held June 1991); results--UDPM is the only party; seats--(82 total) UDPM 82; note--following the military coup of 26 March 1991 President TRAORE was deposed and the UDPM was disbanded; the new ruling National Reconciliation Council, formed of 17 soldiers, has promised to institute a multiparty democracy and is expected to hold elections by December 1991
_#_Communists: a few Communists and some sympathizers (no legal Communist party)
_#_Member of: ACCT, ACP, AfDB, CCC, CEAO, ECA, ECOWAS, FAO, FZ, G-77, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, LORCS, NAM, OAU, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WADB, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Mohamed Alhousseyni TOURE; Chancery at 2130 R Street NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 332-2249 or 939-8950;
US--Ambassador Herbert D. GELBER; Embassy at Rue Rochester NY and Rue Mohamed V., Bamako (mailing address is B. P. 34, Bamako); telephone [223] 223712
_#_Flag: three equal vertical bands of green (hoist side), yellow, and red; uses the popular pan-African colors of Ethiopia
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Mali is among the poorest countries in the world, with about 70% of its land area desert or semidesert. Economic activity is largely confined to the riverine area irrigated by the Niger. About 10% of the population live as nomads and some 80% of the labor force is engaged in agriculture and fishing. Industrial activity is concentrated on processing farm commodities.
_#_GDP: $2.0 billion, per capita $250; real growth rate 9.9% (1989 est.)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): NA% (1987)
_#_Unemployment rate: NA%
_#_Budget: revenues $329 million; expenditures $519 million, including capital expenditures of $178 (1989 est.)
_#_Exports: $285 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--livestock, peanuts, dried fish, cotton, skins;
partners--mostly franc zone and Western Europe
_#_Imports: $513 million (f.o.b., 1989 est.);
commodities--textiles, vehicles, petroleum products, machinery, sugar, cereals;
partners--mostly franc zone and Western Europe
_#_External debt: $2.2 billion (1989 est.)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 19.9% (1989 est.); accounts for 7% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 253,000 kW capacity; 730 million kWh produced, 90 kWh per capita (1990)
_#_Industries: small local consumer goods and processing, construction, phosphate, gold, fishing
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 50% of GDP; most production based on small subsistence farms; cotton and livestock products account for over 70% of exports; other crops--millet, rice, corn, vegetables, peanuts; livestock--cattle, sheep, and goats
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-89), $349 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $2.65 billion; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $92 million; Communist countries (1970-89), $190 million
_#_Currency: Communaute Financiere Africaine franc (plural--francs); 1 CFA franc (CFAF) = 100 centimes
_#_Exchange rates: Communaute Financiere Africaine francs (CFAF) per US$1--256.54 (January 1991), 272.26 (1990), 319.01 (1989), 297.85 (1988), 300.54 (1987), 346.30 (1986), 449.26 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: calendar year
_*_Communications _#_Railroads: 642 km 1.000-meter gauge; linked to Senegal's rail system through Kayes
_#_Highways: about 15,700 km total; 1,670 km bituminous, 3,670 km gravel and improved earth, 10,360 km unimproved earth
_#_Inland waterways: 1,815 km navigable
_#_Civil air: no major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 37 total, 29 usable; 8 with permanent-surface runways; none with runways over 3,659 m; 6 with runways 2,440-3,659 m; 10 with runways 1,220-2,439 m
_#_Telecommunications: domestic system poor but improving; provides only minimal service with radio relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of radio relay in progress; 11,000 telephones; stations--2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV; satellite earth stations--1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean INTELSAT
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Army, Air Force; paramilitary Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National Police
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 1,631,445; 940,954 fit for military service; no conscription
_#_Defense expenditures: $45 million, 2.4% of GDP (1988) _%_ _@_Malta _*_Geography _#_Total area: 320 km2; land area: 320 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 140 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Contiguous zone: 24 nm;
Continental shelf: 200 m (depth) or to depth of exploitation;
Exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm;
Territorial sea: 12 nm
_#_Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
_#_Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
_#_Natural resources: limestone, salt
_#_Land use: arable land 38%; permanent crops 3%; meadows and pastures 0%; forest and woodland 0%; other 59%; includes irrigated 3%
_#_Environment: numerous bays provide good harbors; fresh water very scarce--increasing reliance on desalination
_#_Note: strategic location in central Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily, 290 km north of Libya
_*_People _#_Population: 356,427 (July 1991), growth rate 0.8% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 7 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 79 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Maltese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Maltese
_#_Ethnic divisions: mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English
_#_Religion: Roman Catholic 98%
_#_Language: Maltese and English (official)
_#_Literacy: 84% (male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
_#_Labor force: 126,135; government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1989)
_#_Organized labor: about 40% of labor force
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: Republic of Malta
_#_Type: parliamentary democracy
_#_Capital: Valletta
_#_Administrative divisions: none (administration directly from Valletta)
_#_Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)
_#_Constitution: 26 April 1974, effective 2 June 1974
_#_Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
_#_National holiday: Freedom Day, 31 March
_#_Executive branch: president, prime minister, deputy prime minister, Cabinet
_#_Legislative branch: unicameral House of Representatives
_#_Judicial branch: Constitutional Court and Court of Appeal
_#_Leaders:
Chief of State--President Vincent (Censu) TABONE (since 4 April 1989);
Head of Government--Prime Minister Dr. Edward (Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr. Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)
_#_Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party, Edward FENECH ADAMI; Malta Labor Party, Karmenu MIFSUD BONNICI
_#_Suffrage: universal at age 18
_#_Elections:
House of Representatives--last held on 9 May 1987 (next to be held by May 1992); results--NP 51.1%, MLP 48.9%; seats--(usually 65 total, but additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; current total 69) MLP 34, NP 31 before popular vote adjustment; MLP 34, NP 35 after adjustment
_#_Communists: fewer than 100 (est.)
_#_Member of: C, CCC, CE, CSCE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NAM, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO
_#_Diplomatic representation: Ambassador Salvatore J. STELLINI; Chancery at 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington DC 20008; telephone (202) 462-3611 or 3612; there is a Maltese Consulate General in New York;
US--Ambassador Sally J. NOVETZKE; Embassy at 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Valletta (mailing address is P. O. Box 535, Valletta); telephone [356] 240424, 240425, 243216, 243217, 243653, 223654
_#_Flag: 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
_*_Economy _#_Overview: Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. Consequently, the economy is highly dependent on foreign trade and services. Manufacturing and tourism are the largest contributors to the economy. Manufacturing accounts for about 27% of GDP, with the electronics and textile industries major contributors. In 1989 inflation was held to a low 0.9%. Per capita GDP at $5,500 places Malta in the middle-income range of the world's nations.
_#_GDP: $1.9 billion, per capita $5,500 (1988); real growth rate 6.4% (1989)
_#_Inflation rate (consumer prices): 0.9% (1989)
_#_Unemployment rate: 3.7% (1989)
_#_Budget: revenues $1,020 million; expenditures $1,230 million, including capital expenditures of $380 million (1990 est.)
_#_Exports: $866 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--clothing, textiles, footwear, ships;
partners--Italy 30%, FRG 22%, UK 11%
_#_Imports: $1,328 million (f.o.b., 1989);
commodities--food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods;
partners--Italy 30%, UK 16%, FRG 13%, US 4%
_#_External debt: $90 million, medium and long-term (December 1987)
_#_Industrial production: growth rate 19.2% (1989); accounts for 27% of GDP
_#_Electricity: 328,000 kW capacity; 1,110 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1989)
_#_Industries: tourism, electronics, ship repair yard, construction, food manufacturing, textiles, footwear, clothing, beverages, tobacco
_#_Agriculture: accounts for 3% of GDP; overall, 20% self-sufficient; main products--potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers, hogs, poultry, eggs; generally adequate supplies of vegetables, poultry, milk, pork products; seasonal or periodic shortages in grain, animal fodder, fruits, other basic foodstuffs
_#_Economic aid: US commitments, including Ex-Im (FY70-81), $172 million; Western (non-US) countries, ODA and OOF bilateral commitments (1970-88), $333 million; OPEC bilateral aid (1979-89), $76 million; Communist countries (1970-88), $48 million
_#_Currency: Maltese lira (plural--liri); 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents
_#_Exchange rates: Maltese liri (LM) per US$1--0.3004 (January 1991), 0.3172 (1990), 0.3483 (1989), 0.3306 (1988), 0.3451 (1987), 0.3924 (1986), 0.4676 (1985)
_#_Fiscal year: 1 April-31 March
_*_Communications _#_Highways: 1,291 km total; 1,179 km paved (asphalt), 77 km crushed stone or gravel, 35 km improved and unimproved earth
_#_Ports: Valletta, Marsaxlokk
_#_Merchant marine: 415 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 5,005,791 GRT/8,644,369 DWT; includes 3 passenger, 8 short-sea passenger, 160 cargo, 5 container, 2 passenger-cargo, 13 roll-on/roll-off cargo, 3 vehicle carrier, 1 barge carrier, 6 refrigerated cargo, 9 chemical tanker, 8 combination ore/oil, 2 specialized tanker, 1 liquefied gas, 79 petroleum, oils, and lubricants (POL) tanker, 104 bulk, 11 combination bulk; note--a flag of convenience registry; China owns 1 ship, USSR owns 7, Cuba owns 7, and Vietnam owns 1
_#_Civil air: 7 major transport aircraft
_#_Airports: 1 with permanent-surface runways 2,440-3,659 m
_#_Telecommunications: modern automatic system centered in Valletta; 163,800 telephones; stations--9 AM, 4 FM, 2 TV; 1 submarine cable; 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT earth station
_*_Defense Forces _#_Branches: Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force
_#_Manpower availability: males 15-49, 94,081; 75,222 fit for military service
_#_Defense expenditures: $21.9 million, 1.3% of GDP (1989 est.) _%_ _@_Man, Isle of (British crown dependency) _*_Geography _#_Total area: 588 km2; land area: 588 km2
_#_Comparative area: slightly less than 3.5 times the size of Washington, DC
_#_Land boundaries: none
_#_Coastline: 113 km
_#_Maritime claims:
Exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm;
Territorial sea: 3 nm
_#_Climate: cool summers and mild winters; humid; overcast about half the time
_#_Terrain: hills in north and south bisected by central valley
_#_Natural resources: lead, iron ore
_#_Land use: arable land NA%; permanent crops NA%; meadows and pastures NA%; forest and woodland NA%; other NA%; extensive arable land and forests
_#_Environment: strong westerly winds prevail
_#_Note: located in Irish Sea equidistant from England, Scotland, and Ireland
_*_People _#_Population: 64,075 (July 1991), growth rate 0.1% (1991)
_#_Birth rate: 11 births/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Death rate: 14 deaths/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Net migration rate: 4 migrants/1,000 population (1991)
_#_Infant mortality rate: 9 deaths/1,000 live births (1991)
_#_Life expectancy at birth: 72 years male, 78 years female (1991)
_#_Total fertility rate: 1.8 children born/woman (1991)
_#_Nationality: noun--Manxman, Manxwoman, adjective--Manx
_#_Ethnic divisions: native Manx of Norse-Celtic descent; British
_#_Religion: Anglican, Roman Catholic, Methodist, Baptist, Presbyterian, Society of Friends
_#_Language: English, Manx Gaelic
_#_Literacy: NA% (male NA%, female NA%) but compulsory education age 5 to 16
_#_Labor force: 25,864 (1981)
_#_Organized labor: 22 labor unions patterned along British lines
_*_Government _#_Long-form name: none
_#_Type: British crown dependency
_#_Capital: Douglas
_#_Administrative divisions: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Independence: none (British crown dependency)
_#_Constitution: 1961, Isle of Man Constitution Act
_#_Legal system: English law and local statute
_#_National holiday: Tynwald Day, 5 July
_#_Executive branch: British monarch, lieutenant governor, prime minister, Executive Council (cabinet)