relay, wire, and radio communications stations; expansion of radio relay in
progress; 11,000 telephones; broadcast stations - 2 AM, 2 FM, 2 TV;
satellite earth stations - 1 Atlantic Ocean INTELSAT and 1 Indian Ocean
INTELSAT

:Mali Defense Forces

Branches:
Army, Air Force, Gendarmerie, Republican Guard, National Guard, National
Police, Surete Nationale
Manpower availability:
males 15-49, 1,701,050; 966,293 fit for military service; no conscription
Defense expenditures:
exchange rate conversion - $41 million, 2% of GDP (1989)

: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
Disputes:
none
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

:Malta People

Population:
359,231 (July 1992), growth rate 0.8% (1992)
Birth rate:
14 births/1,000 population (1992)
Death rate:
8 deaths/1,000 population (1992)
Net migration rate:
1 migrant/1,000 population (1992)
Infant mortality rate:
7 deaths/1,000 live births (1992)
Life expectancy at birth:
74 years male, 79 years female (1992)
Total fertility rate:
2.0 children born/woman (1992)
Nationality:
noun - Maltese (singular and plural); adjective - Maltese
Ethnic divisions:
mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English
Religions:
Roman Catholic 98%
Languages:
Maltese and English (official)
Literacy:
84% (male 86%, female 82%) age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
Labor force:
127,200; government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%, manufacturing
22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture 2% (1990)
Organized labor: