; 59% other; includes 3% irrigated

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: 353,465 (July 1990), growth rate 0.9% (1990)

Birth rate: 15 births/1,000 population (1990)

Death rate: 8 deaths/1,000 population (1990)

Net migration rate: 1 migrant/1,000 population (1990)

Infant mortality rate: 8 deaths/1,000 live births (1990)

Life expectancy at birth: 74 years male, 78 years female (1990)

Total fertility rate: 2.0 children born/woman (1990)

Nationality: noun--Maltese (sing. and pl.); adjective--Maltese

Ethnic divisions: mixture of Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian,
English

Religion: 98% Roman Catholic

Language: Maltese and English (official)

Literacy: 83%

Labor force: 125,674; 30% services, 24% manufacturing, 21% government
(except job corps), 8% construction, 5% utilities and drydocks, 4% agriculture
(1987)

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