Compare Christmas Island (2006) - Malta (2005)

Compare Christmas Island (2006) z Malta (2005)

	Christmas Island (2006)	Malta (2005)

Administrative divisions	none (territory of Australia)	none (administered directly from Valletta); note - Local Councils carry out administrative orders
Age structure	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA (2006 est.)	0-14 years: 17.6% (male 36,056/female 34,097) 15-64 years: 68.8% (male 138,537/female 135,666) 65 years and over: 13.6% (male 23,184/female 30,994) (2005 est.)
Agriculture - products	NA	potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs
Airports	1 (2006)	1 (2004 est.)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2006)	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2004 est.)
Area	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC	slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC
Background	Named in 1643 for the day of its discovery, the island was annexed and settlement began by the UK in 1888. Phosphate mining began in the 1890s. The UK transferred sovereignty to Australia in 1958. Almost two-thirds of the island has been declared a national park.	Great Britain formally acquired possession of Malta in 1814. The island staunchly supported the UK through both World Wars and remained in the Commonwealth when it became independent in 1964. A decade later Malta became a republic. Since about the mid-1980s, the island has transformed itself into a freight transshipment point, a financial center, and a tourist destination. Malta became an EU member in May of 2004.
Birth rate	NA	10.17 births/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Budget	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA	revenues: $2.27 billion expenditures: $2.549 billion, including capital expenditures of NA (2004 est.)
Capital	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 18 44 N, 64 19 W time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)	Valletta
Climate	tropical with a wet and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds; wet season (December to April)	Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
Coastline	138.9 km	196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)
Constitution	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992	1964 constitution; amended many times
Country name	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island	conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta
Death rate	NA	8 deaths/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Debt - external	-	$130 million (1997)
Dependency status	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services	-
Diplomatic representation from the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires William GRANT embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, Malta, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229
Diplomatic representation in the US	none (territory of Australia)	chief of mission: Ambassador John LOWELL chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$NA	NA
Economy - overview	Phosphate mining had been the only significant economic activity, but in December 1987 the Australian Government closed the mine. In 1991, the mine was reopened. With the support of the government, a $34 million casino opened in 1993. The casino closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, projected to begin operations in the near future.	Major resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its food needs, has limited fresh water supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and textiles), and tourism. Continued sluggishness in the European economy is holding back exports, tourism, and overall growth.
Electricity - consumption	-	2 billion kWh (2002)
Electricity - exports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - imports	-	0 kWh (2002)
Electricity - production	-	2.15 billion kWh (2002)
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m	lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)
Environment - current issues	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining	very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination
Environment - international agreements	-	party to: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands signed, but not ratified: none of the selected agreements
Ethnic groups	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)	Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)
Exchange rates	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002), 1.9334 (2001)	Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.3444 (2004), 0.3773 (2003), 0.4337 (2002), 0.4501 (2001), 0.4382 (2000)
Executive branch	chief of state: Queen ELIZABETH II (since 6 February 1952), represented by the Australian governor general head of government: Administrator Neil LUCAS (since 30 January 2006) elections: none; the monarch is hereditary; administrator appointed by the governor general of Australia and represents the monarch and Australia	chief of state: President Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 4 April 2004) head of government: Prime Minister Lawrence GONZI (since 23 March 2004) cabinet: Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term; election last held 29 March 2004 (next to be held by April 2009); following legislative elections, the leader of the majority party or leader of a majority coalition is usually appointed prime minister by the president for a five-year term; the deputy prime minister is appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister election results: Eddie FENECH ADAMI elected president; percent of House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes
Exports	$NA	NA
Exports - commodities	phosphate	machinery and transport equipment, manufactures
Exports - partners	Australia, NZ (2004)	US 15.7%, France 15.5%, Singapore 14.5%, UK 11.2%, Germany 10.8% (2004)
Fiscal year	1 July - 30 June	1 April - 31 March
Flag description	territorial flag; divided diagonally from upper hoist to lower fly; the upper triangle is green with a yellow image of the Golden Bosun Bird superimposed, while the lower triangle is blue with the Southern Cross constellation, representing Australia, superimposed; a centered yellow disk displays a green map of the island; the flag of Australia is used for official purposes	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
GDP - composition by sector	-	agriculture: 3% industry: 23% services: 74% (2003 est.)
GDP - per capita	-	purchasing power parity - $18,200 (2004 est.)
GDP - real growth rate	-	1% (2004 est.)
Geographic coordinates	10 30 S, 105 40 E	35 50 N, 14 35 E
Geography - note	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean	the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Ghawdex or Gozo, and Kemmuna or Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors; Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil exploration
Highways	-	total: 2,222 km paved: 2,000 km unpaved: 222 km (2002)
Household income or consumption by percentage share	-	lowest 10%: NA% highest 10%: NA%
Illicit drugs	-	minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe
Imports	$NA	NA
Imports - commodities	consumer goods	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, and tobacco
Imports - partners	principally Australia (2004)	Italy 25.4%, France 13.1%, UK 12%, Germany 8.9%, US 5.2%, Singapore 4.1% (2004)
Independence	none (territory of Australia)	21 September 1964 (from UK)
Industrial production growth rate	-	NA%
Industries	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)	tourism; electronics, ship building and repair, construction; food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco
Infant mortality rate	total: NA male: NA female: NA	total: 3.89 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.38 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.37 deaths/1,000 live births (2005 est.)
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	-	2.9% (2004 est.)
International organization participation	none	Australia Group, C, CE, EBRD, EIB, EU (new member), FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, ISO, ITU, MIGA, NAM, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WEU (observer affiliate), WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTO
Irrigated land	NA	20 sq km (1998 est.)
Judicial branch	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court	Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Labor force	NA	160,000 (2002 est.)
Labor force - by occupation	-	agriculture 5%, industry 24%, services 71% (1999 est.)
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)	arable land: 28.13% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 68.74% (2001)
Languages	English (official), Chinese, Malay	Maltese (official), English (official)
Legal system	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law	based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations
Legislative branch	unicameral Christmas Island Shire Council (9 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve four-year terms) elections: held every two years with half the members standing for election; last held in May 2005 (next to be held in May 2007) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9	unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms) elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by April 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.7%, MLP 47.6%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31
Life expectancy at birth	total population: NA male: NA female: NA	total population: 78.86 years male: 76.7 years female: 81.15 years (2005 est.)
Literacy	NA	definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)
Location	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia	Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)
Map references	Southeast Asia	Europe
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm
Merchant marine	-	total: 1,140 ships (1,000 GRT or over) 25,102,401 GRT/41,176,791 DWT by type: barge carrier 1, bulk carrier 438, cargo 303, chemical tanker 70, combination ore/oil 2, container 54, liquefied gas 8, livestock carrier 1, passenger 5, passenger/cargo 13, petroleum tanker 162, refrigerated cargo 43, roll on/roll off 26, specialized tanker 1, vehicle carrier 13 foreign-owned: 1,080 (Austria 3, Azerbaijan 1, Bangladesh 3, Belgium 12, British 1, Bulgaria 18, Canada 9, China 15, Croatia 10, Cyprus 2, Czech Republic 2, Estonia 2, Finland 1, France 5, Germany 51, Greece 527, Hong Kong 1, Iceland 7, Iran 4, Israel 26, Italy 17, Japan 2, Latvia 30, Lebanon 6, Madagascar 1, Monaco 3, Netherlands 3, Norway 42, Pakistan 2, Poland 24, Portugal 4, Romania 5, Russia 64, Slovenia 3, South Korea 4, Sweden 3, Switzerland 32, Syria 6, Taiwan 1, Turkey 87, Ukraine 25, UAE 5, United Kingdom 8, United States 3) registered in other countries: 3 (2005)
Military - note	defense is the responsibility of Australia	-
Military branches	-	Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2005)
Military expenditures - dollar figure	-	$31.1 million (2004)
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	-	0.7% (2004)
National holiday	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)	Independence Day, 21 September (1964)
Nationality	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island	noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese
Natural hazards	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard	NA
Natural resources	phosphate, beaches	limestone, salt, arable land
Net migration rate	NA	2.06 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2005 est.)
Political parties and leaders	none	Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI]
Political pressure groups and leaders	none	NA
Population	1,493 (July 2006 est.)	398,534 (July 2005 est.)
Population below poverty line	-	NA%
Population growth rate	0% (2006 est.)	0.42% (2005 est.)
Ports and harbors	-	Marsaxlokk, Valletta
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)	AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)
Religions	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)	Roman Catholic 98%
Sex ratio	NA	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.06 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.02 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.75 male(s)/female total population: 0.99 male(s)/female (2005 est.)
Suffrage	-	18 years of age; universal
Telephone system	general assessment: service provided by the Australian network domestic: GSM mobile telephone service replaced older analog system in February 2005 international: country code - 61-8; satellite earth stations - one INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)	general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)
Telephones - main lines in use	NA	208,300 (2003)
Telephones - mobile cellular	NA	290,000 (2003)
Television broadcast stations	0; note - TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia (2006)	6 (2000)
Terrain	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau	mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
Total fertility rate	NA	1.5 children born/woman (2005 est.)
Unemployment rate	-	7% (2003 est.)

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