Compare Malta (2008) - Christmas Island (2007)

Compare Malta (2008) z Christmas Island (2007)

	Malta (2008)	Christmas Island (2007)

Administrative divisions	none (administered directly from Valletta); note - local councils carry out administrative orders	none (territory of Australia)
Age structure	0-14 years: 16.7% (male 34,559/female 32,707) 15-64 years: 69.5% (male 141,265/female 137,951) 65 years and over: 13.8% (male 23,802/female 31,596) (2007 est.)	0-14 years: NA 15-64 years: NA 65 years and over: NA
Agriculture - products	potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs	NA
Airports	1 (2007)	1 (2007)
Airports - with paved runways	total: 1 over 3,047 m: 1 (2007)	total: 1 1,524 to 2,437 m: 1 (2007)
Area	total: 316 sq km land: 316 sq km water: 0 sq km	total: 135 sq km land: 135 sq km water: 0 sq km
Area - comparative	slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC	about three-quarters the size of Washington, DC
Background	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 2004, and will begin to use the Euro as currency in 2008.	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.
Birth rate	10.28 births/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Budget	revenues: $3.316 billion expenditures: $3.368 billion (2007 est.)	revenues: $NA expenditures: $NA
Capital	name: Valletta geographic coordinates: 35 53 N, 14 30 E time difference: UTC+1 (6 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time) daylight saving time: +1hr, begins last Sunday in March; ends last Sunday in October	name: The Settlement geographic coordinates: 10 25 S, 105 43 E time difference: UTC+7 (12 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)
Climate	Mediterranean; mild, rainy winters; hot, dry summers	tropical with a wet season (December to April) and dry season; heat and humidity moderated by trade winds
Coastline	196.8 km (does not include 56.01 km for the island of Gozo)	138.9 km
Constitution	1964 constitution; amended many times	Christmas Island Act of 1958-59 (1 October 1958) as amended by the Territories Law Reform Act of 1992
Country name	conventional long form: Republic of Malta conventional short form: Malta local long form: Repubblika ta' Malta local short form: Malta	conventional long form: Territory of Christmas Island conventional short form: Christmas Island
Death rate	8.19 deaths/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Debt - external	$188.8 million (2005)	-
Dependency status	-	non-self governing territory of Australia; administered from Canberra by the Australian Department of Transport and Regional Services
Diplomatic representation from the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Molly BORDONARO embassy: 3rd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, VLT 01 mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta, CMR01 telephone: [356] 2561 4000 FAX: [356] 21 243229	none (territory of Australia)
Diplomatic representation in the US	chief of mission: Ambassador Mark MICELI-FARRUGIA chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 FAX: [1] (202) 387-5470 consulate(s): New York	none (territory of Australia)
Disputes - international	none	none
Economic aid - recipient	$6.19 million (2004)	$NA
Economy - overview	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 few domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing (especially electronics and pharmaceuticals), and tourism. Economic recovery of the European economy has lifted exports, tourism, and overall growth. Malta adopted the euro on 1 January 2008.	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, but closed in 1998. The Australian Government in 2001 agreed to support the creation of a commercial space-launching site on the island, expected to begin operations in the near future.
Electricity - consumption	1.959 billion kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - exports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - imports	0 kWh (2005)	-
Electricity - production	2.106 billion kWh (2005)	-
Elevation extremes	lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m highest point: Ta'Dmejrek 253 m (near Dingli)	lowest point: Indian Ocean 0 m highest point: Murray Hill 361 m
Environment - current issues	very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination	loss of rainforest; impact of phosphate mining
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	Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)	Chinese 70%, European 20%, Malay 10% note: no indigenous population (2001)
Exchange rates	Maltese liri per US dollar - 0.3106 (2007), 0.37 (2006), 0.34578 (2005), 0.34466 (2004), 0.37723 (2003)	Australian dollars per US dollar - 1.3285 (2006), 1.3095 (2005), 1.3598 (2004), 1.5419 (2003), 1.8406 (2002)
Executive branch	chief of state: President Edward 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 (eligible for a second 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; House of Representatives vote - 33 out of 65 votes	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
Exports	0 bbl/day (2004)	$NA
Exports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactures	phosphate
Exports - partners	France 15.3%, Singapore 13.2%, US 13%, Germany 12.5%, UK 9.5%, Japan 4.9%, Hong Kong 4.2% (2006)	Australia, NZ (2006)
Fiscal year	calendar year	1 July - 30 June
Flag description	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	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
GDP - composition by sector	agriculture: 2.7% industry: 22.3% services: 74.9% (2003 est.)	-
GDP - real growth rate	3.4% (2007 est.)	-
Geographic coordinates	35 50 N, 14 35 E	10 30 S, 105 40 E
Geography - note	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	located along major sea lanes of Indian Ocean
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	18,210 bbl/day (2004)	$NA
Imports - commodities	machinery and transport equipment, manufactured and semi-manufactured goods; food, drink, tobacco	consumer goods
Imports - partners	Italy 28%, UK 10.5%, France 8.7%, Germany 7.6%, Singapore 6.8%, US 5.6% (2006)	principally Australia (2006)
Independence	21 September 1964 (from UK)	none (territory of Australia)
Industrial production growth rate	NA%	-
Industries	tourism, electronics, ship building and repair, construction, food and beverages, pharmaceuticals, footwear, clothing, tobacco	tourism, phosphate extraction (near depletion)
Infant mortality rate	total: 3.82 deaths/1,000 live births male: 4.29 deaths/1,000 live births female: 3.32 deaths/1,000 live births (2007 est.)	total: NA male: NA female: NA
Inflation rate (consumer prices)	0.9% (2007 est.)	-
International organization participation	Australia Group, C, CE, CPLP (associate), EBRD, EIB, EMU, EU, FAO, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICCt, ICRM, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, IMSO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NSG, OPCW, OSCE, PCA, Schengen Convention, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, Union Latina (observer), UNWTO, UPU, WCL, WCO, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO	none
Irrigated land	20 sq km (2003)	NA
Judicial branch	Constitutional Court; Court of Appeal; judges for both courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister	Supreme Court; District Court; Magistrate's Court
Labor force	164,000 (2006 est.)	NA
Labor force - by occupation	agriculture: 3% industry: 22% services: 75% (2005 est.)	-
Land boundaries	0 km	0 km
Land use	arable land: 31.25% permanent crops: 3.13% other: 65.62% (2005)	arable land: 0% permanent crops: 0% other: 100% (mainly tropical rainforest; 63% of the island is a national park) (2005)
Languages	Maltese (official), English (official)	English (official), Chinese, Malay
Legal system	based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations	under the authority of the governor general of Australia and Australian law
Legislative branch	unicameral House of Representatives (usually 65 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms; note - additional seats are given to the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative majority) elections: last held 12 April 2003 (next to be held by 8 March 2008) election results: percent of vote by party - PN 51.8%, MLP 47.5%, AD 0.7%; seats by party - PN 34, MLP 31	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 20 October 2007 (next to be held in 2009) election results: percent of vote - NA; seats - independents 9
Life expectancy at birth	total population: 79.15 years male: 76.95 years female: 81.47 years (2007 est.)	total population: NA male: NA female: NA
Literacy	definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)	NA
Location	Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy)	Southeastern Asia, island in the Indian Ocean, south of Indonesia
Map references	Europe	Southeast Asia
Maritime claims	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 24 nm continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation exclusive fishing zone: 25 nm	territorial sea: 12 nm contiguous zone: 12 nm exclusive fishing zone: 200 nm
Merchant marine	total: 1,281 ships (1000 GRT or over) 25,213,650 GRT/41,033,203 DWT by type: bulk carrier 439, cargo 382, chemical tanker 125, combination ore/oil 2, container 65, liquefied gas 15, livestock carrier 1, passenger 15, passenger/cargo 14, petroleum tanker 132, refrigerated cargo 41, roll on/roll off 31, specialized tanker 2, vehicle carrier 17 foreign-owned: 1,197 (Austria 1, Azerbaijan 3, Bangladesh 3, Belgium 10, Bulgaria 15, Canada 15, China 13, Croatia 12, Cyprus 15, Denmark 10, Estonia 7, France 4, Germany 67, Greece 448, Hong Kong 1, Iceland 7, India 3, Iran 24, Israel 21, Italy 45, Japan 3, South Korea 3, Latvia 36, Lebanon 12, Libya 3, Monaco 1, Netherlands 3, Norway 71, Pakistan 2, Poland 25, Portugal 3, Romania 10, Russia 66, Slovenia 3, Spain 1, Sweden 1, Switzerland 22, Syria 4, Turkey 143, Ukraine 28, UAE 10, UK 12, US 11) registered in other countries: 4 (Panama 2, Portugal 1, St Vincent and The Grenadines 1) (2007)	-
Military - note	-	defense is the responsibility of Australia
Military branches	Armed Forces of Malta (AFM; includes air and maritime elements) (2005)	-
Military expenditures - percent of GDP	0.7% (2006 est.)	-
National holiday	Independence Day, 21 September (1964)	Australia Day, 26 January (1788)
Nationality	noun: Maltese (singular and plural) adjective: Maltese	noun: Christmas Islander(s) adjective: Christmas Island
Natural hazards	NA	the narrow fringing reef surrounding the island can be a maritime hazard
Natural resources	limestone, salt, arable land	phosphate, beaches
Net migration rate	2.04 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2007 est.)	NA
Political parties and leaders	Alternativa Demokratika/Alliance for Social Justice or AD [Harry VASSALLO]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT]; Nationalist Party or PN [Lawrence GONZI]	none
Political pressure groups and leaders	NA	none
Population	401,880 (July 2007 est.)	1,402 (July 2006 est.) (July 2007 est.)
Population below poverty line	NA%	-
Population growth rate	0.413% (2007 est.)	0% (2007 est.)
Radio broadcast stations	AM 1, FM 18, shortwave 6 (1999)	AM 1, FM 2, shortwave 0 (2006)
Religions	Roman Catholic 98%	Buddhist 36%, Muslim 25%, Christian 18%, other 21% (1997)
Sex ratio	at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female under 15 years: 1.057 male(s)/female 15-64 years: 1.024 male(s)/female 65 years and over: 0.753 male(s)/female total population: 0.987 male(s)/female (2007 est.)	NA
Suffrage	18 years of age; universal	-
Telephone system	general assessment: automatic system satisfies normal requirements; fixed-line teledensity 50 per 100 persons; mobile-cellular teledensity about 90 per 100 persons domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands international: country code - 356; submarine cable connects to Italy; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean)	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 - 1 INTELSAT earth station provides telephone and telex service (2005)
Telephones - main lines in use	202,300 (2006)	NA
Telephones - mobile cellular	346,800 (2006)	-
Television broadcast stations	5 (2006)	0 (TV broadcasts received via satellite from mainland Australia) (2006)
Terrain	mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs	steep cliffs along coast rise abruptly to central plateau
Total fertility rate	1.51 children born/woman (2007 est.)	NA
Unemployment rate	6.8% (2005 est.)	-

Sitemap: Compare countries listing (map site) | Country listing (map site)
Links: Add to favorites | Information about this website | Stats | Polityka prywatnosci
This page was generated in ##czas## s. Size this page: ##rozmiar_strony## kB.