Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Maltese: Repubblika ta’ Malta), is a southern European country and consists of an archipelago situated centrally in the Mediterranean, 93 km south of Sicily and 288 km east of Tunisia, with the Strait of Gibraltar 1,826 km to the west and Alexandria 1,510 km to the east.
Malta covers just over 300 km² in land area, making it one of the world’s smallest and most densely populated countries. Its de facto capital is Valletta and the largest city is Birkirkara. The main island is made up of many small towns, which together form one Larger Urban Zone (LUZ) with a population of 368,250 (majority of the population of the country) according to Eurostat. Therefore, Malta can be considered a city-state. The country has two official and national languages: Maltese and English.
Throughout history, Malta’s location has given it great strategic importance and a sequence of powers including the Phoenicians, Greeks, Romans, Fatimids, Sicilians, Knights of St John, French and the British ruled the islands. Malta gained independence from the United Kingdom in 1964 and became a republic in 1974, whilst retaining membership in the Commonwealth of Nations. It is a member of the United Nations (since 1964) and a member of the European Union (since 2004). Malta is also party to the Schengen Agreement (since 2007) and member of the eurozone (since 2008).
Malta has a long Christian legacy and is an Apostolic See. According to the Acts of the Apostles, St. Paul was shipwrecked on “Melite”, as the Greeks called the island, and ministered there. Catholicism continues to be the official and dominant religion in Malta.
Malta is internationally renowned tourist resort with regard on recreational repose and historical monuments, including nine UNESCO World Heritage Sites, most prominently the Megalithic Temples which are the oldest free-standing structures in Europe.
Area:
316 sq km
Population:
406,771
Capital:
Valletta
Government:
Parliamentary Republic
President:
Presidente George Abela
Prime Minister:
Lawrence Gonzi
Legal system:
based on English common law and Roman civil law; accepts compulsory ICJ jurisdiction with reservations
Legislative branch:
unicameral House of Representatives (normally 65 seats; members are elected by popular vote on the basis of proportional representation to serve five-year terms; note – the Parliament elected in 2008 is composed of 69 seats; when the political party winning the plurality of votes does not win a majority of seats, the constitution provides that a sufficient number of seats will be added to Parliament to ensure that the party that won the elections has a majority in Parliament)
Judicial branch:
Constitutional Court; Court of First Instance; Court of Appeal
note: magistrates and judges for the courts are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister
Ufficial languages:
maltese and english
Currency:
Euro
Official religion:
98% roman catholic
Italian community:
aprox 2,000
Distances:
Malta – Sicily 90km
Malta – Noth Africa 290km
Etymology | History | Languages | Population | Geography | Religion | Government and politics | Economy | Transportation infrastructure
Source: wikipedia.org Views:1468
