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General Information
Area 316 sq km (122 sq miles). Population 399,867 (2003). Population density 1224 sq km. Capital Valletta. Population: 7173 (2002). Geography The Maltese archipelago is situated in the middle of the Mediterranean, with the largest inhabited island, Malta, lying 93km (58 miles) south of Sicily and 290km (180 miles) from North Africa. Gozo and Comino are the only other inhabited islands. The landscape of all three is characterised by low hills with terraced fields. Malta has no mountains or rivers. Its coastline is indented with harbours, bays, creeks, sandy beaches and rocky coves. Gozo is connected to Malta by ferry and is more thickly vegetated, with many flat-topped hills and craggy cliffs. Comino, the smallest island, is connected to Malta and Gozo by ferry and is very sparsely populated. Government Republic. Gained independence from the UK in 1964. Head of State: President Fenech Adami since 2004. Head of Government: Prime Minister Lawrence Gonzi since 2004. Language Maltese (a Semitic language) and English are the official languages. Italian is also widely spoken. Religion 91 per cent Roman Catholic. Time GMT + 1 (GMT + 2 from last Sunday in March to Saturday before last Sunday in October). Electricity 240 volts AC, 50Hz. UK-style three-pin plug are in use. Communications Telephone IDD is available. Country code: 356. There are no area codes. Outgoing international code: 00. Public telephone booths are widely available. Mobile telephone GSM 900 and 1800 networks exist, with extensive coverage of land and sea. Network providers include GoMobile (website: www.go.com.mt) and Vodafone Malta. Fax Maltacom PLC provides an international service through its offices and branches. Also available at hotels. Internet ISPs include Maltanet (website: www.maltanet.net). There are a few Internet cafes. Telegram Can be sent from Maltacom PLC, St Georges Road, St Julian’s. Post Good postal services exist within the island. Press Maltese dailies include In-Nazzjon Taghna and L’Orizzont. The daily English-language newspapers published on the island are The Malta Independent and The Times. The Malta Business Weekly, The Malta Independent on Sunday and the Sunday Times are also available. Radio BBC World Service (website: www.bbc.co.uk/worldservice) and Voice of America (website: www.voa.gov) can be received. From time to time the frequencies change and the most up-to-date can be found online. |
