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Malta - GENERAL INFORMATION |
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Population
| Main Cities |
Population |
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Birkirkara
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22,334
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Qormi
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18,553
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Mosta
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17,936
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Valletta (capital)
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7,050
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Total population (millions): |
0.4
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| Source: World Bank 2004 |
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| Urban population: |
92%
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| Source: World Bank 2004 |
| Average annual population growth: |
0.5%
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| Source: World Bank 2004 |
Population origin
95% of the population is native to the island. Main foreign communities living in Malta are the British and the Italians. With a density of 1,488 inhabitants per sq. km, Malta is one of the countries in the world having highest population density.
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Local time
| It is %T:%M %A in Valletta |
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GMT+1 in winter, GMT+2 iin summer
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Languages
The two official languages are Maltese and English. Maltese is a language of semitic origin written in Latin alphabets. A large number of Maltese people also speak Italian.
Free translation tools
in Malta
:
AboutMalta.com
Basic English-Maltese dictionary
AboutMalta.com
Basic Maltese grammar
Survol.com
English-Maltese online dictionary
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Religion
Religious practises :
Majority of the population is catholic. Other religions constitute less than 5% of country's population.
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Political system
After being a British colony from 1814 to 1964, Malta got its independence within the framework of Commonwealth on 21st September 1964 and become a republic in 1974.
The current political system in Malta is based on the British model: the executive power is held by the Council of Ministers which is headed by the Prime Minister. The Parliament is constituted of the House of Representatives. Elections are held after every 5 years and the Parliament consists of 65 members. It appoints the President of the Republic for a duration of 5 years.
The current President of the Republic is Mr. Eddie Fenech Adami (Nationalist Party) who was elected in March 2004. The Prime Minister is Lawrence Gonzi (Nationalist Party) since March 2004.
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| The type of climate in Malta is Mediterranian: summers are hot, dry and very sunny. Winters are mild with a few short and pleasant spells. The average temperature is 11 degrees in winter and 29 degrees in summer. The rainy season is between November and February but the annual rainfall remains low.
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| Number of visitors
in Malta
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2002
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2003
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2004
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World rank |
| Number of visitors (1000) |
1134
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1089
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1156
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n.a.
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| Source : World Tourisme Organization, data available in November 2005 |
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Tourist sites
The Maltese archipelago consists of five islands, Malta being the largest one. The 2nd largest is the island of Gozo and consists of around 30,000 inhabitants.
Malta is particularly known for its linguistic and cultural heritage. The island offers the richness of its historical inheritance and capitavating colours of omnipresent stone colour of honey.
The city of Valette is listed as the World Heritage city in UNESCO. The fortress city has a rich historical past.
The festivities and religious processions have an important place in the lives of Maltese people.
Amongst the other key tourist sites of the island, we can cite the city of Mdina, the temples of Hagiar Kim, the neighbouring islands of Gozo and Comino, the Cottonera and the church of Mosta.
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Food
Traditional dishes
The Maltese cuisine is mediterranean and strongly influenced by Sicilia. Garlic, olive oil and aromatic herbs play an important role in the culinary preparations.
The specialties of the island are the torta-tal-lampuki, a sort of gilthead bream prepared in croute, the torta-tal-fenek, rabbit prepared in croute and the qubbajt, one of the most popular desserts.
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Last modified in
October 2005
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