MALTA

- Country Name
Republic of Malta

- Year Founded
The Maltese islands were first settled in 5200 BC by stone age farmers who had arrived from the larger island of Sicily, possibly the Sicani.

-Population
2007 estimate
410,290 (174th)
2005 census
404,9621
Density
1,298/km2 (6th)3,391/sq mi

-Primary Language
Maltese, english

-Ethnic Make-up
Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock)

-Political System
republic

-Year Entered the European Union
May 1, 2004

-Representative of the European Union (include party)
Prime Minister- DR. Lawrence Gonzi
Nationalist Party

-Type of Economy
is dependent on foreign trade, manufacturing - especially electronics and pharmaceuticals - and tourism all of which have been negatively affected by global economic downturn.

-Currency
-$538 million (2008 est.)
Euro (€)2Banks (EUR)

-Current Exchange rate for American Currency

-GDP
$9.801 billion (2008 est.)

-Percentage of Trade within the European Union

-Unemployment Rate
6.4% (2007)

-Chief Exports

-Key Imports

-Major Religions
Roman Catholic 98%

-Surrounding Countries
93 km off the coast of Sicily (Italy), 288 km east of Tunisia and 300 km north of Libya.

-Literacy Rate
definition: age 10 and over can read and write total population: 92.8% male: 92% female: 93.6% (2003 est.)

-One Interesting Fact
Traffic in Malta drives on the left, as in the UK. Car ownership in Malta is exceedingly high, given the very small size of the islands; it is the fourth highest in the European Union. The number of registered cars in 1990 amounted to 182,254, giving an automobile density of 582 per km²