|
|
| | 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. The People | Population | 401,880 (July 2007 est.) | | 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.) | | Life expectancy at birth | total population: 79.15 years
male: 76.95 years
female: 81.47 years (2007 est.) | Population growth rate | 0.413% (2007 est.) | | Ethnic groups | Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) | | Religions | Roman Catholic 98% | | Population below poverty line | NA% | | People living with HIV/AIDS | less than 500 (2003 est.) | | HIV/AIDS - deaths | less than 100 (2003 est.) | | Mobile phones in use | 346,800 (2006) | | Internet users | 127,200 (2005) |
Data (Background & The People) provided by The World Factbook |
|
|