Malta ( Repubblika ta' Malted or Republic of Malta) is a Island state, member of the European Union since May 1st, 2004. It will integrate the Euro area starting from January 1st, 2008.

It is an archipelago made up of nine islands, four are inhabited Malta, Gozo, Comino and Manoel, five others are uninhabited Cominoto, Filfla, Saint-Paul (two islands) and Fungus Rock. The Archipel is located between the Mediterranean Eastern and Western at approximately 100 kilometers at the south of the Sicily, 300 kilometers in the east of the Tunisia and 350 kilometers in the north of the Libya. Its strategic localization was worth to him covetousnesses of many civilizations during the ages.

History

See also: History of Malta

Malta is populated towards 5200 av. J. - C. and an important prehistoric civilization exists on the island before the arrival of the Phéniciens (as from the 9th century before J. - C.) which gave him the name of Malat (i.e. “sure place”). Greek are also installed on the site of current the Mdina towards 736 av. J. - C. and bring a democratic regime to Malta. The island then passes under the control of Carthage (400 av. J. - C.) then Romains (218 av. J. - C.), before being conquered by the Arab in 870. In 1090, the Norman , Masters of Sicily, carried out by the count Roger de Hauteville, seizes Malta. In 1127, the island passes under sicilian domination. For this period, the Malteses rechristianisent but preserve their language close to Arabic, while massively borrowing part of their Vocabulaire from the Sicilien and the Italian . The archipelago accommodates driven out Jewish families of Spain in 1492. In 1530, Charles Quint, which had inherited the possessions of Naples and Sicily, offers Malta to the hospital military sovereign Ordre of Midsummer's Day of Jerusalem, an order devoted to the defense of the Latin Royaume of Jerusalem, in compensation of Rhodos from where they were driven out by the Othoman : the large Master of the order becomes the sovereign of Malta. The order changes name then and becomes the Order of Malta. They build several fortifications and can resist victoriously the Turkish seat of 1565. Their domination ends in 1798 with the catch of the island by Napoleon Bonaparte. In 1800, the Malteses call the Britanniques with the assistance because of the systematic plundering of the island by the Napoleonean troops and several unpopular laws promulgated by Bonaparte. However, the British refuse to return the archipelago to the order of Malta and officially annex it to the British Empire in 1814 after the signature of the treated of Paris. However the British are not accepted better than the French: they impose their language unilaterally and monopolize the political power and economic. This situation of colonial exploitation causes in return the rise of nationalist claims and the British must concede a new constitution increasing the number of Maltese elected officials at the Legislative council then to recognize (1934) the language Maltais E. During the Second world war, Malta plays a big role because of its strategic position which obstructs considerably the supply of the armies of the Axe in North Africa in their attempt to seize the Suez Canal. That is worth to him the Cross of the king George for her heroic resistance vis-a-vis the Blocus and to the ceaseless bombardments, cross which is reproduced today on the national flag. The independence of the country is recognized on September 21st, 1964 but Malta preserves the queen Elisabeth II at her head like many countries of the the Commonwealth. They are only 10 years later, on December 13rd, 1974, under the impulse of the Prime Minister Dom Mintoff that Malta proclaims the République and elects a president at his head. The adhesion of Malta to the European Union becomes effective on May 1st, 2004, 11 years after the beginning of the first negotiations.

Relations with the European Union

• the July 16th 1990 Malta presents its application to join.
• the December 10th 1999 Malta opens the negotiation of adhesion (finished the December 13rd 2002).
• the March 8th 2003 53,6% of the Malteses approve adhesion by Référendum.
• the April 14th 2003 the European Council approves adhesion.
• the April 16th 2003 Malta signs the Treaty of Accession (into force of May 1st 2004).
• the February 27th 2007 Malta requires that be examined its subordination to the Critères of convergence.
• the May 16th 2007 the European Central bank and the European commission publish their reports on the respect of the criteria of convergence by Malta.
• on June 21st, 2007 the European Council authorizes the adoption of the Euro, after the decision of the Heads of State or of government, the Ministers for the Economy and Finances (Ecofin) on July 10th, 2007, repeal the exemption whose Malta enjoys and fix the irrevocable rate of conversion at 1 euro = 0,42930 book Maltese woman.

Geography

The Maltese territory is an archipelago, located at the center of the Mediterranean, the border between the Western Mediterranean and the Eastern Mediterranean and between the North Africa (Cape Bon) and to 100 km of the south of Europe (Sicily).

Only the 3 principal islands are inhabited: Malta, Gozo ( Għawdex ) and Comino ( Kemmuna ). The small islands of Cominotto and Filfla remain without permanent residents. The island of Malta measures 27 km in its bigger length and 14,5 km in its greater width. Its culminating point is the Ta' Dmejrek (253 m).

The local climate is of standard Mediterranean, with rainy winters and hot and dry summers.

Contrary to what can be thought, the south of Malta is not the point more in the south of the European Union (who is in fact the Greek island of Gavdos).

The Maltese archipelago is located on the African Tectonic plate.

Policy

See also: Political of Malta

The president of the Republic is elected by the Maltese Parliament ( Kamra tar-Rappreżentanti ) and names like Prime Minister the chief of the victorious party of the elections. The president also names, on recommendation of the Prime Minister, the various Ministers for the government chosen among the elected deputies.

The Parliament is composed of 65 to 69 deputies elected according to a system proportional. The legislative elections take place every 5 years.

Subdivisions

Since 1993, Malta is subdivided in 68 local Conseils (also called Localité S ), which are besides the administrative entity smallest: there exist 53 on Malta and 15 about it on Gozo. There is no intermediate entity between these localities and the national Gouvernement.

Localities

Economy

See also: Saving in Malta

The economic resources of Malta are the Calcaire, a good geographical site and a productive labor. However, Malta produces only approximately 20% of its food needs, has limited water resources and does not have energy sources which are clean for him. The economy is dependant on the foreign trade (particularly as a point of transshipment of the maritime Fret), on the Tourisme and the Industrie (in particular electronic and textile and of the virtual casinos). Malta is in fact a territory answering the qualification of “financial paradise”: since a study published in 1998 by the United Nations, it is classified like “zone at the risks” as regards Money laundering, because in particular of the existence of mechanisms Off-shore, of the application of a bank secrecy extremely and development of traffics in all kinds. Malta is also a well-known Flag of convenience.

Malta privatisé several state enterprises in order to prepare its entry in the European Union in 2004. Malta and the Tunisia is in discussions for the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf which they divide, particularly with regard to the oil prospection.

Since April 29th, 2005, the Lire Maltese belongs to the Mécanisme of European foreign exchange rate, known as MCE II, for the adoption of the Euro in 2008.

The residents of British nationality do not pay taxes.

Demography

See also: Demography of Malta

Malta is one of the countries densément populated world with a Population density of approximately 1.250 inhabitants per square kilometer. The population is mainly made up of the descendants of Phéniciens, Arabs, Italians and British. A strong community from abroad, mainly of the British, is established with Sliema and the neighborhoods. Moreover, one Maghrebian population (2250 in 2001) increasingly important settles on the island, mainly due to irregular immigration.

The religion of State is the Roman Catholicism but each one is free to exert the Religion of its choice because the freedom of conscience is guaranteed by the Constitution.

There is 97% of catholics, 1% of Christians not-catholics (orthodoxe and Protestant), 1% of Moslems and 1% without religion.

Culture

See also: Culture of Malta, Maltese

Languages

The republic of Malta recognizes a national language: the Maltese and two official languages: the Maltese and the English. In other words, the administration, the courts employ the Maltese normally, but they can employ English if they consider it necessary.
the Maltais is a language Sémitique coming from the Phénicien, métissée of Arabic following the Arab presence with, as well as Italian , Latin , and other languages of the catholic countries which were spoken in the knights about Malta.
The language is written with “the supplemented Latin alphabet”. As for the Maltese words of Arab origin, they are still today rather similar to the words currently employed in the Arab dialectal varieties of North Africa, primarily in the Tunisian .
The great majority of the islanders, is 95%, speaks the Maltese. However, because of the long British colonization, English also plays a big role in this State. Actually, the place of English, only spoken by some 6.200 people like native tongue, is considerable on the socio-policy plan, because it remains one of the two official languages of the republic. The sector of the Language course abroad, with more than 40 schools in Malta, uses the presence of this anglophone community and the place of English like official language to propose English courses in a very Mediterranean environment.

Malta counts two other languages employed in the country: Arabic (approximately 7  200 speakers) and Italian (approximately 5  000 speakers): Italian, one of the official languages of Malta until the Thirties, in any case is included/understood and spoken like language second by most of the Malteses. In addition, the Maltese right does not define the concept of national Minorité: there thus does not exist any group of population recognized as tel. This is why no legal instrument was adopted and the need for particular laws in the field of the languages was not felt. There thus does not exist any law aiming assimilating the national minorities or at implementing a general policy of integration or protection. The government of Malta declares that there exists on its territory no national minority within the meaning of convention-tallies for the protection of the national minorities. However, Malta considers the ratification (February 10th, 1998) convention-tallies like an act of solidarity compared to the objectives of convention.

Festivals and bank holidays

Tourism

See also: Tourism in Malta

Codes

The Republic of Malta has as a code:

• MT, according to the standard ISO 3166-1, alpha-2 (code list country),
• MLT, according to the standard ISO 3166-1 (code list country) code alpha-3, according to the Code list countries used by NATO, alpha-2 according to the Code list countries used by NATO, and according to
, country the Code list of the CIO
• M, according to the international Code list of the number plates,
• 9:00, according to the List of prefixes ICAO of registration of the aircraft,
• LM, according to the List of the prefixes of codes ICAO of the airports,
• .mt , according to the List of Internet TLD (Signal level domain)

See too

See also: Order of Malta

Sources

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