st.)

Infant mortality rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life expectancy at birth:
total population: 77.02 years
male: 74.75 years
female: 79.48 years (1995 est.)

Total fertility rate: 1.92 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality:
noun: Maltese (singular and plural)
adjective: Maltese

Ethnic divisions: Arab, Sicilian, Norman, Spanish, Italian, English

Religions: Roman Catholic 98%

Languages: Maltese (official), English (official)

Literacy: age 15 and over can read and write (1985)
total population: 84%
male: 86%
female: 82%

Labor force: 127,200
by occupation: government (excluding job corps) 37%, services 26%,
manufacturing 22%, training programs 9%, construction 4%, agriculture
2% (1990)

@Malta:Government

Names:
conventional long form: Republic of Malta
conventional short form: Malta

Digraph: MT

Type: parliamentary democracy

Capital: Valletta

Administrative divisions: none (administration directly from Valletta)

Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK)

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1964)

Constitution: 1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December
1974

Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; has
accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal

Executive branch:
chief of state: President Ugo MIFSUD BONNICI (since 4 April 1994)
head of government: Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dr. Edward
(Eddie) FENECH ADAMI (since 12 May 1987); Deputy Prime Minister Dr.
Guido DE MARCO (since 14 May 1987)
cabinet: Cabinet; appointed by the president on advice of the prime
minister

Legislative branch: unicameral
House of Representatives: elections last held 22 February 1992 (next
to be held by February 1997); results - NP 51.8%, MLP 46.5%; seats -
(usually 65 total) MLP 36, NP 29; note - additional seats are given to
the party with the largest popular vote to ensure a legislative
majority; current total: 69 (MLP 33, NP 36 after adjustment)

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, Court of Appeal

Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party (NP), Edward FENECH
ADAMI; Malta Labor Party (MLP), Alfred SANT

Member of: C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, FAO, G-77, GATT, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU,
ICRM, IFAD, ILO, IMF, IMO, INMARSAT, INTELSAT (nonsignatory user),
INTERPOL, IOC, ISO (correspondent), ITU, NAM, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD