MALTA. An island country, Malta is located in the central Mediterranean Sea 58 miles (93 kilometers) south of Sicily. Covering an area of 124 square miles (321 square kilometers), the country consists of five islands--Malta (the largest), Gozo, and Comino, which are inhabited, and the uninhabited islands of Cominotto and Filfla. The capital and chief port is Valletta, located on the island of Malta.

The Mediterranean climate provides hot and dry summers, cool rainy winters, and an absence of snow, frost, and fog. Malta has no permanent rivers or lakes, and natural vegetation is sparse. About half of the total land is cultivated, but because of poor soils, productivity is low. Wheat, barley, corn (maize), potatoes, and citrus fruits are cultivated on tiny farms on terraced hillsides. Salt and limestone are the only minerals.

Until 1979 the economy was dependent on a British military base and naval docks. When they closed, the government of Malta successfully diversified the economy. Tourism is now a major industry and source of foreign exchange. Construction and the repair of ships is also vital to the economy. Other industries include food processing, winemaking, and the manufacture of textiles, garments, and leather footwear. Exports include textiles, garments, shoes, and plastics. Germany, Italy, and Great Britain are the chief trading partners. Malta has about 800 miles (1,300 kilometers) of all-weather roads. There are no railways.

The Maltese people have a high standard of living. Hospitalization and some health services are free in public institutions. Education is compulsory between the ages of 6 and 16; it is free in public schools and, since 1985, in church secondary schools. The population is of mixed Italian, Arab, Turkish, Greek, and British ethnic origin. More than 95 percent of the people follow Roman Catholicism, the state religion. Both English and Maltese--a language of mixed Phoenician, Arabic, and Latin origin using the Latin alphabet--are official languages. The University of Malta is the only institution of higher learning.

Archaeological remains on Malta are among the oldest monuments of mankind in the Mediterranean region. Phoenicians colonized strategically located Malta in about 900 BC, and the Romans took control of it in 218 BC. In AD 870 the Arabs made themselves masters and introduced Arabic. Malta was ruled by a succession of feudal lords until the early 16th century. In June 1798 Napoleon took possession of the island. The British seized it from the French in 1800, but its status as a British colony was not recognized until the Treaty of Paris in 1814.

Malta attained independence within the Commonwealth in 1964 and became a republic in 1974. Parliament consists of an elected House of Representatives, a president who is elected for a five-year term as the constitutional head of state, and an appointed prime minister who is the head of government. In international affairs Malta has maintained a nonalignment policy and negotiated economic agreements with many countries. Population (2000 estimate), 390,000.