Malta is one of the world’s smallest and most crowded countries in terms of population. It is comprised of five islands in the Central Mediterranean Sea. It lies south of the Italian island of Sicily, east of Tunisia, and north of Libya. Main important areas of Malta’s economy, as of 2012, were wholesale and retail trade, transport, accommodation and food services (21.1 %), public administration, defence, education, human health and social work activities (19.4 %) and industry (13.0 %). Germany, Hong Kong and France stands as main export partners of Malta. Their import partners are Italy, the UK and France.
Capital
Valletta
Geographical size
316 km2
Population
417 546 (2012)
Population as % of total EU population
0.1 % (2012)
GDP
€ 6.88 billion (2012)
Official EU language(s)
Maltese, English
Political system
Parliamentary republic
EU member country since
1 May 2004
Seats in the European Parliament
6
Currency
Eurozone member since 1 January 2008
Schengen area member
Yes, Schengen Area member since 1 May 2004.
Presidency of the Council
Malta will hold the revolving presidency of the Council of the EU for the first time in 2017.