Malta
Malta is a semiarid limestone archipelago of three inhabited islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) strategically located in the center of the Mediterranean Sea, 100 kilometers (62 miles) south of Sicily and 140 kilometers (87 miles) east of Tunis. With a 2004 population of 400,000 on a land area of just 316 square kilo-meters (122 square miles), the islands are the second most densely populated state in the world, after Singapore. The Maltese are a mixed stock of Southern European, North African, and other Mediterranean ethnicities.
Given its location and excellent harbors, the Maltese Islands have been a tempting prize to all would-be Mediterranean empire builders. Carthaginians, Romans, Arabs, Normans, Angevins, Aragonese, and Castellans followed each other as rulers over Malta for sixteen centuries. In 1530, the islands were passed over by Charles V (1500–1558) of Spain to the Knights Hospitaller Order of Saint John. Malta was then run by a theocracy until 1798, when the islands were invaded by Napoleon Bonaparte (1769–1821). The French ran Malta until 1800 at which time the British intervened. In 1814 the islands were formally ceded to Britain by the Treaty of Amiens.
The constitution is the highest law of the land. Malta was granted its first constitution in 1835 and a self-governing constitution in 1921; it became an independent sovereign state on September 21, 1964. The Independence Constitution, which recognized Queen Elizabeth II (b. 1926) of the United Kingdom as head of state, was amended effective December 13, 1974 with the enactment of a republican constitution, which made the president the formal head of state and gave executive power to the prime minister.
A division of powers is respected in principle. However, only two political parties have been represented in a unicameral legislature since the 1971 elections: the Malta Labour Party on the democratic socialist left and the Nationalist Party on the socialist democratic–Christian right. Because the opposition has been from just one to five seats shy of the government since the 1970s, strong internal party discipline has been crucial; thus the parliament almost always endorses government policy. The judiciary is independent but slow in its operations.
Public life is strongly dominated by the Roman Catholic Church: Malta is the only European country that has not legalized either divorce or abortion. Meanwhile, partisan politics pervades most social affairs: Municipal government is riddled with party-nominated candidates. A system of proportional representation elects five members of parliament from each of thirteen districts and certifies candidates and voters, which facilitates clientelism and patronage—and ensures the world's consistently highest voter turnout for national elections of around 96 percent.
Civil society is hardly present, except in a religious sense as the parish is the only active community. Many non-governmental organizations exist either to support religious activities or specifically to lobby government. The largest and best organized secular bodies are two trade unions: the General Workers' Union (with 47,000 members) and the Union of United Workers (with 26,000). No religious or ethnic persecution takes place, but the arrival of undocumented migrants is a sore sociopolitical issue.
(MAP BY MARYLAND CARTOGRAPHICS/THE GALE GROUP)The Maltese economy has been geared over millennia to provide military and defense capability to successive colonial powers. After 1957, the islands switched successfully to other economic mainstays, particularly export-driven manufacturing fueled by foreign investment and technology, as well as all-year tourism. Malta has been a neutral and nonaligned country since the closure of the British military facilities on March 31, 1979. Malta has been a member of the European Union since May 1, 2004.
European Union.
Bibliography
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