Entered EU: 2004
Political system: Republic
Capital city: Valletta
Size: 316 km²
Population: 0.4 million
Currency: euro
Official EU languages: Maltese, English
Malta consists of seven islands in the Mediterranean Sea, only the three largest islands, Malta, Gozo and Comino are inhabited.
The landscape is low and rocky with cliffs on the coast.
Malta, in the Mediterranean, has been inhabited since around 5200 BC and a significant civilization existed on the islands prior to the arrival of the Phoenicians.
The islands were for centuries the seat of the Order of Knights of the Hospital of St John and also part of the British Empire.
Malta gained it’s independence in 1964.
Many Maltese speak Italian.
Tourism is important in Malta
Highways
Traffic in Malta drives on the left, as in the UK.
Car ownership in Malta is exceedingly high, given the very small size of the islands, it is the fourth highest in the European Union.
Roads
Malta has 2,254 kilometres (1,401 mi) of road, about 90% paved.
Buses
A traditional Maltese bus in SliemaSee also: Malta bus
Buses (xarabank or karozza tal-linja) are the primary method of public transport for the islands, which offer a relatively cheap and frequent service to many parts of Malta and Gozo.
The vast majority of buses on Malta depart from a large circular terminus in Valletta.
The island has had buses since 1905. Due to their appearance, Malta’s classic buses have become tourist attractions in their own right and appear on many Maltese advertisements to promote tourism, as well as on gifts and merchandise for tourists.
The buses used to be colour coded, according to the their routes, before being painted green. Now the buses in Malta are all dark yellow, with a band of orange, while those on the sister island of Gozo are grey, with a red band.
There are approximately 500 buses in public transit service in Malta.
The drivers themselves own most of the buses, but operate to a unified timetable set by the transport authority.
Railway
Between 1883 and 1931, Malta had a railway line that connected Valletta to the army barracks at Mtarfa via Mdina and a number of towns and villages. The railway fell into disuse and eventually closed altogether, following the introduction of electric trams and buses. At the height of the bombing of Malta during World War II, Mussolini announced that his forces had destroyed the railway system but by the time war broke out, the railway had been mothballed for more than nine years.
New public transport network
A new public transport network is being proposed for the islands of Malta and Gozo that will include a day service from 6am to 11pm and a night service from 11pm to 6am. The proposed network would provide three types of services. The fast Crossline services would operate at a frequency of 30 minutes. These would connect with Mainline services, which would operate at a frequency of between 10 and 30 minutes. At regional and local levels the Feederlines would serve villages and neighbouring areas at a frequency of 30 minutes. Apart from the interchange at Valletta, which would be upgraded, the proposal includes other major interchanges in the network at Mater Dei Hospital, Luxol in Swieqi, Paola, Marsa, Malta International Airport and Msida.
Public transport information would be made available in various media including real time, mobile and online.
Enhanced bus stop and interchange facilities would provide shelter, security, information, comfort and convenience.
Ports and harbours
Valletta Harbour
A ferry departs at Ċirkewwa harbour from Mġarr, GozoMalta has three large natural harbours on its main island.
The Grand Harbour (or Port il-Kbir), located at the eastern side of the capital city of Valletta, has been a harbour since Roman times.
It has several extensive docks and wharves, as well as a cruise liner terminal. A terminal at the Grand Harbour serves ferries that connect Malta to Pozzallo & Catania in Sicily.
Marsamxett Harbour, located on the western side of Valletta, accommodates a number of yacht marinas.
Marsaxlokk Harbour, at Marsaxlokk on the south-eastern side of Malta, is the site of the Malta Freeport, the islands’ main cargo terminal.
There are also two man-made harbours that serve a passenger and car ferry service that connects Ċirkewwa Harbour on Malta and Mġarr Harbour on Gozo. The ferry makes numerous runs each day.
Airports and heliports
Malta International AirportMalta International Airport (Ajruport Internazzjonali ta’ Malta) is the only airport serving the Maltese Islands.
It is built on the land formerly occupied by the RAF Luqa air base.
A heliport is also located there, but the scheduled service to Gozo ceased in 2006. Since June 2007, Harbour Air Malta has operated a thrice-daily floatplane service between the sea terminal in Grand Harbour and Mgarr Harbour in Gozo.
Two further airfields at Ta’ Qali and Ħal Far airfields operated during World War II and into the 1960s but are now closed. Today, Ta’ Qali houses a national park, stadium, the Crafts Village visitor attraction and the Malta Aviation Museum. This museum preserves several aircraft, including Hurricane and Spitfire fighters that defended the island in World War II.
The national airline is Air Malta, which is based in at Malta International Airport, and which operates services to 36 destinations in Europe and North Africa.
The owners of Air Malta are Maltese government (98%) and private investors (2%). Air Malta employs 1,547 staff and a 25% shareholding in Medavia.
Air Malta has concluded over 191 interline ticketing agreements with other IATA airlines. It also has a codeshare agreement with Qantas covering the following routes: Sydney-Singapore-Heathrow-Malta, Sydney-Bangkok-Heathrow-Malta and Melbourne-Singapore-Heathrow-Malta.
In September 2007, Air Malta made two agreements with Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways by which Air Malta wet-leased two Airbus aircraft to Etihad Airways for the winter period starting 1 September 2007, and provided operational support on another Airbus A320, aircraft which it leased to Etihad Airways.
