Land use:
arable land: 38%
permanent crops: 3%
meadows and pastures: 0%
forest and woodland: 0%
other: 59%
Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1989)
Environment:
current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources;
increasing reliance on desalination
natural hazards: NA
international agreements: party to - Climate Change, Endangered
Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone
Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands, Whaling; signed, but not
ratified - Biodiversity, Desertification
Geographic note: the country comprises an archipelago, with only the three largest islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors
People ———
Population: 375,576 (July 1996 est.)
Age structure:
0-14 years: 22% (male 42,067; female 39,958)
15-64 years: 67% (male 126,179; female 125,321)
65 years and over: 11% (male 17,766; female 24,285) (July 1996 est.)
Population growth rate: 1.01% (1996 est.)
Birth rate: 14.79 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
Death rate: 6.83 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)