alt.culture.malta FAQ

From: cweb@cwebdesign.com
Newsgroups: malta.announce, alt.culture.malta
Subject: alt.culture.malta FAQ
Date: 6 Sep 1999 21:11:04 +4400
Sender: root@cis.um.edu.mt
Message-ID: <malta-faq-1-937012262@localdomain>
Reply-To: cweb@cwebdesign.com (alt.culture.malta FAQ Coordinator)
Summary: This posting contains a list of Frequently Asked 
  Questions (and their answers) about alt.culture.malta. It 
  should be read by anyone who wishes to post to the 
  alt.culture.malta newsgroup
Version: 1.7 (text)
URL: http://cwebdesign.com/altmalta/faq.html

Posted-By: auto-faq 3.3 beta (Perl 5.001)
Archive-name: cultures/malta/faq
Posting-Frequency: monthly

Welcome to alt.culture.malta. This FAQ is regularly posted to the
alt.culture.malta,alt.answers and news.answers newsgroups, and the most 
up-to-date version is also available at the alt.culture.malta web site
  (http://cwebdesign.com/altmalta/).

The Maltese newsgroup alt.culture.malta was set up for the discussion of
anything related to  Malta, or the Maltese islands. It may be used by web
page creators as a springboard for URL announcements of Maltese websites.
Created on the 25th October 1996, this is now another good place where to submit
a message describing your new Maltese web page. The newsgroup is
moderated, currently robomoderation is being tested. 
The alt.culture.malta web page can be found at the URL
   http://cwebdesign.com/altmalta/.

To get more information and search for Maltese WWW sites, other resources such as
mailing lists, and more general information on Malta, you might visit
Malta Network Resources (for the US hosted site use http://www.maltanetworkresources.com; for the 
Malta hosted Mirror use http://www.cis.um.edu.mt/links/mnr/ ) which is delegated from Virtual Tourist. 
This is the Maltese WWW registry.

 --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

 I cannot connect to alt.culture.malta. HELP!

 The list of newsgroups carried by your service provider (ISP) is
 generally the responsibility of the news administrator. Since this
 group is relatively quite  new, not all news administrators will
 have added it to their lists. If the newsgroup is still
 unavailable at your site, please contact your news administrator
 (e.g. by sending an email message) and request that it be carried.
 Regular booster messages will be sent out to help the group get the
 widest possible coverage. 
 Temporarily you might access it by using a web site which 
 allows access to alt.culture.malta - examples
 include Malta Network Resources, Dejanews (http://www.dejanews.com) and 
 Newsguy (http://www.newsguy.com).
 NEW: You now may read alt.culture.malta using Malta Network Resources,
 using your browser (the url is given above). You also can read postings and post 
 to  alt.culture.malta by joining the new scmalta-l moderated mailing list
  (http://www.cis.um.edu.mt/staff/cmeli/lists/scmalta.html),
 and send email to the list. Email to scmalta-l is gatewayed (two way)
 into the alt.culture.malta newsgroup. To subscribe, send 
 "subscribe scmalta-l" to majordomo@cis.um.edu.mt (without the quotes),
 leaving the subject line empty. In other words, you can read the group
 by subscribing to the mailing list (using email) and vice versa
 you can read the mailing list by subscribing to the newsgroup, or
 through the web using Malta Network Resources.


 What is the malta.* hierarchy?

 The malta.* hierarchy is the national hierarchy of Maltese newsgroups.
 Please find the Adding malta.* hierarchy to a news server FAQ
 or get the  most up to date version from
    http://www.cis.um.edu.mt/news-malta/malta-news-new-site-faq.html
 General information on the malta.* hierarchy is available at
    http://www.cis.um.edu.mt/news-malta



 Why has alt.culture.malta been set up? What is its purpose?

 It was originally set up as a new unmoderated Maltese newsgroup since
 there is a demand for a newsgroup where to discuss Maltese topics.
 Anything related to Malta, Gozo, the Maltese Islands, Maltese
 culture, tradition, history, future, current events in Malta,
 whatever is Malta-related can be discussed.
 Even discussion of Maltese WWW sites and announcements of Maltese
 Web resources physically located in Malta and abroad may take place
 on the newsgroup. alt.malta is technically "defunct" (a rmgrouped
 newsgroup) and still exists only in a few isolated pocket locations, 
 it does not generally propagate any more (if at all) since most sites have
 now dropped it replacing it with alt.culture.malta. Yes, discussing 
 Maltese dogs is allowed. The newsgroup was upon general consensus and
 after an informal voting successfully changed to a moderated one 
 due to spammers attempting to overrun the group. It is preferred that you
 post in English, it will be understood by most people on the group. Don't
 let this stop you from posting in Maltese however.

 How many people will see my post?

 It is not known for sure how many people view USENET or any individual
 group. But trust me, many people will see it so please try to be
 professional.


 What is the connection with soc.culture.malta? Does soc.culture.malta exist?
 Was it voted for? Where can we discuss the RFD again?

 soc.culture.malta was proposed and discussed a few months ago, as a 
 robomoderated newsgroup (i.e. software approves postings basically).
 A vote was held but due to lack of support, the vote failed. If you were
 in favour of this newsgroup, you are encouraged by the author of this FAQ
 to subscribe to the scm-announce-l mailing list. To subscribe, send 
 "subscribe scm-announce-l" to majordomo@cis.um.edu.mt (without the quotes),
 leaving the subject line empty. This mailing list is a read-only list, you
 cannot post to it. It will contain announcements and updates on the status
 of the campaign in favour of the proposed soc.culture.malta newsgroup. 
 Messages posted on scm-announce-l will appear also on scmalta-l, and as a
 result also on alt.culture.malta.
 The next chance at a new RFD (REQUEST FOR DISCUSSION) and voting (CFV) will occur soon.
 Meanwhile we should discuss the RFD and try and find more 
 people interested in the proposed newsgroup. It would preferred if the
 RFD is discussed either on this newsgroup or on the scmalta-l mailing list,
 where it is an important topic of the list. But first more Maltese users
 must get to know of and use newsgroups before such a voting can be fully
 successful.

 Any hints on group behaviour we should know about?

 Well, one should make factual statements without adding colour to inflame
 anyone. If one adds a few pejorative adjectives to a factual statement
 then it becomes caustic and serves no purpose other than to inflame. The
 outcome is people will lose respect for one's writings and ignore them.
 Which one would think would not be what the writer wishes. The other
 possible outcome is that people will complain to the moderator. Then the
 moderator has a problem, which the moderator does not want. So a good
 critical article on a subject will be read and discussed.

 
 What is the alt.culture.malta charter?

 The charter of alt.culture.malta describes what the Maltese newsgroup is
 to be used for. The topic is anything related to Malta, anything Maltese, 
 or the Maltese islands. It may be used for URL announcements of Maltese 
 websites. So this is another good place where to submit a message 
 describing your new Maltese web page. The newsgroup is moderated. The
 charter also explains the moderation policy. The charter can be found
 at http://cwebdesign.com/altmalta/charter.html.

 What is the moderation policy?

 Messages posted to alt.culture.malta should be related to Malta or the
Maltese in some way. Some civil and informal unrelated discussion is
allowed among regular or new posters, otherwise messages must be on
topic and courteous to the regular and new posters.

Off topic messages as specified above, should be introduced "Off
topic:" in the subject header. ECP/EMP and binaries, Make money fast
schedules, sex advertisements are explicitly not allowed. Maltese URL
announcements are allowed. Personals should be sent to a different
newsgroup, soc.personals which exists for that purpose.



One copy of all messages will be posted to alt.culture.malta only
after being approved by the moderator at the submission address
alt-culture-malta@cis.um.edu.mt, and will be also be posted on the
SCMALTA-L mailing list.

Therefore no crossposting will be allowed except for on-topic
RFD/CVF's.

It is HIGHLY ADVISED that posters send their message directly by email
to alt-culture-malta@cis.um.edu.mt, for moderation, rather than posting
directly from USENET to this newsgroup.  This will speed up the time
your message will appear in this newsgroup.

After submission,if the article has not been posted yet,you may
contact the moderator at cmeli@cis.um.edu.mt and request a STOP POST
on your article, hoping you reached me on time. Once posted the only
thing that can be done is the issuing of a cancellation. I cannot
guarantee that it has not been posted on servers, or added to any
archive servers on the Internet. Everything will be done as time
permits, and no guarantees are made. 


Messages that are not approved will be returned to the sender as far
as possible, with an automatic response as far as possible,
occasionally noting why it did not meet with approval, and offering
suggestions.

Once returned to the sender, the moderator's decisions are final, but
you may resubmit your messages for reconsideration, with appropriate 
changes made. The moderator is not responsible for any articles
lost while being transmitted over the Internet, therefore you should
keep a copy of any submitted messages. Copyrighted material submitted
that is keeping with fair use provisions of copyright laws is
permissible so long as it is informative, educational and related to
Malta or Maltese.

 What is the Moderator direct contact address?
 
 The official address is cmeli@cis.um.edu.mt, but being the author
of this document also, I can be contacted also at cweb@cwebdesign.com.


 World Factbook Information on MALTA:



 Geography


Location: Southern Europe, islands in the Mediterranean Sea, south of Sicily (Italy) 

Geographic coordinates: 35 50 N, 14 35 E 

Map references: Europe 

Area: 
total : 320 sq km 
land: 320 sq km 
water: 0 sq km 

Area - comparative: slightly less than twice the size of Washington, DC 

Land boundaries: 0 km 

Coastline: 140 km 

Maritime claims: 
contiguous zone: 24 nm 
continental shelf: 200-m depth or to the depth of exploitation 
exclusive fishing zone : 25 nm 
territorial sea: 12 nm 

Climate: Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers 

Terrain: mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs 

Elevation extremes: 
lowest point: Mediterranean Sea 0 m 
highest point: Dingli Cliffs 245 m 

Natural resources: limestone, salt 

Land use: 
arable land: 38% 
permanent crops: 3% 
permanent pastures: NA% 
forests and woodland : NA% 
other: 59% (1993 est.) 

Irrigated land: 10 sq km (1993 est.) 

Natural hazards: NA 

Environment - current issues: very limited natural fresh water resources; increasing reliance on desalination 

Environment - 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 

Geography - 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: 377,177 (July 1997 est.) 

Age structure: 
0-14 years : 21% (male 41,207; female 39,041) 
15-64 years: 67% (male 127,553; female 126,355) 
65 years and over: 12% (male 18,202; female 24,819) (July 1997 est.) 

Population growth rate: 0.68% (1997 est.) 

Birth rate: 12.47 births/1,000 population (1997 est.) 

Death rate: 7.34 deaths/1,000 population (1997 est.) 

Net migration rate: 1.65 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1997 est.) 

Sex ratio: 
at birth: 1.06 male(s)/female 
under 15 years : 1.06 male(s)/female 
15-64 years: 1.01 male(s)/female 
65 years and over: 0.73 male(s)/female 
total population: 0.98 male(s)/female (1997 est.) 

Infant mortality rate: 7.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1997 est.) 

Life expectancy at birth: 
total population: 77.44 years 
male: 75.16 years 
female: 79.87 years (1997 est.) 

Total fertility rate: 1.84 children born/woman (1997 est.) 

Nationality: 
noun: Maltese (singular and plural) 
adjective: Maltese 

Ethnic groups: Maltese (descendants of ancient Carthaginians and Phoenicians, with strong elements of Italian and other Mediterranean stock) 

Religions: Roman Catholic 98% 

Languages: Maltese (official), English (official) 

Literacy: 
definition: age 10 and over can read and write 
total population: 88% 
male: 88% 
female: 88% (1985) 

                                                         Government


Country name: 
conventional long form: Republic of Malta 
conventional short form: Malta 

Data code: MT 

Government type: parliamentary democracy 

National capital: Valletta 

Administrative divisions: none (administered directly from Valletta) 

Independence: 21 September 1964 (from UK) 

National holiday: Independence Day, 21 September (1964) 

Constitution: 1964 constitution substantially amended on 13 December 1974 

Legal system: based on English common law and Roman civil law; has accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction, with reservations 

Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal 

Executive branch: 
chief of state: President Dr. Guido DEMARCO (since 4 April 1999)
head of government : Prime Minister Dr. Eddie FENECH ADAMI (since 1998)
cabinet : Cabinet appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister 
elections: president elected by the House of Representatives for a five-year term; election last held 1998
election data: see http://www.maltanetworkresources.com/elections.html for
details and links

Judicial branch: Constitutional Court, judges are appointed by the president on the advice of the prime minister; Court of Appeal, judges are appointed by the
president on the advice of the prime minister 

Political parties and leaders: Nationalist Party or NP [Edward FENECH ADAMI]; Malta Labor Party or MLP [Alfred SANT] 

International organization participation: C, CCC, CE, EBRD, ECE, EU (applicant), FAO, G-77, IBRD, ICAO, ICFTU, ICRM, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF,
IMO, Inmarsat, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, IOM (observer), ISO (correspondent), ITU, NACC (observer), NAM, OSCE, PCA, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO,
UNIDO, UPU, WCL, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WToO, WTrO 

Diplomatic representation in the US: 
chief of mission: Ambassador Albert Borg Olivier DE PUGET 
chancery: 2017 Connecticut Avenue NW, Washington, DC 20008 
telephone: [1] (202) 462-3611, 3612 
FAX : [1] (202) 387-5470 
consulate(s): New York 

Diplomatic representation from the US: 
chief of mission: Ambassador (vacant); Charge d'Affaires Charles N. PATTERSON, Jr. 
embassy: 2nd Floor, Development House, Saint Anne Street, Floriana, Malta 
mailing address: P. O. Box 535, Valletta 
telephone : [356] 235960 
FAX: [356] 223322 

Flag description: two equal vertical bands of white (hoist side) and red; in the upper hoist-side corner is a representation of the George Cross, edged in red 

                                                          Economy


Economy - overview: Significant resources are limestone, a favorable geographic location, and a productive labor force. Malta produces only about 20% of its
food needs, has limited freshwater supplies, and has no domestic energy sources. The economy is dependent on foreign trade, industry (especially electronics and
textiles), and tourism; the state-owned Malta drydocks employs about 3,800 people. In 1995, over 1.1 million tourists visited the island. Per capita GDP of $12,600
places Malta in the range of the less affluent EU countries. The island is divided politically over the question of joining the EU. 

GDP: purchasing power parity - $4.7 billion (1996 est.) 

GDP - real growth rate: 4% (1996 est.) 

GDP - per capita: purchasing power parity - $12,600 (1996 est.) 

GDP - composition by sector: 
agriculture: 5% 
industry: 34% 
services : 61% (1995 est.) 

Inflation rate - consumer price index: 3% (1996) 

Labor force: 
total : 148,085 (September 1996) 
by occupation: public services 37%, other services 28%, manufacturing and construction 25%, agriculture 2% (1995 est.) 

Unemployment rate: 3.7% (September 1996) 

Budget: 
revenues : $1.66 billion 
expenditures: $1.69 billion, including capital expenditures of $633 million (1996 est.) 

Industries: tourism; electronics, ship building and repair, construction; food and beverages, textiles, footwear, clothing, tobacco 

Industrial production growth rate: -5% (1996 est.) 

Electricity - capacity: 405,000 kW (1994) 

Electricity - production: 1.41 billion kWh (1994) 

Electricity - consumption per capita: NA kWh 

Agriculture - products: potatoes, cauliflower, grapes, wheat, barley, tomatoes, citrus, cut flowers, green peppers; pork, milk, poultry, eggs 

Exports: 
total value: $1.9 billion (f.o.b., 1995) 
commodities: machinery and transport equipment, clothing and footware, printed matter 
partners: Italy 32%, Germany 16%, UK 8% 

Imports: 
total value: $3 billion (c.i.f., 1995) 
commodities: food, petroleum, machinery and semimanufactured goods 
partners: Italy 27%, Germany 14%, UK 13%, US 9% 

Debt - external: $134 million (1996) 

Economic aid: 
recipient: ODA, $NA 

Currency: 1 Maltese lira (LM) = 100 cents 

Exchange rates: Maltese liri (LM) per US$1 - 0.3677 (January 1997), 0.3604 (1996), 0.3529 (1995), 0.3776 (1994), 0.3821 (1993), 0.3178 (1992) 

Fiscal year: 1 April - 31 March 

                                                       Communications


Telephones: 191,876 (1992 est.) 

Telephone system: automatic system satisfies normal requirements 
domestic: submarine cable and microwave radio relay between islands 
international : 2 submarine cables; satellite earth station - 1 Intelsat (Atlantic Ocean) 

Radio broadcast stations: AM 8, FM 4, shortwave 0 

Radios: 189,000 (1992 est.) 

Television broadcast stations: 4 (1996 est.) 

Televisions: 300,000 (1996 est.) 

                                                        Transportation


Railways: 0 km 

Highways: 
total : 1,582 km 
paved: 1,471 km 
unpaved: 111 km (1993 est.) 

Ports and harbors: Marsaxlokk, Valletta 

Merchant marine: 
total : 1,128 ships (1,000 GRT or over) totaling 18,806,358 GRT/31,554,713 DWT 
ships by type: bulk 314, cargo 353, chemical tanker 32, combination bulk 27, combination ore/oil 13, container 43, liquefied gas tanker 2, livestock carrier 1,
multifunction large-load carrier 3, oil tanker 224, passenger 7, passenger-cargo 3, railcar carrier 1, refrigerated cargo 31, roll-on/roll-off cargo 37, short-sea
passenger 22, specialized tanker 3, vehicle carrier 12 
note: a flag of convenience registry; includes ships from 46 countries among which are Greece 478, Croatia 52, Switzerland 48, Russia 46, Italy 44, Norway 37,
Turkey 28, Germany 23, UK 22, and Ukraine 20 (1996 est.) 

Airports: 1 (1996 est.) 

Airports - with paved runways: 
total: 1 
over 3,047 m : 1 (1996 est.) 

         Military


Military branches: Armed Forces, Maltese Police Force 

Military manpower - availability: 
males age 15-49 : 99,032 (1997 est.) 

Military manpower - fit for military service: 
males: 78,710 (1997 est.) 

Military expenditures - dollar figure: $65.5 million (FY96/97) 

Military expenditures - percent of GDP: 2.7% (FY96/97) 

 Transnational Issues


Disputes - international: Malta and Tunisia are discussing the commercial exploitation of the continental shelf between their countries, particularly for oil
exploration 

Illicit drugs: minor transshipment point for hashish from North Africa to Western Europe 





--- end of FAQ document ---
This document is (C) Clyde Meli 1996-1999 and may not be reproduced without the express written permission
of the author.