Malta

Economic sectors

Malta has few natural resources and its small population makes for a limited domestic market. Consequently, Malta is dependent on foreign trade, and the government has supported export-based companies through tax breaks and other incentives. It has also looked for foreign investment by offering similar incentives. A prolonged period of economic growth through the 1990s and continued government spending on infrastructure programs has kept unemployment low.

Malta's economy is diverse. There is a small agricultural sector, which contributed 2.8 percent of GDP in 1999, but the poor soil of the islands prevents wide-scale crop cultivation. The industrial sector experienced some growth in the 1990s, as the low cost of labor attracted light industries such as electronics, textiles, and

Communications
Country	Telephones^a	Telephones, Mobile/Cellular^a	Radio Stations^b	Radios^a	TV Stations^a	Televisions^a	Internet Service Providers^c	Internet Users^c
Malta	187,000	17,691	AM 1; FM 18; shortwave 6 (1999)	255,000	6 (2000)	280,000	2	40,000
United States	194 M	69.209 M (1998)	AM 4,762; FM 5,542; shortwave 18	575 M	1,500	219 M	7,800	148 M
Italy	25 M (1999)	20.5 M (1999)	AM 100; FM 4,600, shortwave 9	50.5 M	358 (1995)	30.3 M	93	11.6 M
Cyprus	488,162 (1998)	138,000 (1999)	AM 10; FM 71; shortwave 2	366,450	8 (1995)	300,300	6	80,000
^aData is for 1997 unless otherwise noted.
^bData is for 1998 unless otherwise noted.
^cData is for 2000 unless otherwise noted.
SOURCE: CIA World Factbook 2001 [Online].

footwear. The government-owned drydocks provide the main heavy industry in the islands, and industry made up 25.5 percent of Malta's GDP in 1999. The service sector dominates the Maltese economy, accounting for 71.7 percent of the nation's GDP and providing 71 percent of employment. Tourism is one of the mainstays of the service sector.