<item><hi format=bold>Climate:</hi> Mediterranean with mild, rainy winters and hot, dry summers
<item><hi format=bold>Terrain:</hi> mostly low, rocky, flat to dissected plains; many coastal cliffs
<item><hi format=bold>Natural resources:</hi> limestone, salt
<item><hi format=bold>Land use:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>arable land:</hi> 38%
<item>• <hi format=ital>permanent crops:</hi> 3%
<item>• <hi format=ital>meadows and pastures:</hi> 0%
<item>• <hi format=ital>forest and woodland:</hi> 0%
<item>• <hi format=ital>other:</hi> 59%
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<item><hi format=bold>Irrigated land:</hi> 10 sq km (1989)
<item><hi format=bold>Environment:</hi>
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<item>• <hi format=ital>current issues:</hi> fresh water very scarce; increasing reliance on desalination
<item>• <hi format=ital>natural hazards:</hi> NA
<item>• <hi format=ital>international agreements:</hi> party to—Climate Change, Endangered Species, Law of the Sea, Marine Dumping, Nuclear Test Ban, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands; signed, but not ratified—Biodiversity
</list>
<item><hi format=bold>Note:</hi> the country comprises an archipelago, with only the 3 largest islands (Malta, Gozo, and Comino) being inhabited; numerous bays provide good harbors