The changing face of port geography through cartography : a case study of Mġarr Harbour (Gozo)

Abstract

As connection nodes between land and water, ports have historically played important roles in the socio-economic development of cities and islands throughout the Mediterranean region. The origin and evolution of Maltese ports and their ability to influence maritime connectivity is the result of a complex set of physical and human factors which give a unique and ever-changing identity to each port as it spatially developed over the years. Over the past five centuries, Melitensia maps have served as an important illustration of dynamic port geography, with an abundance of cartographic works mostly dedicated to the mapping of Valletta and its two main harbours: Grand Harbour and Marsamxett Harbour. Though Mgarr Harbour in Goza has long served over centuries as the main connection hub between Goza and Malta and the Kingdom of Sicily, it did not receive such a similar research attention and studies of its cartographic material remain scant. This paper first introduces the theme of port geography on islands and discusses the geo-historical development of Mgarr as a port. The second part reviews the geographic features of Mgarr as illustrated through a selection of maps and how they characterise the evolving physical and socio-economic dimension of the port.