Introduction to landscapes and landforms of the Maltese Islands

Abstract

The Maltese Islands consist of an archipelago of three main islands—Malta, Gozo and Comino—and a group of islets. Centrally located in the Mediterranean Sea over a surface area of 316 km2, they have long represented a landscape reality which trascends their size and encompass the evolving dynamics of the Mediterranean region in terms of its geology, geomorphology and long history of human interactions with the physical environment. The small geographical setting of the Maltese Islands helped to closely connect these landscapes with Maltese society and, as exemplified in the islands' literary and cartographic heritage, landforms acted as important backdrops of Maltese cultural identity. The chapter highlights how this volume is the result of a strong collaborative spirit between local and foreign researchers, nurtured for decades within the Department of Geography of the Faculty of Arts at the University of Malta.