The road network of the Maltese islands: a case study in historical geography

Abstract

The road network of Malta is quite extensive today. Roads have become an essential need of our everyday life. Studies on the road network have been minimal and research has mainly focused on the infrastructure of the roads themselves. The maps of Malta which show the road network offer an opportunity to study the road network across different periods. As early as the 16th century, when the first map showing the roads of Malta appeared, settlements Jay at a distance from each other. Most of these settlements were connected to each other through a varying number of routes along the road network. This study first of all entailed a search for maps of the island of Malta showing the road network. After a good volume of maps were examined, the relationship between the number of routes emerging from settlements and the spatial distribution of population was analyzed for the 16th, 17th and 18th centuries. The population distribution for these centuries has been studied by various historians. This study identifies reasons that affected the development of the road network up to the 20th century, through the exclusive use of maps and literature research. It is suggested that there is no clear relationship between the number of routes and the population of settlements. In addition various other reasons that may have affected the development of the road network and number of routes connecting settlements are also discussed. Nonetheless the maps do show important changes in the road network and this study concludes by making observations on investigations of the road network before the first map.