Influence of the Physical Landscape on the Settlement Patterns of the Maltese Islands - Term Paper Example

 Influence of the Physical Landscape on the Historical and Recent Settlement Patterns of the Maltese Islands. Abstract. The settlement patterns of the Maltese Islands have been strongly influenced by Malta’s physical landscape, its’ geographical location and historical circumstances. Malta’s geomorphology has not been very conducive to agriculture. Its’ strategic location has made it a valuable maritime trading post and naval base. Its’ early settlers constructed their cities on the coast. Malta’s spectacular landscape and Mediterranean climate have made it a tourist haven. All these factors have effected a shift from the rural to the urban and have led to Malta’s population being heavily concentrated on the east coast. Influence of the Physical Landscape on the Historical and Recent Settlement Patterns of the Maltese Islands. Malta, derived from the Latin name ‘Melita,’ meaning ‘Honey Island,’ is formally called the Republic of Malta. It is an archipelago comprising of six islands and islets in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, ninety-three kilometers South of Sicily and 288 kilometers north from the African coast. The six islands are Malta, Gozo, Comino, Cominotto, Filfla and St. Paul’s Island. While the first three are inhabited, the others are very small, barren, uninhabited islets. It has a total area of 316 square kilometers, of which Malta comprises 246 square kilometers. The geographical coordinates of the archipelago are latitudes 36 degrees N and 35 degrees S and longitudes14 degrees E and 14 degrees W. Malta enjoys the typical central Mediterranean climate of long, hot, dry summers with cooling sea breezes, warm and sporadically wet autumns and mild winters with warm westerly winds. An annual average of eight hours of sunshine a day makes it a holiday makers’ paradise. The mean temperature is 19 degrees C. and the average annual rainfall measures about 560 mm. (The Malta Story, 1998). With a population of about 394,000, which works out to about 1,247 inhabitants per square kilometer, Malta’s population density ranks among the highest in the world (Commonwealth Secretariat, n. d.). A study of the settlement patterns of the Maltese islands over time shows that the distribution of the human population has been strongly influenced by Malta’s unique physical landscape and geographical location as well as its’ historical circumstances through the ages. Malta’s physical landscape derives from its’ being mainly a gradually undulating globigerina (formed by marine protozoa) limestone plateau. Lacking mountains, rivers and lakes, it exhibits a rocky and barren landscape and has a scarcity of fresh water. Malta is bisected along its’ entire breadth by a well defined escarpment along the Victoria fault line (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2007). The landscape shows the horst (elevated blocks) and graben (depressed tracts) that are characterized by the fault line. Malta’s terrain is low, with the highest point being about 785 feet above sea level. The terrain comprises of layers of coralline limestone which sandwich layers of globigerina limestone, greensand and blue clay (The Malta Story, 1998). Malta’s coastline is rocky and heavily indented. The eastern side is ideally suited for natural, deepwater harbors due to the profusion of large bays. Malta owes its’ strategic importance as a port to this feature of the physical landscape. The south is characterized by spectacular cliffs, dropping 250 meters into the sea at Dingli. The north coast is bare and craggy while the east is high with no harbors. Malta has been denuded of its’ original tree cover and the only remaining natural vegetation is confined to Mediterranean scrub and carob, pine, citrus, ficus and tamarisk which have been planted in recent times. Malta’s solitary natural resource, other than salt, is its’ abundant store of limestone, which remains the ubiquitous material for construction from prehistoric to present times. The soft globigerina weathers into a mellow, honey colored shade which is aesthetically appealing. Malta likewise lacks diversity in animal life, being restricted to some small species of mammals like hedgehogs and a few bird species like thrushes and sparrows (Malta.cc, n. d.). Malta’s history dates back to prehistoric times, when Malta is believed to have constituted a land bridge between Europe and Africa. Neolithic remains from 3800 – 2600 BC found at the Ghar Dalam Cave indicate that the first human settlers from Sicily were rudimentary farmers living in caves and settlements around the island, later developing into small villages. The Ggantija temples, dating from 2800 – 2400 BC, predate Stonehenge and the pyramids at Giza and are among the oldest free-standing buildings in human history. These were built of Malta’s distinctive limestone. Again, the renowned underground temple, the Hypogeum of Hal Saflieni, is carved out of Malta’s soft limestone. The Phoenicians were the first settlers in Malta in modern history: around 800 BC. Malta’s strategic location in the Mediterranean waters was recognized even then and it served as a trading post and the Romans established a naval base there until 870 AD. St. Paul is believed to have been shipwrecked on Malta and the archipelagos’ overweening Christianity is said to have originated from this period. Malta then passed through Norman, Sicilian, Spanish and French hands until the Knights of the Order of St. John were given sovereignty over the islands by Charles V in 1530. The renowned ‘Knights of Malta’ held sway, resisting the Turkish ‘Great Siege’ of 1565, until Napoleon Bonaparte captured Malta in 1798. The British occupied the archipelago from 1814. Malta gained independence in 1964 and declared itself a Republic in 1974. It is a member of the Commonwealth (Malta and Gozo, 1999). The settlement patterns in Malta reflect the exigencies of the physical landscape and historical developments which we have evaluated in the preceding paragraphs. Until the advent of the Knights of Malta, the Maltese population was settled in secluded clusters of villages forming individual farming communities with the ubiquitous church. Despite Malta’s inhospitable topographic environment, with its’ limestone composition, scarcity of arable land (less than 30 % of available land), shallow soil and sloping terrain, the Maltese have perfected over the centuries a mode of agriculture which conserves soil and slows down erosion: terraced cultivation. This is a very characteristic feature of the Maltese landscape. The terraces are contained by the construction of retaining walls of dry rubble. These usually consist of two sets of tapering walls built with interlocking rocks of various sizes and shapes. The two walls are interconnected at intervals by cross-members and the space between them is filled with smaller rubble which facilitates efficient drainage. These rubble walls are very effective in soil conservation and drainage but are subject to breaches and require expensive maintenance. Any collapse of the walls has an adverse consequence on soil and exerts pressure on the other terraces down slope from the breach (Avertano, n. d.). The main crops are grains such as wheat and barley, vegetables such as potatoes, cauliflowers, tomatoes and onions and citrus fruits. Potatoes, onions and grapes are the major produce. Sulla (a legume) is grown as fodder. Malta exports flowers, seeds and cuttings. The uncultivated land is garigue and includes areas of steppes in which there has been complete soil erosion. The narrow strips of terrace do not lend themselves to the use of mechanized agricultural machines. In an attempt to overcome the shortcomings of Malta’s immature, thin soil, the government mandates that soil excavated from construction sites must be transferred to agricultural areas. Another obstacle to Maltese agriculture is the lack of fresh water resources. The impermeable blue clay, sandwiched between layers of limestone, provides the underground water table but this is inadequate for agriculture. Only 10 % of the arable land is irrigated. Malta’s water supply is now heavily dependent on the desalination of sea water through the reverse osmosis process. Although Malta boasts a vast coastline, the adverse weather conditions do not encourage the growth of fishing as an industry. Furthermore, Malta’s maritime waters are sparsely populated by fish (Encyclopedia Britannica, 2007). Despite the adverse conditions, Malta’s traditional, scattered settlement patterns of agricultural life persisted until the advent of the Knights of Malta. With the construction of the city of Valetta (the present day capital of Malta) by Grand Master Jean de la Valette in 1565, the settlement pattern of Malta changed in character from rural to urban. Valetta and its’ fortifications were designed by Francesco Laparelli, deputed to Malta by the Pope. Valetta is now a United Nations World Heritage Site. From this period, the settlement patterns of the local population demonstrated a massive shift towards the harbor areas. Valetta became the seat of the urbanized harbor region, while Mdina and Rabat denoted the rural countryside. The peasantry, attracted to urban life, moved to the harbor area, leaving the inner countryside scantily populated. Administration, trade and economy were concentrated in the harbor region of Valetta, Villoriosa, Senglea and Cospicua (Malta and Gozo, 1999). This trend continues up to the present day. The change in settlement patterns from rural to urban due to the above historical circumstances was further compounded by Malta’s strategic geographical location which made it an ideal naval base, harbor and trading post on the Mediterranean trade routes right from Phoenician times, with a concentration of settlements on the eastern coast. Valetta started the shift to the coast, followed by the British establishment of the Dockyard at Grand Harbor in 1814 as Malta’s economic mainstay. The opening of the Suez Canal increased Malta’s maritime traffic. Malta’s shift towards a maritime economy continued with its’ adoption of ship building and repair as an industry and was further consolidated with the establishment of Malta Freeport in 1988. At present, more than 85 % of Malta’s population is concentrated around Valetta and its’ satellite towns such as Birkirkara and Qormi and in Sliema and the Grand Harbor. Only 15 % live in the rural areas (Chetuchi Cauchi, n. d.). Another factor which has contributed to the interplay between Malta’s physical landscape and settlement patterns is the rapid development of Malta as a tourist destination. Malta’s vast, scenic coastline, unique terrain, picturesque terraced fields and unique limestone constructions, coupled with its’ balmy Mediterranean climate have made tourism one of Malta’s major industries. With the economic emphasis shifting to the tourism, services and ship building and repair industries, the settlement patterns are likely to remain heavily weighted toward the urban, coastal areas. Malta’s physical landscape with its’ limestone dominated geomorphology, thin soil, relative absence of fauna and flora and dearth of freshwater resources has reduced the significance of agriculture as a determining feature of population settlement. This has led to some emigration but has mainly been the decisive factor in shifting settlements towards the east coast. The ideal tourist potential of Malta’s spectacular physical landscape has further compounded the trend to convert arable land into profitable real estate investments. The shift towards the harbor region has been accelerated by historical circumstances and Malta’s geographical location. The downside to this shifting emphasis of settlement patterns towards population density, rampant urbanization and tourism is the degradation of Malta’s physical landscape and its’ fragile ecosystem (State of the Environment Report, 2006).The need of the hour is definitely a concerted effort, with foresight and planning by all, to conserve Malta’s unique physical landscape for posterity. References. Avertano, R. (n. d.) Experiences in Malta on the Management of Terraced Mediterranean Landscape. Geography Division, Institute of Mediterranean Studies, University of Malta. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.scape.org/uploade/102/Role.pdf Commonwealth Secretariat. (n. d.) Malta – History. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.thecommonwealth.org/YearbookInternal/145168/history. Chetcuti, C. (n. d.) The Maltese Islands. Retrieved February 6, 2007, from http://www.cc-advocates.com/malta/geography.htm Malta. (2007) In Encyclopedia Britannica. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from Encyclopedia Britannica Online: http://www.britannica.com/eb/article-23499 Malta.cc (n. d.) Geography of Malta. Retrieved February 7, 2007, from http://www.malta.cc/geography.htm Malta and Gozo. (1999) History. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.maltagozo.com/history.html State of the Environment Report 2005. (2006 January). Landscape. Malta Environment And Planning Authority. Retrieved February 8, 2007, from http://www.mepa.org.mt/Environment/SOER/documents/Landscape The Malta Story. (1998). The Maltese Islands Introduction. Retrieved February 7, 2007, http://www.geocities.com/CapitolHill/Senate/1618/MALTAINTRO.HTM Read More