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The Maltese Islands are
situated in the centre of the Mediterranean sea at 35' 50 N and 14' 35 E of the Prime Meridian. With a total area covering 316km2
and a population that is projected to reach over 400 000 in the near future
makes these Islands the third most densely
populated country in the world. The entire archipelago is made up of three main
islands Malta, the largest; Gozo, and Comino,
the smallest. Natural resources are few and a high population density means that a great deal of pressure is
placed on the little that is provided.
Natural resources include limestone that is extracted to be used in the
construction industry; lots of sunshine that has a good potential for providing
solar energy and, wind which is also considered to be potentially exploitable for renewable
purposes; and finally fresh water which is very scarce.
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Because having a very limited natural resource base and restricted space, land
use is is highly intensified meaning that land use conflicts are one of the main
pressures inflicted upon people inhabiting a small island. The coast in
particular is exploited for various uses such as tourism, recreation, reverse
osmosis water production, fishing, residential |
