On the edge

Abstract

We think of and about Mediterranean islands and tourism, and invariably our thoughts wander playfully to beaches, and all the fun, frolic, entertainment and sport activities that take place in those privileged, interstitial spaces. But, for destinations like Malta, tourism has never been all, or even mainly, about beaches. These are too few and too small: the longest, Għadira (or Mellieħa) Bay, is 700 metres long. And, as the locals know full well, most places that are suitable for swimming in the Maltese Islands are rocky rather than sandy, and deep rather than shallow, which departs from island postcard expectations.

ON THE EDGE is a publication that showcases the Maltese coastline, but it goes beyond the obvious and explores instead a series of features – some natural, some cultural, some combined – that deliberately exclude beaches along the country’s 270+km-long sea-land interface. The inclusion of and focus on these features in this collection speaks to the diversity of the edge of the Maltese archipelago, an impressive characteristic for what is, in terms of land area, the tenth smallest country in the world.

The features under review are not all-inclusive; but they should be enough to highlight the incredible diversity of the natural and cultural coastline of the Maltese islands. We should also remind ourselves that every part of the edge of the country is never too far away from anywhere in the Maltese archipelago.