The case of Valletta, Malta

Abstract

Malta is an island state and has been a member of the European Union since 2004. It is one of the smallest states in Europe but has the highest population density. In order to appreciate the context of the city of Valletta it is important to appreciate the relatively small size of the island, geographically located at 36°N, 52°E, in the centre of the Mediterranean between Sicily and Tunisia (Figure 1), The main island of Malta is 27.3km long and 14.5km wide (246km2). The other two main islands are Gozo (67km2) and Comino (6km2). Comino is virtually uninhabited however Malta and Gozo between them have a population of 416,055 inhabitants (National Statistics Office, 2012) with a population density of 1,316/sq.km, making it the 6th densest country in the world (United Nations, 2004). It is also 11 times greater than the EU average. Apart from a marginal increase in local population this is principally due to foreigners settling in Malta, which has increased since Malta became a member of the EU, in May 2004, today also adopting the Euro as its currency, since 01 January 2008.