Do Malta and Gozo have any natural spaces?

This article was published in THINK magazine, the University of Malta’s research magazine.

When asked to explore the theme of ‘natural spaces’, I couldn’t get past the above question. Over-construction is a huge topic in the country of Malta. So off I set to get some numbers to help me understand the issue better. In the process, I designed some good looking map-charts.

What did I find out? A whopping 27.5% of Malta is classed as built-up. In the EU, the country with the *second* most built-up space is the Netherlands - with a mere 12.6% of the country classed as such.

If we take away this built land from the map, Malta looks like something took a massive ugly bite out of its side. The area around Valletta all but disappears, leaving behind tiny tiny corners of urban green space.

You can read the full article here:

https://thinkmagazine.mt/our-editions/#think-45-natural-space/12/