Landscape & Geography of Gozo
Gozo is only 5 km to the Northwest of Malta and just under 96 Kilometres from Sicily. This small island is 67 Kilometres squared, yet has a population density only slightly higher than that of Cyprus.
This increases significantly in the peak summer months when both Maltese and non-Maltese tourists visit Gozo for their holidays.
Significantly greener than Malta, Gozo’s landscape is far less developed too, giving the Island an air of tranquillity. Farms and open fields abound, and much of the Island’s coast, except for the more popular bays such as Marsalform, is still undeveloped.
However, Gozo’s most notable physical features are its hills - in fact, its official emblem features 3 such hills over the sea. The prominent peaks rise and form distinct landmarks visible from miles away, with the highest being Ta' Dbiegi hill (with a height of 190 meters) near the village of San Lawrenz.
Like Malta, the Mediterranean landscape of Gozo is formed primarily of limestone deposits. In fact, limestone is the prime building material used in Gozitan construction, lending the urban landscape a rich, honey-coloured hue. The limestone landscape also provides for interesting formations, such as the Azure Window - a promontory jutting out into the sea with an eroded centre, forming a ‘window’. This popular destination has seen a rapid acceleration of erosion in recent years.
The coastline features numerous bays and inlets, both sandy and rocky. The largest sandy beach on the island is Ramla il-Hamra, which features ochre coloured sand and the Island’s most impressive collection of sand dunes which play host to a small number of beautiful, yet hardy specimens of flora, most notably the white Sea Daffodil which manages, against all odds, to flower under the blazing heat of the Summer sun.
