/library/oar/handle/123456789/10340 2025-11-12T19:02:41Z 2025-11-12T19:02:41Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/10329 2016-09-28T09:32:33Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: Urban primacy for Gozo : a case study of its capital Victoria Abstract: Victoria, the capital city of Gozo, has evolved as the location where many of main activities of the island take place. Situated in the geographic centre of the island, Victoria has since the earliest times, been the main hub of the island. The primacy of Victoria is being analysed firstly from a historical perspective. Various rulers have governed this island, all of whom having concentrated their power and administration in Victoria. Due to the fact that pirates and corsairs started to attack Mediterranean islands, including Gozo, Gozitan residents resided within the fortifications standing in Victoria, also because of a decree who obliged Gozitans to sleep within the walls. As the attacks started diminishing, new coastal towers started being built and as the decree was removed, people started moving out of Victoria and establishing themselves in other settlements. The research also delves into the indicators for a primate city and in particular how Jefferson's criteria have been developed by various authors. These include the concentration of various economic operators; the settlement needs to be the capital city which has a colonial background; the concentration of transport network; monopoly over various functions (in particular if the country is small in size) and the location of government premises and agencies. Since various authors claim that the factors which contribute to urban primacy is not only population size but a collection of other indicators, these are thoroughly investigated. Data was collected from various sources and included: an analysis of how the Gozitan population evolved throughout the years; the location of retail outlets, specialised services, government services and leisure industry, positioning of banks, the public transport linkages and a study on property prices of Gozitan settlements. The obtained results, which are analysed through a statistics programme, confirm how Victoria is in fact the primate city of the island of Gozo. The various results also confirm that Victoria's primacy in various sectors is not attributed to chance. Description: M.A.GEOGRAPHY

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/10303 2018-02-21T13:55:12Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: An investigation of seasonal sand characteristics and related beach profiles : a case study of Golden bay and Armier bay Abstract: Despite the Maltese Islands having a long coastline for their area, pocket sandy beaches only account for 2.2%. The aim of this study was to investigate the seasonality of two pocket beaches, Golden Bay and Armier Bay. These two sites were chosen as they have a differing orientation which allows the impact of the wind and wave direction to also be considered. The hypotheses of this study were that there would be noticeable sediment characteristic differences between the beaches; that the profiles of both beaches would change with the seasons and differ from each other; and that there would be a significant relationship between the size of the sand grains and the gradient of the profile. Field measurements were carried out in October 2013, December 2013 and February 2014. Profile data was collected using a method of systematic sampling, measurements were taken along five transects taking readings every two metres from the backshore to four metres beyond the waterline using the traditional Emery method. Sand samples were collected along the same transects at ten metre intervals. The sand was analysed using dry sand sieving and stereomicroscopy methods. Gradistat and SPSS provided further statistical analysis of the data. The results showed that there were notable differences between the behaviour of Golden Bay and Armier Bay. Although the majority of sediment on both beaches was classed as medium sand and classified as having low sphericity there were differences in the levels of sorting, skewness, kurtosis and roundness. No persistent identifiable sorting patterns were observed on either of the beaches. In all cases, except one, there was no significant relationship between the size of the sand grains and the gradient of the profile. The profile of Golden Bay did respond seasonally, forming a steep summer profile and a relatively smoother winter profile. However, the profile of Armier Bay was less dynamic in its response to seasonal change. This was considered to be due to the differing orientation in relation to the common wind direction. The lack of conformity of the beaches behaviour to the theory is attributed to the small nature of the beaches and relatively high levels of human interference; this makes them very vulnerable as the natural processes cannot fully occur before being disturbed. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/10302 2016-09-28T09:31:55Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The geography of social networking : a case study of Zejtun Abstract: Communication is an essential element in daily life. It can be either physical communication or electronic communication. Electronic communication can take place through various mediums such as emails, phone calls, text messaging, or through social networking sites. Social networking sites such as Facebook, have become very popular ever since internet and technology made them convenient and easily accessible by the use of mobile devices. Mobile devices such as smartphones, tablets, and laptops increased on-the-go communication for social network users. This advancement in communication may have created a paradigm shift in online and offline communications. Some might say that social network users tend to favour online interaction over physical interaction. However, the perception of social network users can differ with the age of the user. A young user whom his or her accessibility is limited might prefer online interaction due to the lack of mobility opportunities. On the other hand, a middle-aged person, whose accessibility is better, can choose physical interaction over that online. The development of relationships can be affected by both spatial mobility and also by the use of internet for improved communication. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z /library/oar/handle/123456789/10301 2016-09-28T09:32:10Z 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z

Title: The link between physical distance and the choice of gym of an individual Abstract: The aim of the study is to determine which factors are significant for the selection of a gym, and thus the following research questions were determined. - How does accessibility influence the choice of gym? - Is accessibility important when considering the choice of a gym? - Which factors determine gym selection, and to what extent do these factors influence gym choice? - Is there a correlation between the choice of gym and the proximity to home/work? The following objectives will help to answer the research questions: - To ask individuals what determines their choice of gym. - To assess the degree of influence that certain factors have over other attributes. - To establish whether distance from home/work affects gym choice. - To establish whether the teenagers’ choice of gym is influenced by their limited accessibility. The dissertation is composed of five chapters. The introduction gives an account of the aims and objectives and the research questions of the research. The literature review discusses related studies in order to broaden the perspective concerning the factors contributing towards gym choice. The research methodology follows; it describes the research methods used and the type of data collection required for this study, as well as the software used for illustrating and mapping the data. The fourth chapter is the analysis of results gathered from the collected data, whilst the fifth chapter compares the obtained results in a form of discussion. This then leads to the final chapter, the conclusion. Description: B.A.(HONS)GEOGRAPHY

2014-01-01T00:00:00Z