The town and villages making up Reġjun Tramuntana form a mosaic, a blend of old and new, with some having very old roots and history, while others came into being as a locality less than 30 years ago.
Some have large geographical boundaries and include several hamlets with varying population sizes. Others are smaller, but smaller does not mean less colourful or historic. All the localities have a number of common factors, yet they are all diverse and have a great significance for the region.
Indeed, each locality adds a touch of colour to the north. As the great French geographer Fernand Braudel used to say about the Mediterranean, there is unity in diversity. And there is unity in diversity in Malta’s Reġjun Tramuntana as well.
Reġjun Tramuntana comprises of the 9 localities found in the Northern part of Malta: Ħ’Attard, Ħal Balzan, Il-Mellieħa, L-Imġarr, Il-Mosta, In-Naxxar, San Pawl il-Baħar, San Ġwann,L-Imtarfa.
Together, they make up our region, which is rich in diversity, home to a Maltese as well as many other nationalities. One can say that the Region has probably the largest number of third country nationalities living in our area, especially within San Pawl il-Baħar. In Vincent Galea’s 2011 dissertation, some 72 different nationalities were recorded within the area. A decade later, this is much higher making the locality a truly multi-ethnic cosmopolitan area. The Region has around 120,000 residents which is 24.2% of the Island’s population, and forms around 33% of Malta’s total area.
The rural element is common to all its localities. The area is in fact abundant in farmland, with agriculture being an important industry of the region. There are as well, numerous industrial parks primarily in Burmarrad. Il-Mosta, and In-Naxxar, San Pawl il-Baħar and Mellieħa on the other hand are strongholds for the tourism industry with Mellieħa and San Pawl il-Baħar having a significant number of hotel beds, whilst Ħal Balzan, Ħ’Attard, San Ġwann and il-Mosta all being strong points on Malta’s tourism map. From scenic cliffs to rocky and sandy beaches, some of the Region’s localities, namely in-Naxxar, San Pawl il-Baħar, Il-Mellieħa and L-Imġarr are surrounded by the sea. Some of the best sandy beaches are found in il-Mellieħa and L-Imġarr. Il-Mellieħa is also home to the most popular dive site cluster in Ċirkewwa.