Gheel

Gheel, a famous colony for the insane, in Belgium, 26 miles ESB. of Antwerp by rail.

Ghilan

Ghilan', a province of Persia, the western portion of the narrow strip of country lying between the Elburz range and the Caspian Sea.

Ghizeh

Ghizeh. See Gizeh.

Ghizni

Ghizni. See Ghazni.

Ghur

Ghur, or Ghore, a mountainous district of western Afghanistan, lying south-east of Herat.

Giants Causeway

Giants' Causeway (deriving its name from a legend that it was the commencement of a road to be constructed by giants across the channel to Scotland) is a sort of natural pier or mole, of columnar basalt, projecting from the northern coast of Antrim, Ireland, into the North Channel, 7 miles NE. of Portrush by an electric tramway (1883). It is part of an overlying mass of basalt, from 300 to 500 feet thick, which covers almost all Antrim and the eastern part of Londonderry. The first bed appears at the bold promontory of Fair Head ; its columns exceed 200 feet in height. The other two are seen together rising above the sea-level at Bengore Head, the lower one forming the Giants' Causeway. It is exposed for 300 yards, and exhibits an unequal pavement, formed of the tops of 40,000 vertical closely-fitting columns, which in shape are chiefly hexagonal, though examples may be found with 5, 7, 8, or 9 sides. Their diameter varies from 15 to 20 inches.

Giarre

Giarre (Jar're), a town of Sicily, on the eastern slope of Mount Etna. Pop. (1901) 26,000.

Giaveno

Giaveno (Ja-vay'no), a town of Piedmont, 17 miles W. of Turin. Pop. 10,800.

Gibeah

Gibeah (g hard; Heb. 'hill'), 4 miles N. of Jerusalem, near Ramah, was the residence, if not the birthplace, of King Saul.

Gibeon

Gibeon, a city of ancient Palestine, on a hill 5 miles NW. of Jerusalem.

Gibraltar

Gibraltar, Strait of (anc. Strait of Hercules), connects the Mediterranean with the Atlantic. It is 36 miles long, and narrow eastward; its width between Point Europa and Cape Ceuta being only 15 miles, at the western extremity 24, and at the narrowest 9.

Gidding

Gidding, Little, a parish of Hants, 11 miles NW. of Huntingdon. Here in 1625 Nicholas Ferrar founded the religious community so well known through John Inglesant.

Gien

Gien, a town in the French dep. of Loiret, on the Loire, 38 miles SE. of Orleans. Pop. 7767.

Giessen

Giessen (Ges'sen; g hard), a town of Hesse-Darmstadt, on the Lahn, 40 miles N. of Frankfort-on-the-Main. It has a university (founded in 1607), with over 60 professors and 500 students, and manufactures tobacco, iron, beer, etc. Pop. 25,500.

Gifford

Gifford (g hard), a Haddingtonshire village, on Gifford Water (a feeder of the Tyne), 4 1/4 miles SSE. of Haddington. Pop. 305.

Giffordgate

Giffordgate, a suburb of Haddington, the birthplace of Knox.

Giggleswick

Giggleswick, a village in the West Riding of Yorkshire, 1 mile WNW. of Settle. It has a well-endowed grammar-school (1553). Pop. 980.

Gigha

Gigha (Ge'ha; g hard), an Argyllshire island, 1 3/4 mile W. of Kintyre. It measures 6 by 2 miles, and attains 260 feet. Pop. 378.