Gela

Gela
Comune di Gela
Gela town from the pier
Gela town from the pier
Coat of arms of Gela
Location of Gela
Map
Gela is located in Italy
Gela
Gela
Location of Gela in Italy
Gela is located in Sicily
Gela
Gela
Gela (Sicily)
Coordinates: 37°04′N 14°15′E / 37.067°N 14.250°E / 37.067; 14.250
CountryItaly
RegionSicily
ProvinceCaltanissetta (CL)
FrazioniManfria
Government
 • MayorLucio Greco (resign) (Un'Altra Gela)
Area
 • Total276 km2 (107 sq mi)
Elevation
46 m (151 ft)
Population
 (31 August 2017)[2]
 • Total75,001
 • Density270/km2 (700/sq mi)
DemonymGelesi
Time zoneUTC+1 (CET)
 • Summer (DST)UTC+2 (CEST)
Postal code
93012
Dialing code0933
Patron saintSt. Maria dell'Alemanna
Saint day8 September
WebsiteOfficial website

Gela (Sicilian and Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛːla]; Ancient Greek: Γέλα[3]) is a city and comune (municipality) in the Autonomous Region of Sicily, Italy; in terms of area and population, it is the largest municipality on the southern coast of Sicily. Gela is part of the Province of Caltanissetta and is one of the few comuni in Italy with a population and area that exceed those of the provincial capital.[4]

Gela was founded in 698 BC by Greek colonists from Rhodes and Crete; it was an influential polis of Magna Graecia in the 7th and 6th centuries BC and became one of the most powerful cities until the 5th c. BC. Aeschylus, the famous playwright, lived here and died in 456 BC.[5] In 1943, during the Invasion of Sicily, the Allied forces made their first landing on the island at Gela.[6]

  1. ^ "Superficie di Comuni Province e Regioni italiane al 9 ottobre 2011". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  2. ^ "Popolazione Residente al 1° Gennaio 2018". Italian National Institute of Statistics. Retrieved 16 March 2019.
  3. ^ Smith, William, ed. (1854–1857). "Gela". Dictionary of Greek and Roman Geography. London: John Murray.
  4. ^ "Comune di Gela". Comuni-Italiani.it. Retrieved 20 February 2021.
  5. ^ "La vita di Eschilo". Museo Eschilo Gela (in Italian). Retrieved 29 April 2021.
  6. ^ La Monte, John L. & Lewis, Winston B. The Sicilian Campaign, 10 July – 17 August 1943 (1993) United States Government Printing Office ISBN 0-945274-17-3 pp.56-96

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