Gayomart \ l ga-yo-'mart\ In later Zoroastrianism, the first man and the progenitor of humankind. Created by Ahura Mazda, he was made incar¬ nate after 3,000 years of life as a spirit. His existence at first immobilized Ahriman, the evil spirit who wanted to invade creation, but after 30 years of attacks Ahriman destroyed Gayomart. His body became the earth’s minerals; gold was his seed, and from it sprang the human race.
Gaza Strip Arabic Qita* Ghazzah \ke-'ta-'ga-z3\ Hebrew Rezu'at Azza \re-zu-'at-'az-9\ Territory, southeastern Mediterranean Sea coast. Occupying 140 sq mi (363 sq km) northeast of the Sinai Peninsula, it is also the location of the city of Gaza, which has been a prosperous trad¬ ing centre for much of its history and was first mentioned in the 15th cen¬ tury bc. Often besieged by invaders, including Israelites, Assyrians, Babylonians, and Persians, it declined in importance after the Crusades. It was ruled by the Ottoman Empire from the 16th century. After World War I (1914-18) the city and the strip became part of the British man¬ date of Palestine. Following the first Arab-Israeli war (1948-49), the ter¬ ritory was occupied by Egypt, and the city became that country’s headquarters in Palestine. The occupied area was later reduced to an area 25 mi (40 km) long, which became known as the Gaza Strip, still under Egyptian control. In the Six-Day War (1967) it was captured by Israel. The area’s chief economic problem was the extreme poverty of the large number of Palestinian Arab refugees living there. In 1987, rioting among Gaza’s Palestinians marked the beginning of the first intifadah. Continued unrest led in 1993 to an agreement between Israel and the Palestine Lib¬
eration Organization granting limited self-rule to the Palestinian popula¬ tion of the Gaza Strip and West Bank. A breakdown in further negotiations in 2000 led to another outbreak of violence. In an attempt to stem the fighting, Israel withdrew all its soldiers and settlers from the Gaza Strip in 2005, and control of the territory was transferred to the Palestinians.
gazebo \g3-'ze-bo\ Lookout in the form of a turret, cupola (small, lan- temlike dome), or garden house set on a height to give an extensive view. Few late-18th- and 19th-century rustic gazebos survive, but 17th-century turrets built up in an angle of the garden wall are not uncommon. The term now often refers specifically to a freestanding roofed structure, typi¬ cally octagonal, with open or latticework sides.
gazel See ghazel
gazelle Any of numerous species of graceful antelope (genus Gazella) found on open plains and arid lands from Mongolia to the Atlantic coast of North Africa and throughout east¬ ern and central tropical Africa.
Gazelles are 2-3 ft (60-90 cm) high at the shoulder. They range in herds that usually contain 5 to 10 individu¬ als but may include several hundred.
They are generally brown with white underparts and rump, and many have a horizontal dark band along each side. A light stripe runs down each side of the face. The horns have numerous raised rings and are vari¬ ously shaped, but all are slightly upturned at the ends. Some species are considered endangered.
Gazelle Peninsula Peninsula, extending northeast from the island of New Britain, Papua New Guinea. Located in the South Pacific Ocean, the Gazelle Peninsula is about 50 mi (80 km) wide but tapers to 20 mi (32 km) where it joins the mainland. From coastal plains its surface rises to 7,999 ft (2,438 m) at Mount Sinewit in the central Baining Mountains. The peninsula is volcanically active and highly fertile, with cocoa and copra plantations along the coast. The area is the most populous portion of New Britain and was the base of German settlement late in the 19th century.
Gaziantep \,ga-ze-Sin-tep\formerly Aintab \In-'tab\ City (pop., 1997: 712,800), south-central Turkey. Located north of Aleppo, it was strategi¬ cally situated near ancient trade routes and has been inhabited since the early 4th millennium bc. Known as Hamtap, it was an important strong¬ hold guarding the Syrian-Byzantine border. Captured by Turks in 1183, it later changed hands among various invaders until its absorption into the Ottoman Empire in the early 16th century. Called Aintab under the Otto¬ mans, it was occupied by the British and French after World War I (1914- 18). By then it was a centre of Turkish nationalist resistance to European occupation, and upon its return to Turkey in 1922 it was renamed in honour of its heroic stand (Turkish gazi, “champion”).
Gdansk \go-'dansk\ German Danzig \'dant-sik\ City (pop., 2000 est.: 456,574), capital of Pomorskie province, northern Poland. Located at the mouth of the Vistula River on the Baltic Sea, it was first mentioned in the late 10th century as a Polish town. The capital of the dukes of Pomerania in the 13th century, it was taken by the knights of the Teutonic Order in 1308. In 1466 Casimir IV regained the territory for Poland, and Gdansk expanded greatly. From 1793 it was controlled mainly by Prussia; fol¬ lowing World War I, it was a free city governed by Poland. In 1938 Adolf Hitler demanded that Gdansk be given back to Germany; Poland’s refusal was the excuse for his attack on Poland in 1939, which precipitated World War II. The city, greatly damaged during the war, was returned to Poland in 1945. It is now fully restored, with renewed port facilities. The inde¬ pendent labour union Solidarity was founded there in 1980.
Gdansk, Gulf of Inlet of the Baltic Sea. Bordered by Poland on the west and south and Russia on the east, it extends 40 mi (64 km) from north to south and 60 mi (97 km) east to west, reaching a maximum depth of more than 371 ft (113 m). Coastal activities include shipbuilding, fish¬ ing, and the resort trade.
GDP See gross domestic product
John Gay, oil painting by William Aik- man; in the Scottish National Portrait Gallery, Edinburgh.
COURTESY OF THE SCOTTISH NATIONAL PORTRAIT GALLERY, EDINBURGH
Thomson's gazelle (Gazella thomsoni).
E.R. DEGGINGER
© 2006 Encyclopaedia Britannica, Inc.
GE ► Geisel I 743
GE See General Electric Co.
Ge Hong Vgo-'huqX or Ko Hung (b. 283, Danyang, China—d. 343, Danyang) Chinese alchemist and Daoist philosopher. He received a Con- fucian education but later became interested in the Daoist cult of physi¬ cal immortality. His writings blended the occult doctrines of Daoism with the ethics of Confucius. His major work, Baopuzi (“He Who Holds to Simplicity”), discusses alchemy, diet, sexual hygiene, and meditation as well as the importance of ethical principles.
gear Machine component consisting of a toothed wheel attached to a rotating shaft. Gears operate in pairs, the teeth of one engaging the teeth of a second, to transmit and modify rotary motion and torque. To trans¬ mit motion smoothly, the contacting surfaces of gear teeth must be care¬ fully shaped to a specific profile. The smaller of a gear pair is often known as the pinion. If the pinion is on the driving shaft, the pair acts to reduce speed and to amplify torque; if the pinion is on the driven shaft, the pair acts to increase speed and reduce torque.
Geb \'geb\ or Keb In ancient Egyptian religion, the god of the earth and the physical support of the world. Geb and his sister Nut belonged to the second generation of deities at Heliopolis. In Egyptian art he was often depicted as lying at the feet of the air god, Shu, with Nut, the sky god¬ dess, arched above them. He was the third divine ruler among the gods, and the pharaohs claimed descent from him.