Great Smoky Mountains National Park National preserve, eastern Tennessee and western North Carolina, U.S. It is 20 mi (32 km) wide and extends southwest for 54 mi (87 km) from the Pigeon River to the Little Tennessee River. Established in 1934 to preserve the U.S.’s last remaining sizable area of southern primeval hardwood forest, it covers 520,269 acres (210,553 hectares) and contains some of the highest peaks
in the Appalachian Mountains. Summits are crowned with dense forest, while lower elevations have mountain laurel, rhododendron, and azaleas. The region’s first settlers established themselves in the valleys, and some of their homes are preserved in the park. It was designated a World Heri¬ tage site in 1983.
Great Society Slogan used in 1965 by Pres. Lyndon B. Johnson to identify his legislative program of national reform. In his first State of the Union address, Johnson described his vision of a “Great Society” that would include a “war on poverty” and federal support for education, medical care for the elderly, and legal protection for African Americans deprived of voting rights by state regulations. He also proposed a new department of housing and urban development to coordinate federal hous¬ ing projects. Congress enacted almost all his programs, the largest num¬ ber of such measures since the New Deal. See also Civil Rights Act of 1964; Medicare and Medicaid.
Great Trek Emigration of some 12,000-14,000 Boers (see Afrikaners) from Cape Colony (South Africa) between 1835 and the early 1840s, in rebellion against British policies and in search of fresh pasturelands. The trek, regarded by Afrikaners as the origin of their nationhood, enabled the settlers to establish temporary military supremacy over the Xhosa, to pen¬ etrate into Natal and the Highveld, and to expand white settlement north to the Limpopo River. See also Andries Pretorius.
Great Victoria Desert Arid region. Western Australia and South Aus¬ tralia. Lying between Gibson Desert on the north and Nullarbor Plain on the south, it extends east from Kalgoorlie almost to the Stuart Range. Much of its eastern end is occupied by the Central and North West Aboriginal reserves. A vast expanse of sand hills, it is crossed by the Laverton-Warburton Mission Track, which links the mission station in the Warburton Range with Laverton, 350 mi (560 km) southwest. There are several national parks and reserves in the area, including the Great Victoria Desert Nature Reserve and the Nullarbor National Park.
Great Wall of China Chinese Wanli Changcheng
Vwan-Te-'chaq-'cheqX Defensive wall, northern China. One of the largest building-construction projects ever carried out, it runs (with all its branches) about 4,500 mi (7,300 km) east to west from the Bo Hai (Gulf of Chihli) to a point deep in Central Asia. Large parts of the fortification date from the 7th to the 4th century bc. In the 3rd century bc the emperor Shihuangdi connected existing defensive walls into a single system forti¬ fied by watchtowers. These served both to guard the rampart and to com¬ municate with the capital, Xianyang (near modern Xi'an) by signal— smoke by day and fire by night. Originally constructed partly of masonry and earth, it was faced with brick in its eastern portion. It was rebuilt in later times, especially in the 15th and 16th centuries. The basic wall is about 23-26 ft (7-8 m) high; at intervals towers rise above it to varying heights. It was designated a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1987.
great white shark or white shark Large, aggressive shark ( Car- charodon carcharias, family Lamnidae), considered the species most dan¬ gerous to humans. It is found in tropical and temperate regions of all oceans and is noted for its voracious appetite. Its diet includes fishes, sea turtles, birds, sea lions, small whales, carcasses, and ships’ garbage. The great white is heavy-bodied and has a crescent-shaped tail and large, saw- edged, triangular teeth. It can reach a length of more than 20 ft (6 m) and is generally gray, bluish, or brownish, with the colour shading suddenly into a whitish belly. Though it is widely feared, only a few hundred humans are known to have ever been killed by the great white shark.
Great Zimbabwe Extensive stone ruins in southeastern Zimbabwe. Located southeast of Masvingo, Zimbabwe, it is the largest of many such ruins in southern Africa. The primary ruins of this former city extend more than 60 acres (24 hectares) and include a hilltop fortress and walls of stone monoliths. The centre of a great inland empire ruled by the Karanga (Shona) people who traded on the shores of the Indian Ocean, Great Zim¬ babwe flourished between the 11th and 15th centuries. Portuguese explor¬ ers probably encountered the ruins in the 16th century, but it was not until the late 19th century that the existence of the ruins was confirmed, gen¬ erating much archaeological research. Great Zimbabwe was named a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1986.
Greater London See London
Greater Manchester Metropolitan county (pop., 2001: 2,482,352), northwestern England, one of the major conurbations of the country. It consists of the cities of Manchester and Salford and several metropolitan
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grebe ► Greek alphabet I 797
boroughs (including Stockport and Wigan). In 1986 the metropolitan county lost its administrative powers, and its constituent boroughs became autonomous administrative units.
grebe Any of about 18 species of diving birds (family Podicipedidae) found in most tropical and temperate areas and often in subarctic regions.
Most species can fly, and some are migratory. Grebes have a pointed bill, short narrow wings, and a ves¬ tigial tail. The position of their legs, set at the rear of the body, makes walking awkward. They feed chiefly on fish or invertebrates. Courting or rival males perform elaborate aquatic dances in pairs. Species range from about 8 to 29 in. (21-73 cm) long.
Greco, El orig. Domenikos Theotokopoulos (b. 1541, Candia, Crete—d. April 7, 1614, Toledo, Spain) Cretan-born Spanish painter, the first great master of Spanish painting. Documentation on his early life is limited, but it is known that he was in Venice c. 1566-70 and may have studied in Titian’s workshop. In 1572 he was a member of the guild of St. Luke in Rome. His first commission in Spain (1577) was for altarpieces for the church of Santo Domingo el Antiguo in Toledo (1577-79); the paintings for the high altar show the influence of Titian and Michelangelo. In these works he developed his signature style: he chose a method of space elimination that is common to middle and late 16th-century Italian painters known as Mannerists. The elogonated figures in these works were also characteristic of his oeuvre. El Greco’s Mannerist method of com¬ position is nowhere more clearly expressed than in his masterpiece. The Burial of the Count de Orgaz (1586—88), where all of the action takes place in the frontal plane. From 1590 until his death his output was pro¬ digious. His major commissions included the complete altar composition for the Hospital de la Caridad at Illescas (1603-05), for which he also worked as architect and sculptor. He excelled as a portraitist. His work¬ shop produced many replicas of his works, but his style was so individual that his only followers were his son and a few forgotten imitators.
Greco-Persian Wars See Persian Wars
Greco-Roman wrestling Style of wrestling that prohibits the legs from being used to obtain a fall and in which no holds may be taken below the waist. It originated in France in the early 19th century in imitation of Classical Greek and Roman representations of the sport. It eventually came to be favoured by most other countries and was, until the accep¬ tance of freestyle wrestling in the late 20th century, the style practiced exclusively in Olympic and international amateur competition.