GHATS 



2487 



GHENT 



Their Distribution. In Iceland the volcanic 

 forces are still active, and in New Zealand the 

 recent eruption of Tarawera showed that 

 molten rock still exists; but in Yellowstone 

 National Park, where there are sixty active 

 geysers located on an elevated volcanic plateau, 

 there are no evidences of fresh lava flow. In 

 the barren lava fields of Iceland, which is 

 well named the land of frost and fire, are 

 located the Geyser and the Strokhr, the two 

 famous geysers of that region, seventy miles 

 from Reykjavik, Iceland's capital. In strong 

 contrast is the location of the New Zealand 

 geysers, which are situated in a country clothed 

 in luxuriant vegetation. The delicate "pink 

 and white terraces," which rise like stairways 

 of beautifully sculptured marble above the 

 dull green waters of Lake Rotomahana, in that 

 country, were formed from the Terata geyser, 

 standing like a fountain at the head of the 

 stairway. 



Yellowstone National Park contains the 

 largest and most active geyser region in the 

 world. See YELLOWSTONE NATIONAL PARK; 

 ICELAND; NEW ZEALAND. E.S. 



Consult Dana's Geology; Hague's Geology of 

 the Yellowstone National Park. 



GHATS, or GHAUTS, gawtz, two ranges of 

 mountains running parallel with the east and 

 west coast of India, generally known as the 

 Eastern and Western Ghats. The Western 

 Ghats are more continuous than the Eastern 

 range, and extend from the River Tapti to 

 Cape Comorin, the most southerly point of the 

 peninsula, with peaks varying from 4,000 to 

 8,700 feet in height. The Eastern Ghats have 

 an average height of 1,500 feet. 



The term ghats is also applied to landing 

 places by the side of Indian rivers, with broad 

 flights of stairs leading to long, high buildings 

 or temples. Up and down these ghats, espe- 

 cially those on the banks of the sacred River 

 Ganges, thousands of Hindus pass daily to and 

 from their bath in the holy waters. 



GHEBERS, ge'burz, or GABERS, ga'burz, 

 is a name applied to the followers of the an- 

 cient Persian religion of Zoroaster (which see). 

 When the Mohammedans invaded Persia in 

 the seventh century, the Ghebers were driven 

 to the western coast of India, where they are 

 now known as the Parsees. The few remaining 

 in Persia are found chiefly in Kirman or Yezd, 

 and have been reduced by persecution to pov- 

 erty and ignorance. Those who settled in 

 India are among the highest native classes, 

 and are regarded with favor by reason of their 



honesty, morality and observance of the law. 

 They do not bury their dead, but expose them 

 on what they call "Towers of Silence," but 

 this custom is dying out gradually, owing to 

 the opposition of the British government. 

 They worship fire as an emblem of purity and 

 good. They have strict regulations as to diet, 

 and do not marry outside their own people. 

 See PARSEES. 



GHENT, called gent in America, but gong in 

 Europe, is the capital of the province of East 

 Flanders, in Belgium. It was founded in the 

 seventh century by Baldwin, the first Count 

 of Flanders, and it grew in importance until 

 in the fifteenth century it became the chief- 

 center of European textile industries. It is 

 situated at the junction of the Scheldt and 

 Lys rivers, thirty-one miles northwest of Brus- 

 sels. Like all Belgian cities, it is intersected 

 by a network of streams and canals, crossed 

 by more than 200 bridges. The older portion 

 of the town is of great interest to tourists, 

 having a medieval aspect and possessing many 

 buildings of historic interest. The cathedral, 

 part of which dates from 941, has a plain ex- 

 terior for which the splendidly-decorated inte- 

 rior amply compensates. The town hall, 

 erected in the sixteenth century, is the finest 

 example of Gothic architecture in Belgium. 



Although Ghent has greatly declined in com- 

 mercial importance its industries were still ex- 

 tensive at the outbreak of the War of the 

 Nations in 1914. It has a number of linen, 

 wool and cotton mills, lace factories, tanneries, 

 breweries and sugar refineries. The city is 

 also noted for its flowers, which in times of 

 peace are exported to all parts of Europe. 

 Since the days of its foundation, Ghent has 

 been a center of strife and war, and its citizens 

 have at all times shown their willingness to 

 take up arms in defense of their privileges and 

 property. In the fourteenth century the 

 wealthy merchants of the city maintained an 

 army of 20,000 men. In 1794 Ghent was an- 

 nexed to France, becoming the capital of the 

 Department of the Scheldt. It became part 

 of the kingdom of the Netherlands in 1814, 

 and was retained by Belgium when that coun- 

 try obtained its independence in 1830. The 

 city was occupied by the Germans, without 

 opposition, at the outbreak of the War of the 

 Nations, and because bombardment was 

 avoided, the historic buildings were preserved. 

 The treaty which ended the War of 1812, be- 

 tween Great Britain and the United States, 

 was signed here. Population in 1912, 167,177. 



