Gela
Gela | |
|---|---|
| Comune di Gela | |
|
Flag Coat of arms | |
| Motto: Heraclea civitas antiquissima | |
Gela Location of Gela in Italy Gela Gela (Sicily) | |
| Coordinates: 37°04′N 14°15′E / 37.067°N 14.250°E | |
| Country | Italy |
| Region | Sicily |
| Province | Caltanissetta (CL) |
| Frazioni | Manfria |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Giuseppe Terenziano Di Stefano |
| Area | |
• Total | 276 km2 (107 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 46 m (151 ft) |
| Population (30 September 2025) | |
• Total | 70,215 |
| • Density | 254/km2 (659/sq mi) |
| Demonym | Gelesi |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 93012 |
| Dialing code | 0933 |
| ISTAT code | 085007 |
| Patron saint | St. Maria dell'Alemanna |
| Saint day | 8 September |
| Website | Official website |
Gela (Sicilian and Italian pronunciation: [ˈdʒɛːla]; Ancient Greek: Γέλα) 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.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1861 | 13,754 | — |
| 1871 | 14,851 | +8.0% |
| 1881 | 17,328 | +16.7% |
| 1901 | 22,019 | +27.1% |
| 1911 | 23,996 | +9.0% |
| 1921 | 25,902 | +7.9% |
| 1931 | 30,547 | +17.9% |
| 1936 | 32,885 | +7.7% |
| 1951 | 43,678 | +32.8% |
| 1961 | 54,774 | +25.4% |
| 1971 | 67,058 | +22.4% |
| 1981 | 74,806 | +11.6% |
| 1991 | 72,535 | −3.0% |
| 2001 | 72,774 | +0.3% |
| 2011 | 75,668 | +4.0% |
| 2021 | 71,937 | −4.9% |
| Source: ISTAT | ||
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. In 1943, during the Invasion of Sicily, the Allied forces made their first landing on the island at Gela.