Gila

Gila, river, 630 mi (1,014 km) long, rising in the mountains of W N.Mex. and flowing W across Ariz. to the Colorado River at Yuma, Ariz.; the San Francisco River is its main tributary. The Gila valley was occupied by the ancestors of the Pima and Papago ethnic groups, who farmed the region by irrigation. The ruins of their dwellings are preserved in Casa Grande Ruins and Gila Cliff Dwellings national monuments (see National Parks and Monuments, table). In the river's headwater region are Gila National Forest and the government-preserved "unimproved" Gila Wilderness Area. The Gila and its tributaries have many dams to provide flood control, hydroelectricity, and water for irrigation in the arid Southwest (see Salt River valley). Coolidge and Painted Rock dams are the largest dams on the Gila River. Gila monsters (poisonous reptiles) are numerous in the Gila valley.

National preserve, southwestern New Mexico, U.S. Located in the Gila National Forest near the headwaters of the Gila River, it contains groups of small but well-preserved Pueblo Indian dwellings in natural cavities of an overhanging cliff 150 ft (45 m) high. The dwellings were inhabited circa AD 100–1300. Established in 1907, the monument occupies 533 acres (216 hectares).

Learn more about Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument with a free trial on Britannica.com.

Gila may refer to:

Animals

• Gila, a genus of cyprinid fish known as western chubs
• Gila monster, a venomous lizard
• Gila trout, a trout native to the Southwestern United States
• Gila Woodpecker, a species of woodpecker found in the Southwestern United States

Geography

• The Gila Expedition, 1857 attack on the Quechan Indians
• Gila River, a Colorado River tributary (New Mexico, Arizona)
• Gila, New Mexico
• Gila Cliff Dwellings National Monument, a national monument in New Mexico
• Gila National Forest in New Mexico
• Gila Wilderness in New Mexico
• Gila County, Arizona
• Gila Bend, Arizona
• Gila River War Relocation Centerin Arizona
• Gila River Indian Community in Arizona
• Gila Valley, Globe and Northern Railway 1894-1910
• Gila Pueblo Archaeological Foundation, a.k.a. Gila Pueblo 1928-1950
• Gila Desert, the informal name of Sonoran Desert

People

• Nickname of Alberto Gilardino, an Italian footballer.
• Gila von Weitershausen, a German actress
• Gila is a Hebrew personal name that means "joy"
• Gila Katsav, Israel's first lady (2000-2007)
• Gila Almagor, an Israeli actress
• Gila Golan, a Polish-born actress who immigrated to Israel in 1950's