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The Giordan, Ġordan or Ta' Ġurdan Lighthouse is an active
lighthouse on the
Maltese island of
Gozo. It is located on a hill above the village of
Għasri
Għasri ( mt, L-Għasri) is an administrative unit of Malta, in the western part of the island of Gozo, with a population of 525 people (as of March 2014). By population, it is the smallest village in Gozo after San Lawrenz, and the third-small ...
on the northern coast of the island.
History
An earlier lighthouse was known to exist at the site in 1667, which was financed by the Knight Fra Henry de Gourdan (Langue of Auvergne).
A
semaphore station was installed on the light in the 1840s. The current light began operation on 15 March 1853, and was built during the period when the islands were part of the
British Empire
The British Empire was composed of the dominions, colonies, protectorates, mandates, and other territories ruled or administered by the United Kingdom and its predecessor states. It began with the overseas possessions and trading posts e ...
.
During
World War II
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposing ...
, the lighthouse was used as the location for an early warning
radar
Radar is a detection system that uses radio waves to determine the distance ('' ranging''), angle, and radial velocity of objects relative to the site. It can be used to detect aircraft, ships, spacecraft, guided missiles, motor vehicles, we ...
station. The radar would provide information about bombers coming south from
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical ...
, allowing air raid sirens to be activated prior to the raids.
[
Due to its hill top location it has a considerable focal height of 180m above the sea, and can be seen for 20 nautical miles, and consists of a flashing white light every 7.5 seconds.][
The lighthouse site is a tourist attraction, providing a panoramic viewpoint across the island, and can be accessed by car or by walking up the steep hill from the village.][
]Air quality
Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...
instruments based at the lighthouse measure a number of parameters including sulphur dioxide, carbon monoxide and nitrogen oxide as part of the Global Atmosphere Watch system of atmospheric monitoring. The site is the primary station for the central Mediterranean, and was upgraded between 2008 and 2011. Information is transmitted back to the University of Malta
The University of Malta (, UM, formerly UOM) is a higher education institution in Malta. It offers undergraduate bachelor's degrees, postgraduate master's degrees and postgraduate doctorates. It is a member of the European University Association ...
campus in Xewkija
Xewkija ( mt, Ix-Xewkija, it, Casal Xeuchia, pronounced and written as Casal Sceuchia) is an administrative unit of Malta, on the island of Gozo. The population of Xewkija is 3,300 as of March 2014.
History
Xewkija, which is situated between ...
for analysis. Upgrading of Giordan Lighthouse global Atmospheric Watch (GAW) Research Station
/ref>[
]
See also
* List of lighthouses in Malta
References
External links
{{DEFAULTSORT:Giordan Lighthouse
Lighthouses completed in 1853
Lighthouses in Malta
Għasri