Heligoland
or HELGOLAND (hel'ig-ä-land), a small island in the North Sea, formerly belonging to Great Britain. It is about 1 mile long from N. to S., and 1-3 of a mile from E. to W.; 1-5 of a square mile in superficial area, and about 2 2-3 miles in circumference.
The island consists of an upper and a lower quarter, the Oberland and Sandy Island. A lighthouse stands on a cliff near the village. Heligoland is an important place in time of war, and commands the German trade in the North Sea. The island, which was taken by the English from the Danes in 1807, was formally ceded to Great Britain in 1814, and by Great Britain to Germany in 1890. Pop. about 3,000. The Germans made Heligoland an impregnable fortress and military base. In the Bight the British won a naval victory over the Germans, Aug. 28, 1914. By the terms of the Treaty of Versailles the fortifications of Heligoland were dismantled. HELIOPOLIS (hēl-ē-op'ō-lis), the On, Rameses, or Beth-shemesh of the Hebrew Scriptures; now called Matarich; situated a little N. of Memphis; and one of