Gallia, which is refered to in English as Gaul, is the Roman name for the region of western Europe occupied approximately by present-day France, Belgium, the western part of Switzerland and the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine river.
In English however the word Gaul also commonly refers to a celtic inhabitant of that roman region in ancient times.
The Gaul in north-western Italy was called Cisalpine Gaul [Cisalpine, from Latin "on this side of the Alps", as opposed to Transalpine Gaul. The names Gallia and Galatia sometimes are compared to Gael, which is, however, from Goidhel or Gwyddel, and cannot be directly related. It is uncertain whether the Gal- names are from a native name of a tribe, or if they are exonyms.
Cisalpine Gaul was again divided into Cispadane Gaul "on this side of the river Po" and Transpadane Gaul.
back to the province of Gallia