Albion

Name for Britain used by the ancient Greeks and Romans. It was mentioned by Pytheas of Massilia (4th century BC), and is probably of Celtic origin, but the Romans, having in mind the white cliffs of Dover, assumed it to be derived from the word albus (white).

Albion

Town and administrative headquarters of Edwards County, southeast Illinois, USA; population (1990) 2,100. It is situated 72 km/45 mi east of Mount Vernon and 6 km/4 mi west of the Indiana border.

Albion

Agricultural town in Kennebec County, south-central Maine, USA; population (1990) 1,700. It is 16 km/10 mi east of Waterville. Albion was the birthplace of abolitionist martyr Elijah Lovejoy (1802–37) and his brother Owen (1811–64).

Albion

Town in Calhoun County, south-central Michigan, USA; population (1990) 10,100. It is located on the Kalamazoo River, 24 km/15 mi west of Jackson. Settled in 1831, this industrial centre makes iron castings, liquid gas, electrical products, wire, machine tools, and trucks. It is the site of Albion College (1835) and the Whitehouse Nature Center.

Albion

Town and administrative headquarters of Orleans County, west New York, USA; population (1990) 8,200. It is situated on the Erie Canal, 52 km/32 mi west of Rochester and 16 km/10 mi south of Lake Ontario. Settled in 1811, it is a trade, storage, processing, and distribution hub for locally grown fruits and vegetables. Albion is also a summer resort with some light industry and a state reformatory.