Ghent is a municipality and city in the Belgian province of East Flanders. In 2019, 262,219 people lived there.
It is at 51°3′N 3°44′E / 51.050°N 3.733°ECoordinates: 51°3′N 3°44′E / 51.050°N 3.733°E.
Ghent is known for its cultural landmarks and punk rock music industry.
Ghent is located in the middle of an urban area. Brussels to the southeast and Antwerp to the northeast are both about 50 km away, while Bruges, Kortrijk and Roeselare are about 40 km away to the west. The city lies at the confluence of the Scheldt and the Leie. Ghent has a population of 262,219 as of 1 Jan 2019, with an area of 156.18 km², and a population growth rate of 0.6%.
The metropolitan region of the city has an area of approximately 1205 km². It is home to 594,582 people (1 Jan. 2008), making the Ghent metropolitan area the fourth most populated in Belgium. The central agglomeration has 278,457 inhabitants, the closest surrounding area (banlieue) increases the number to 423,320. With the outermost residential and influence zone (forensenwoonzone) the number adds up to 594,582.
The city centre is divided into several nuclei dating back to earlier settlements, the difference between the historic medieval centre in the so-called "Wanne" (De Kuip) and the much higher area of the former Saint-Peters Abbey on the Blandinberg is particularly noticeable.
The city's climate is influenced by the nearby North Sea; daytime temperatures are usually pleasant in both summer and winter: night frosts are just as rare as midday temperatures of over 30 °C.
Today, Ghent does not only consist of the historical, densely built-up and inhabited city centre, consisting of the centre sitting in the "tub" and the abbey quarter on the Blandinberg. As in many other cities, around the original city area there are quarters that were built in the 19th and 20th centuries as working-class districts; here, too, there is a dense development. To the south lies the railway station district of the early 20th century. Beyond there begins the outskirts of the city, where development has taken place mainly along the major arterial roads, increasingly integrating the surrounding village centres. The city of Ghent is divided into 25 districts, which coincide with historical quarters and neighbourhoods, especially in the centre. Beyond that, the administrative division into sub-municipalities essentially coincides with the socio-cultural and historical division.
Since the mergers of 1965 and 1977, Ghent consists of the following sub-municipalities:
| # | Name | Area | Population |
| I | Gent |
| 112.831 |
| II | Mariakerke |
| 11.558 |
| III | Drongen |
| 12.213 |
| IV | Wondelgem |
| 12.327 |
| V | Sint-Amandsberg |
| 21.567 |
| VI | Oostakker |
| 13.457 |
| VII | Desteldonk |
|
|
| VIII | Mendonk |
|
|
| IX | Sint-Kruis-Winkel |
|
|
| X | Ledeberg |
| 7.955 |
| XI | Gentbrugge |
| 19.812 |
| XII | Afsnee |
|
|
| XIII | Sint-Denijs-Westrem |
| 6.755 |
| XIV | Zwijnaarde |
| 6.918 |
Ghent borders the following sub-municipalities:
