Ghent (Dutch: Gent [ɣɛnt] ⓘ; French: Gand [ɡɑ̃] ⓘ; historically known as Gaunt in English) is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium.

In the Late Middle Ages Ghent became one of the largest and richest cities of northern Europe, with some 50,000 people in 1300.

The municipality comprises the city of Ghent proper and the surrounding suburbs of Afsnee, Desteldonk, Drongen, Gentbrugge, Ledeberg, Mariakerke, Mendonk, Oostakker, Sint-Amandsberg, Sint-Denijs-Westrem, Sint-Kruis-Winkel, Wondelgem and Zwijnaarde.

[5] Most historians believe that the older name for Ghent, 'Ganda', is derived from the Celtic word ganda, which means 'confluence',[5] or 'river mouth', referring to the Leie river debouching into the Scheldt.

[6] There are no written records of the Roman period, but archaeological research confirms that the Ghent area continued to be inhabited.

Under the protection of the County of Flanders the city recovered and flourished from the 11th century, growing to become a small city-state.

By the 13th century, Ghent was the biggest city in Europe north of the Alps after Paris; it was bigger than Cologne or Moscow.

These rich grass 'meersen' ("water-meadows": a word related to the English 'marsh') were ideally suited for herding sheep, the wool of which was used to make cloth.

The mercantile zone was so highly developed that wool had to be imported from Scotland and England, which led to Flanders' good relationship with them.

High taxes led to a rebellion and eventually to the Battle of Gavere in 1453, in which Ghent suffered a terrible defeat at the hands of Philip the Good.

With Bruges, the city led two revolts against Maximilian of Austria, the first monarch of the House of Habsburg to rule Flanders.

In 1745, the city was captured by French forces during the War of the Austrian Succession before being returned to the Empire of Austria under the House of Habsburg following the Treaty of Aix-la-Chapelle in 1748.

The life of the people and the German invaders in Ghent during World War I is described by H. Wandt in "etappenleven te Gent".

After the fusions of municipalities in 1965 and 1977, the city is made up of following sub-municipalities: The climate in this area has mild differences between highs and lows, and there is adequate rainfall year-round.

Some examples are Brugse Poort, Dampoort, Rabot, Ledeberg, Nieuw Gent/UZ and the area around Sleepstraat (known for its many Turkish restaurants).

Highlights are St. Bavo's Cathedral with the Ghent Altarpiece, the belfry, the Gravensteen castle, and the splendid architecture along the old Graslei harbour.

In the 19th century Ghent's most famous architect, Louis Roelandt, built the university hall Aula, the opera house, and the main courthouse.

Highlights of modern architecture are the university buildings (the Boekentoren or Book Tower) by Henry Van de Velde.

The Zebrastraat, a social experiment in which an entirely renovated site unites living, economy, and culture, can also be found in Ghent.

[14] In Ghent and other regions of East Flanders, bakeries sell a donut-shaped bun called a "mastel" (plural "mastellen"), which is basically a bagel.

Stoverij is a classic Flemish meat stew, preferably made with a generous addition of brown 'Trappist' (strong abbey beer) and served with French fries.

This campaign is linked to the recognition of the detrimental environmental effects of meat production, which the United Nations' Food and Agriculture Organization has established to represent nearly one-fifth of global greenhouse gas emissions.

Also, every five years, an extensive botanical exhibition (Gentse Floraliën) takes place in Flanders Expo in Ghent, attracting numerous visitors to the city.

The Ghent University and several research-oriented companies, such as Ablynx, Innogenetics, Cropdesign, and Bayer Cropscience, are situated in the central and southern part of the city.

As the largest city in East Flanders, Ghent has four large hospitals, numerous schools, and shopping streets.

Ghent has the largest designated cyclist area in Europe, with nearly 400 kilometres (250 mi) of cycle paths and more than 700 one-way streets, where bikes are allowed to go against the traffic.

In road cycling, the city hosts the start and finish of the Omloop Het Nieuwsblad, the traditional opening race of the cobbled classics season.