Ghent is a city and a municipality in the Flemish Region of Belgium. It is the capital and largest city of the East Flanders province and after Antwerp the largest municipality of Belgium. The population in Ghent was 259,083 (2017), while the larger melopolitan has more than half a million inhabitants.
It is a port and university city. During the Middle Ages it was a prominent city-state. Today it’s a university town and cultural hub. Its pedestrianized center is known for medieval architecture such as 12th-century Gravensteen castle and the Graslei, a row of guildhalls beside the Leie river harbor.
The port of Ghent, in the north of the city, is the third largest port of Belgium.
As the largest city in East Flanders, Ghent has many hospitals, schools and shopping streets. Tourism is becoming a major employer in the local area.
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