Ghent

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Geography & Travel

Ghent

Belgium

Also known as: Gand, Gent

Written and fact-checked by The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica

Last Updated: Feb 25, 2024 • Article History

Category: Geography & Travel

Flemish:: Gent

French:: Gand

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Ghent, city, Flanders Region, northwestern Belgium. Ghent lies at the junction of the canalized Lys (Leie) and Scheldt (Schelde) rivers and is the centre of an urban complex that includes Ledeberg, Gentbrugge, and Sint-Amandsberg. One of Belgium’s oldest cities and the historic capital of Flanders, Ghent was powerful, well-organized in its wealthy trade guilds, and virtually independent until 1584. Within its walls was signed the Pacification of Ghent (1576), an attempt to unite the Lowlands provinces against Spain. The Treaty of Ghent (December 24, 1814) marked the end of the War of 1812 between the United States and Britain. Along ...(100 of 964 words)

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