gent, not jent, a town in Belgium, capital of the province of East Flanders, situated in a fertile plain at the junction of the Lys and Scheldt rivers, 31 mi. n. w. of Brussels. It is more than 8 miles in circumference and is divided by canals into a number of islands, connected with one another by bridges. Among the notable buildings are the Cathedral of Saint Bavon; the Church of Saint Nicholas (begun in the tenth century); the Church of Saint Michael; the university, a handsome modern structure with a library of about 100,000 volumes and 700 manuscripts; the Hotel-de-Ville; the townhall; the Palace of Justice, and the Institute of Sciences. It also has many parks, gardens and promenades. Ghent has long been celebrated as a manufacturing town, especially for its cotton and linen goods and lace, but it has declined decidedly in importance in recent years. Other industries of importance are sugar refining and the making of hosiery thread, ribbons, instruments in steel, carriages, paper, hats and delft ware, and the raising and exportation of flowers. Ghent was founded before the seventh century, was fortified by Baldwin, first count of Flanders, in the ninth century, and took a prominent part in European history, especially in the struggle for religious and political liberty. In 1792 the Netherlands fell under the power of France, and Ghent became the capital of the Department of Escaut (Scheldt). In 1814 it became, along with Flanders, part of the Netherlands, till the separation of Belgium and Holland. The treaty which ended the War of 1812 was signed here. Population in 1900, 160,949.