Merelbeke is a
municipality located in the
Belgian province of
East Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of
Bottelare[?],
Lemberge[?],
Melsen[?], Merelbeke proper,
Munte[?] and
Schelderode[?]. On January 1st, 2000 Merelbeke had a total population of 21,786 (10,640 males and 11,146 females). The total area is 37.63
km² which gives a
population density of 578.95 inhabitants per km².