Houthulst is a
municipality located in the
Belgian province of
West Flanders. The municipality comprises the towns of Houthulst proper,
Klerken[?] and
Merkem[?]. On January 1st, 2000 Houthulst had a total population of 8,946 (4,458 males and 4,488 females). The total area is 55.11
km² which gives a
population density of 162.33 inhabitants per km².