Homyel

Gomel (Russian: Гомель, .mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}IPA: [ˈɡomʲɪlʲ]) or Homyel (Belarusian: Гомель, romanized: Homieĺ,[a] IPA: [ˈɣomʲelʲ]) is a city in Belarus. It serves as the administrative centre of Gomel Region and Gomel District, though it is administratively separated from the district.[1] As of 2024, it is the second-largest city in Belarus with 501,102 inhabitants.[1] There are at least six narratives of the origin of the city's name. The most plausible is that the name is derived from the name of the stream Homeyuk, which flowed into the river Sozh near the foot of the hill where the first settlement was founded. Names of other Belarusian cities are formed along these lines: for example, Polotsk from the river Palata, and Vitebsk from the river Vitsba.