Comines-Warneton (; ; ; ; ) is a city and municipality of
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
located in the
province of Hainaut,
Belgium
Belgium, officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. Situated in a coastal lowland region known as the Low Countries, it is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeas ...
. It is contiguous with the identically named
Comines on the other side of the border with France.
On 1 January 2006 it had a total population of 17,562. Its total area is which gives a
population density
Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...
of . The name "Comines" is believed to have a Celtic, or Gaulish, origin. Comines-Warneton is a
municipality with language facilities for Dutch-speakers.
The municipality consists of the following districts:
Bas-Warneton, Comines,
Houthem,
Ploegsteert, and
Warneton (including the hamlet of
Gheer). They were all transferred in 1963 from the
arrondissement of Ypres in the Dutch-speaking province of
West Flanders
West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...
to the newly created
arrondissement of Mouscron in French-speaking Hainaut. The five municipalities (Comines, Houthem, Ploegsteert, Bas-Warneton, Warneton) were merged into a single Comines-Warneton municipality in 1977. Since then, the municipality forms an
exclave
An enclave is a territory that is entirely surrounded by the territory of only one other state or entity. An enclave can be an independent territory or part of a larger one. Enclaves may also exist within territorial waters. ''Enclave'' is s ...
of both Hainaut and
Wallonia
Wallonia ( ; ; or ), officially the Walloon Region ( ; ), is one of the three communities, regions and language areas of Belgium, regions of Belgium—along with Flemish Region, Flanders and Brussels. Covering the southern portion of the c ...
, being surrounded by the Flemish province of
West Flanders
West Flanders is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the North Sea to the northwest. It has land borders with the Dutch province of Zeeland to the northeast, the Flemis ...
and the
French department of
Nord and not connected to the rest of the French-speaking area of Belgium.
Comines-Warneton is twinned with
Hedge End in England and with
Argenton-les-Vallées in France.
Famous inhabitants
*
Johannes Despauterius, humanist
*
Frank Vandenbroucke, cyclist
*
Gustave Singier, painter
*
Eugene Joseph Verboeckhoven, painter
Twin towns
*
Hedge End, England
*
Wolverton
Wolverton ( ) is a constituent town of Milton Keynes
Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban ar ...
, England
See also
*
Voeren
Voeren (; ) is a Flanders, Flemish Dutch language, Dutch-speaking Municipalities of Belgium, municipality with Municipalities with language facilities, facilities for the Walloons, French-speaking minority, located in the Belgium, Belgian provi ...
, a similarly detached part of Flanders.
References
External links
Local website in FrenchLocal economic website in French
{{Authority control
Cities in Wallonia
Municipalities of Hainaut (province)
Belgium–France border crossings
Divided cities
Enclaves and exclaves