Hainaut (, also , , ; nl, Henegouwen ; wa, Hinnot; pcd, Hénau), historically also known as Heynowes in English, is a

province A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman ''provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions out ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—al ...

and

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to ...

. To its south lies the

French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...

department of

Nord Nord, a word meaning "north" in several European languages, may refer to: Acronyms * National Organization for Rare Disorders, an American nonprofit organization * New Orleans Recreation Department, New Orleans, Louisiana, US Film and televisi ...

, while within Belgium it borders (clockwise from the North) on the

Flemish Flemish (''Vlaams'') is a Low Franconian dialect cluster of the Dutch language. It is sometimes referred to as Flemish Dutch (), Belgian Dutch ( ), or Southern Dutch (). Flemish is native to Flanders, a historical region in northern Belgium; ...

provinces of

West Flanders West Flanders ( nl, West-Vlaanderen ; vls, West Vloandern; french: (Province de) Flandre-Occidentale ; german: Westflandern ) is the westernmost province of the Flemish Region, in Belgium. It is the only coastal Belgian province, facing the No ...

East Flanders , native_name_lang = , settlement_type = Province of Belgium , image_flag = Flag of Oost-Vlaanderen.svg , flag_size = , image_shield = Wapen van O ...

, Flemish Brabant and the Walloon provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur. Its capital is

Mons Mons (; German and nl, Bergen, ; Walloon and pcd, Mont) is a city and municipality of Wallonia, and the capital of the province of Hainaut, Belgium. Mons was made into a fortified city by Count Baldwin IV of Hainaut in the 12th century. T ...

(Dutch ''Bergen'') and the most populous city is

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

, the province's urban, economic and cultural hub, the financial capital of Hainaut and the fifth largest city in the country by population. Hainaut has an area of and as of January 2019 a population of 1,344,241. Another remarkable city is Tournai (Dutch ''Doornik'') on the

Scheldt The Scheldt (french: Escaut ; nl, Schelde ) is a river that flows through northern France, western Belgium, and the southwestern part of the Netherlands, with its mouth at the North Sea. Its name is derived from an adjective corresponding to ...

river, one of the oldest cities of Belgium and the first capital of the

Frankish Empire Francia, also called the Kingdom of the Franks ( la, Regnum Francorum), Frankish Kingdom, Frankland or Frankish Empire ( la, Imperium Francorum), was the largest post-Roman barbarian kingdom in Western Europe. It was ruled by the Franks dur ...

. Hainaut province exists of a wavy landscape, except for the very southern part, the so-called ''Boot of Hainaut'', which is quite hilly and belongs to the Ardennes and its foothills Fagne and the

Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium), located to the north-west of the Ardennes. Its unofficial capital is Ciney. The region preserves the name of the Condrusi, a Germanic tribe which inhabited ...

. The village of

L'Escaillère Chimay (, wa, Chimai) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a population density of 50 inhabitants per km2. It is t ...

in the utmost southeastern corner is with an altitude of 365 metres the highest point of the province. In the Boot of Hainaut on the border of Namur province the artificial five

Eau d'Heure lakes The Eau d'Heure lakes (french: lacs de l'Eau d'Heure) is a complex of five artificial lakes in Wallonia, forming the largest lake area in Belgium. The dams were built during the 1970s. The lakes are not far from the village of Cerfontaine, so ...

are situated, the largest lake area of Belgium. A well-known region is the Borinage, the old coal mining region around the city of Mons. Also well-known is the Pays des Collines (English ''Land of the Hills''), a low hilly area forming one natural region with the Flemish Ardennes in the East Flanders province.

Language

Picard is spoken in the western and centre parts of the province, while in the eastern part a mixture of Walloon and Picard is spoken (Wallo-Picard). Some

and Brabantic is spoken in the municipalities bordering the Flemish region.

History

The province derives from the French Revolutionary Jemmape department, formed in 1795 from part of the medieval County of Hainaut, the small territory of Tournai and the Tournaisis, a part of the county of Namur (

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

), and also a small part of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (

Thuin Thuin ( or ; wa, Twin) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. The municipality consists of the following districts: Biercée, Biesme-sous-Thuin, Donstiennes, Gozée, Leers-et-Fosteau, Ragnies ...

). (A large part of the historical county of Hainaut is now within France and sometimes referred to as French Hainaut.)

Subdivisions

Hainaut province is divided into 7 administrative districts (''arrondissements''), subdivided into a total of 69 municipalities. It has an area of .

Arrondissements

Arrondissement Ath Belgium Map.png, Ath Arrondissement Charleroi Belgium Map.png,

Charleroi Charleroi ( , , ; wa, Tchålerwè ) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593.

Arrondissement La Louvière Belgium Map.png, La Louvière Arrondissement Mons Belgium Map.png,

Arrondissement Soignies Belgium Map.png, Soignies Arrondissement Thuin Belgium Map.png,

Arrondissement Tournai-Mouscron Belgium Map.png, Tournai-Mouscron

Municipalities

Governors

Economy

The

Gross domestic product Gross domestic product (GDP) is a monetary measure of the market value of all the final goods and services produced and sold (not resold) in a specific time period by countries. Due to its complex and subjective nature this measure is of ...

(GDP) of the province was 34.2 billion € in 2018, accounting for 7.4% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was 22,500 € or 75% of the EU27 average in the same year. Hainaut is the province with the second lowest GDP per capita.

Miscellaneous

The

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, or Eastern Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, family, or perso ...

of the province Hainaut is Saint Waltrude.St. Waltrude at saints.sqpn.com.
Retrieved 26.March 2013.

References

External links

Official web site of the Hainaut province
(available in

)
Official gateway to the Hainaut
(available in French and Dutchbr>

The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hainaut
(available in French and English)
Euro Info Centre Hainaut
(available in French)
Walloon Settlers Monument
{{DEFAULTSORT:Hainaut (Province) Hainaut (province), Provinces of Wallonia