Hainaut (province)
Hainaut | |||
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Province of Belgium | |||
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Coordinates: 50°30′N 3°55′E / 50.5°N 3.92°ECoordinates: 50°30′N 3°55′E / 50.5°N 3.92°E | |||
Country | Belgium | ||
Region | Wallonia | ||
Capital | Mons | ||
Government | |||
• Governor | Tommy Leclercq | ||
Area | |||
• Total | 3,800 km2 (1,500 sq mi) | ||
Population (1 January 2016)[1] | |||
• Total | 1,337,157 | ||
• Density | 350/km2 (910/sq mi) | ||
Website |
www |
Hainaut (Archaic English: Hainault, Heynalt, Heynowes; French: Hainaut, French pronunciation: [ɛno]; Dutch: Henegouwen, IPA: [ˈɦeːnəˌɣʌuwə(n)]; German: Hennegau; Walloon: Hinnot; Picard: Hénau) is a Belgian province in Wallonia.
To its south lies the French Nord department, while within Belgium it borders (clockwise from the North) on the Flemish provinces of West Flanders, East Flanders, Flemish Brabant and the Walloon provinces of Walloon Brabant and Namur.
Its capital is Mons (Dutch Bergen) and the most populous city is Charleroi, also the province's major urban, economic and cultural hub. The city is also the financial capital of Hainaut and one of the most important commercial centers in Belgium, being the fifth largest city in the country by population.
History
The province derives from the French Revolutionary Jemmape department, formed in 1795 from part of the medieval County of Hainaut, Tournai and the Tournaisis, a part of the county of Namur (Charleroi) and of the Prince-Bishopric of Liège (Thuin). (A large part of the historical county 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 3,800 square kilometres (1,500 sq mi).
Governors
- Jean-Baptiste Thorn (1836–1841)
- Charles Liedts (1841–1845)
- Édouard Mercier (1845–1847)
- Augustin Dumon-Dumortier (1847–1848)
- Adolphe de Vrière (1848–1849)
- Louis Troye (1849–1870)
- Joseph de Riquet de Caraman-Chimay (1870–1878)
- Auguste Wanderpepen (1878)
- Oswald de Kerchove de Denterghem (1878–1884)
- Auguste Vergote (1884–1885)
- Joseph d'Ursel (1885–1889)
- Charles d'Ursel (1889–1893)
- Raoul du Sart de Bouland (1893–1908)
- Maurice Damoiseaux (1908–1937)
- Henri Van Mol (1937–1940)
- Émile Cornez (1944–1967)
- Emilien Vaes (1967–1983)
- Michel Tromont (1983–2004)
- Claude Durieux (2004–2013)
- Tommy Leclercq (2013 – present day)
Miscellaneous
The patron saint of the province Hainaut is Saint Waltrude.[2]
References
- ↑ Population per municipality as of 1 January 2016 (XLS; 397 KB)
- ↑ St. Waltrude at saints.sqpn.com. Retrieved 26.March 2013.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Hainaut (province). |
- Official web site of the Hainaut province (available in French)
- Official gateway to the Hainaut (available in French and Dutch )
- The Chamber of Commerce and Industry of Hainaut (available in French and English)
- Euro Info Centre Hainaut (available in French)
- Walloon Settlers Monument