Charleroi ("King Charles", Walloon: Tchålerwè) is the largest city and municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2008, Charleroi had a total population of 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,462 square kilometres (564 sq mi) and has a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fifth most populous in Belgium. The inhabitants ar...
more
Charleroi ("King Charles", Walloon: Tchålerwè) is the largest city and municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. On 1 January 2008, Charleroi had a total population of 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,462 square kilometres (564 sq mi) and has a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, which ranks it as the fifth most populous in Belgium. The inhabitants are called Carolorégiens or simply Carolos.
The municipality of Charleroi is situated on both banks of the river Sambre, in an area that is marked by industrial activities (coal mining and steel industry), the so-called Pays Noir ("black country"), part of the larger sillon industriel. Although most of the factories have closed since the 1950s, the landscape is still dotted with slag heaps and old industrial buildings. The municipality includes the central city of Charleroi and the following former municipalities, that were merged into Charleroi...
less
