Wallonia

Wallonia is the mainly French-speaking southern region of Belgium, with its capital at Namur and major cities including Liège, Charleroi and Mons. Its coal, iron and glass industries made it the heart of Belgium's industrialisation in the 19th century, the first on the European continent. Industrial decline after the Second World War and linguistic tensions led to Belgium's federalisation, and Wallonia became a self-governing region in 1980.