The Pays Noir refers to a region of Belgium, centered on Charleroi

Charleroi

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...

 in the province of Hainaut in Wallonia so named for the geological presence of coal. In the 19th century the region rapidly industrialised first with coal mines, then with related industries such as steel manufacture and glass production.

Description

The region, centred on Charleroi, also known as the Pays de Charleroi includes the communes of Aiseau-Presles

Aiseau-Presles

Aiseau-Presles is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Aiseau-Presles had a total population of 10,754. The total area is 22.19 km² which gives a population density of 485 inhabitants per km². It is located in the neighbourhood of Charleroi...

, Charleroi

Charleroi

Charleroi is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. , the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of and had a total population of 522,522 as of 1 January 2008, ranking it as...

, Châtelet

Châtelet, Belgium

Châtelet is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, on the river Sambre. As of January 1, 2006, Châtelet had a total population of 35,621. The total area of the municipality is 27.03 km² which gives a population density of 1,318 inhabitants per km². It is composed of...

, Courcelles

Courcelles, Belgium

Courcelles is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. As of January 1, 2006 Courcelles had a total population of 29,626. The total area is 44.24 km² which gives a population density of 670 inhabitants per km²....

, Farciennes

Farciennes

Farciennes is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Farciennes had a total population of 11,099. The total area is 10.39 km² which gives a population density of 1,069 inhabitants per km². It is located on the entre-Sambre-et-Meuse in the periphery of...

, Fleurus

Fleurus

Fleurus is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Fleurus had a total population of 22,221. The total area is which gives a population density of 375 inhabitants per km²...

, Fontaine-l'Évêque

Fontaine-l'Evêque

Fontaine-l'Évêque is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006 Fontaine-l'Évêque had a total population of 16,687. The total area is 28.41 km² which gives a population density of 587 inhabitants per km²....

, Gerpinnes

Gerpinnes

Gerpinnes is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 12,030 inhabitants. The total area is 47.10 km², giving a population density of 255 inhabitants per km²....

, Les Bons Villers

Les Bons Villers

Les Bons Villers is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 8,860 inhabitants. The total area is 42.55 km², giving a population density of 208 inhabitants per km²....

 and Pont-à-Celles

Pont-à-Celles

Pont-à-Celles is a Walloon municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut. On January 1, 2006, Pont-à-Celles had a total population of 16,292...

.

Geologically the region, as well as the other coal bearing areas in Belgium lies on the northern edge of the Rhenish Massif.

See also

• Black Country
  Black Country
  The Black Country is a loosely defined area of the English West Midlands conurbation, to the north and west of Birmingham, and to the south and east of Wolverhampton. During the industrial revolution in the 19th century this area had become one of the most intensely industrialised in the nation...
  
  , similar coal rich region in the English Midlands
  English Midlands
  The Midlands, or the English Midlands, is the traditional name for the area comprising central England that broadly corresponds to the early medieval Kingdom of Mercia. It borders Southern England, Northern England, East Anglia and Wales. Its largest city is Birmingham, and it was an important...
  
   near Birmingham
  Birmingham
  Birmingham is a city and metropolitan borough in the West Midlands of England. It is the most populous British city outside the capital London, with a population of 1,036,900 , and lies at the heart of the West Midlands conurbation, the second most populous urban area in the United Kingdom with a...
  
  , industrialised in the 19th century.
• Sillon industriel
  Sillon industriel
  The sillon industriel is the former industrial backbone of Wallonia and thus of Belgium. It runs across Wallonia, passing from Dour, in Borinage, in the west, to Verviers in the east, through Mons, La Louvière, Charleroi, Namur, Huy, and Liège, following the valleys of the rivers Haine, Sambre,...
  
  - the 'industrial valley' of Belgium, the western part of which lies in the Pays Noir