Walloon Brabant

Coordinates: 50°40′N 04°35′E / 50.667°N 4.583°E / 50.667; 4.583
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Walloon Brabant
Brabant wallon  (French)
Flag of Walloon Brabant
Coat of arms of Walloon Brabant
Location of Walloon Brabant
Coordinates: 50°40′N 04°35′E / 50.667°N 4.583°E / 50.667; 4.583
Country Belgium
Region Wallonia
Capital
(and largest city)
Wavre
Government
 • GovernorGilles Mahieu (PS)
Area
 • Total1,097 km2 (424 sq mi)
Population
 (1 January 2022)[2]
 • Total409,782
 • Density374/km2 (970/sq mi)
ISO 3166 codeBE-WBR
HDI (2019)0.948[3]
very high · 1st
WebsiteOfficial site

Walloon Brabant [4] (French: Brabant wallon, Dutch: Waals-Brabant, German: Wallonisch-Brabant, Picard: Brabant walon, Walloon: Roman Payis / Braibant walon(e)) is one of the five provinces of Wallonia in the country of Belgium.

History[change | change source]

Walloon in Walloon Brabant means that it is in the Wallon part of the former province of Brabant of Belgium. Brabant was an old region, the Duchy of Brabant. The word Brabant appears for the first time in the seventh century when the abbey of Nivelles was founded in the pagus Bracbatensis[5] (pagus is a Latin word meaning a very small town, with only few houses).

Walloon Brabant is the youngest and the smallest province of Belgium. The province was created in 1995 when the former province of Brabant was split along the language border in three parts: a Flemish part (Flemish Brabant), a Wallon part (Walloon Brabant) and the Brussels Capital Region, which no longer belongs to any province.

Geography[change | change source]

The total area of the province is 1,097 km2 (423.6 sq mi) with a population of about 410,000 in 2022.

The province is very flat and the highest point is in Genappe, with an altitude of 170 m (558 ft) above sea level.

Also the geographical centre of Belgium is in the province, in the municipality of Walhain.

The province has an elongated shape and measures from east to west about 90 km (56 mi) and about 40 km (25 mi) from north to south.

The capital is Wavre; it is much more centrally located than the old capital, Nivelles.

Administrative division[change | change source]

The province of Walloon Brabant has only one arrondissement that is divided in 27 municipalities.

Arrondissement Nivelles
  1. Beauvechain
  2. Braine-l'Alleud
  3. Braine-le-Château
  4. Chastre
  5. Chaumont-Gistoux
  6. Court-Saint-Étienne
  7. Genappe
  8. Grez-Doiceau
  9. Hélécine
  10. Incourt
  11. Ittre
  12. Jodoigne
  13. La Hulpe
  14. Lasne
  1. Mont-Saint-Guibert
  2. Nivelles
  3. Orp-Jauche
  4. Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve
  5. Perwez
  6. Ramillies
  7. Rebecq
  8. Rixensart
  9. Tubize
  10. Villers-la-Ville
  11. Walhain
  12. Waterloo
  13. Wavre

Population by arrondissement[change | change source]

Population x 1,000 (on 1 January since 1980).[6]

Arrondissement 1970 1980 1990 2000 2010 2020
Nivelles 235 286 315 350 380 406
Province of Walloon Brabant (235) (286) (315) 350 380 406

The province of Walloon Brabant did not exist before 1995.

References[change | change source]

  1. "Bodembezetting volgens het Kadasterregister". statbel.fgov.be.
  2. "Structuur van de bevolking". statbel.fgov.be.
  3. "Sub-national HDI - Area Database - Global Data Lab".
  4. Official name is Province du Brabant wallon (French).
  5. "Histoire". Province du Brabant wallon (in French). Archived from the original on 1 September 2013. Retrieved 29 August 2013.
  6. Institut national de statistique - Direction générale Statistique et information économique

Other websites[change | change source]