Wallonia

Wallonia (French: Wallonie) or Walloon Region (French: Région Wallonne) is the predominantly French-speaking region that constitutes one of the three federal regions of Belgium, with its capital at Namur. Its official languages are French and German.

Etymology

The name Wallonia is related to the name Wales, as the old Germanic term Walh simply means "stranger". Both Wallonia and Wales are regions where a "strange" (i.e. non-Germanic) language and culture exist. Wallachia in Romania has a similar derivation.

Related Topics:
Wales - Walh - Germanic - Wallachia - Romania

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The term Walloon was also used in the late 18th and the 19th century to refer to French-speakers who migrated to the Netherlands, e.g. 'Walloon parishes' in Dutch province of Nederlands-Limburg.

Related Topics:
Netherlands - Nederlands-Limburg

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