Its capital isMons (Dutch:Bergen) and the most populous city isCharleroi, the province's urban, economic and cultural hub, the financial capital of Hainaut and thefifth largest city in the country by population. Hainaut is one of the two only Belgian provinces whose capital is not its largest city; the other one isWalloon Brabant. Hainaut has an area of 3,831 km2 (1,479 sq mi) and as of January 2024 a population of over 1.36 million.[8] Another notable city isTournai (DutchDoornik) on theScheldt river, one of the oldest cities in Belgium and the first capital of theFrankish Empire.
Hainaut province has a rolling landscape, except for the very southern part, the so-calledBoot of Hainaut, which is quite hilly and belongs to theArdennes and its foothillsFagne and theCondroz.
The village ofL'Escaillère in the utmost southeastern corner, at an altitude of 365 metres, is the highest point of the province.
In the Boot of Hainaut on the border ofNamur province the artificial fiveEau d'Heure lakes are situated, the largest lake area of Belgium.
A well-known region is theBorinage, the old coal mining region around the city of Mons. Also well-known is the Pays des Collines (English: "Hill Country"), a low hilly area forming one natural region with theFlemish Ardennes in the East Flanders province.
In addition to the main language French,Picard is spoken in the western and central parts of the province, while in the eastern part a mixture of Walloon and Picard is spoken (Wallo-Picard).
SomeFlemish andBrabantic dialects of Dutch are spoken in the municipalities bordering the Flemish region.
Hainaut province is divided into 7administrative districts (arrondissements), subdivided into a total of 69 municipalities. It has an area of 3,831 square kilometres (1,479 sq mi).
Thegross domestic product (GDP) of the province was €34.2 billion in 2018, accounting for 7.4% of Belgium's economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €22,500 or 75% of the EU27 average in the same year. Hainaut is the province with the second lowest GDP per capita.[9]
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