Famenne (; wa, Fåmene, ) is a

natural region A natural region (landscape unit) is a basic geographic unit. Usually, it is a region which is distinguished by its common natural features of geography, geology, and climate. From the ecology, ecological point of view, the naturally occurring fl ...

Wallonia Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...

(southern

Belgium Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...

). Together with The Fagne or la Fagne, west of the river

Meuse The Meuse ( , , , ; wa, Moûze ) or Maas ( , ; li, Maos or ) is a major European river, rising in France and flowing through Belgium and the Netherlands before draining into the North Sea from the Rhine–Meuse–Scheldt delta. It has a t ...

, it is part of the Fagne-Famenne natural region. The two regions are often grouped together because they are quite similar both geographically and naturally.

Etymology

The hypothesis that the name of the ''Famenne'' region may derive from ''

Paemani The Paemani (also Poemani or Caemani) were a small Belgae, Belgic-Germanic peoples, Germanic tribe dwelling in Gallia Belgica during the Iron Age Europe, Iron Age. Their ethnic identity remains uncertain. Caesar described them as part of the Germa ...

'', an ancient

Germanic tribe This list of ancient Germanic peoples is an inventory of ancient Germanic cultures, tribal groupings and other alliances of Germanic tribes and civilisations in ancient times. The information comes from various ancient historical documents, beginn ...

, following the influence of the Germanic sound shift from ''p-'' to ''f-'', is now considered doubtful by most scholars. In the first medieval mentions, the Famenne is spelled in Latin in forms with an "l", for example Falmenna.

History

The oldest known definitions of the medieval version of the

Condroz The Condroz () is a natural region in Wallonia (the French-speaking part of Belgium), located to the north-west of the Ardennes. Its unofficial capital is Ciney. The region preserves the name of the Condrusi, a Germanic tribe which inhabited t ...

''pagus'' also included the Famenne. Compared to the late medieval archdeaconries of Condroz and Fammene, the early medieval ''pagi'' did not include the deaneries of St Remacle, Hanret, or Chimay. Chimay had been part of the Lomme ''pagus'', like most of the area between the

Sambre The Sambre (; nl, Samber, ) is a river in northern France and in Wallonia, Belgium. It is a left-bank tributary of the Meuse, which it joins in the Wallonian capital Namur. The source of the Sambre is near Le Nouvion-en-Thiérache, in the Aisne ...

and

Geography

Natural geography

Famenne is mostly in the provinces of

Namur Namur (; ; nl, Namen ; wa, Nameur) is a city and municipality in Wallonia, Belgium. It is both the capital of the province of Namur and of Wallonia, hosting the Parliament of Wallonia, the Government of Wallonia and its administration. Namu ...

and

Luxembourg Luxembourg ( ; lb, Lëtzebuerg ; french: link=no, Luxembourg; german: link=no, Luxemburg), officially the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, ; french: link=no, Grand-Duché de Luxembourg ; german: link=no, Großherzogtum Luxemburg is a small lan ...

in southern Belgium. Its northeastern tip extends into the province of Liège. It is bounded on the west by the river

, west of which lies Fagne, similar to Famenne both geographically and naturally.Fagne
" Encyclopædia Britannica. 2010. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. 9 August 2010. To the north of both lies the

natural region. Famenne is at the western edge of the

Ardennes The Ardennes (french: Ardenne ; nl, Ardennen ; german: Ardennen; wa, Årdene ; lb, Ardennen ), also known as the Ardennes Forest or Forest of Ardennes, is a region of extensive forests, rough terrain, rolling hills and ridges primarily in Be ...

mountain range. Famenne is traversed by the Calestienne, a band of limestone resulting in

calcium Calcium is a chemical element with the symbol Ca and atomic number 20. As an alkaline earth metal, calcium is a reactive metal that forms a dark oxide-nitride layer when exposed to air. Its physical and chemical properties are most similar to ...

-rich soil and a corresponding concentration of

calcicole A calcicole, calciphyte or calciphile is a plant that thrives in lime rich soil. The word is derived from the Latin 'to dwell on chalk'. Under acidic conditions, aluminium becomes more soluble and phosphate less. As a consequence, calcicoles grown ...

plants. The rivers

Lesse The Lesse is a river in the Ardennes, in the Walloon region of Belgium. It is a right tributary to the river Meuse. The source of the Lesse is near Libramont-Chevigny, in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The Lesse flows roughly in north-west ...

and

Lomme Lomme (; nl, Olm) was a commune in the Nord ''département'' of northern France. It was absorbed as a '' commune associée'' by the city of Lille Lille ( , ; nl, Rijsel ; pcd, Lile; vls, Rysel) is a city in the northern part of France, in ...

cross the Calestienne, forming substantial cave systems. The

caves of Han-sur-Lesse The Caves of Han-sur-Lesse (in French: Grottes de Han-sur-Lesse or simply Grottes de Han) refers to a natural complex of caves in Belgium. A major Belgian tourist attraction (around 250-300,000 visitors per year), the caves are located in Walloni ...

, the

caves of Hotton The Caves of Hotton are speleothem caves located in Wallonia near Hotton in Belgium, which were discovered in 1958 and are around 5 or 6 km long and 70 metres deep. A stream called ''Syphon'' runs at the bottom of the caves. Gallery Image:Ho ...

and

Rochefort Rochefort () may refer to: Places France * Rochefort, Charente-Maritime, in the Charente-Maritime department ** Arsenal de Rochefort, a former naval base and dockyard * Rochefort, Savoie in the Savoie department * Rochefort-du-Gard, in the Ga ...

's Lorette cave are the most notable examples.

Human geography

The most important city and unofficial capital of Famenne is

Marche-en-Famenne Marche-en-Famenne (, literally ''Marche in Famenne''; wa, Måtche-el-Fåmene, ) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Luxembourg. The municipality consists of the following districts: Aye, Hargimont, Humain ...

. Other towns include

Beauraing Beauraing (; wa, Biarin) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Namur, Belgium. On January 1, 2018, Beauraing had a total population of 9,160. The total area is 174.55 km2, giving a population density of 52 inhabi ...

Hotton Hotton (; wa, Houton) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The municipality lies 12 kilometers from Marche-en-Famenne in the Ardennes and has more than 5,400 inhabitants. The river Ourthe crosses Hotton. ...

and

Durbuy Durbuy (; wa, Derbu) is a city and municipality of Wallonia located in the province of Luxembourg, Belgium. The total area is 156.61 km², consisting of the following districts: Barvaux, Bende, Bomal, Borlon, Durbuy, Grandhan, Heyd, Izier ...

Economy

The

agriculture Agriculture or farming is the practice of cultivating plants and livestock. Agriculture was the key development in the rise of sedentary human civilization, whereby farming of domesticated species created food surpluses that enabled people to ...

and

forestry Forestry is the science and craft of creating, managing, planting, using, conserving and repairing forests, woodlands, and associated resources for human and environmental benefits. Forestry is practiced in plantations and natural stands. Th ...

sectors are the main sources of employment in the region, although tourism also plays an important role.

References

Bibliography

* * * {{Authority control Natural regions of Belgium Areas of Belgium Forestry in Belgium Wetlands of Belgium Geographical, historical and cultural regions of France Forestry in France Wetlands of Metropolitan France Regions of Wallonia Landforms of Wallonia Landforms of Liège Province Landforms of Luxembourg (Belgium) Landforms of Namur (province) Landforms of Ardennes (department) Marche-en-Famenne