Walloons
French-speaking people who live in Belgium, principally in Wallonia / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Walloons (/wɒˈluːnz/; French: Wallons [walɔ̃] ⓘ; Walloon: Walons) are a Gallo-Romance[6][7] ethnic group native to Wallonia and the immediate adjacent regions of Flanders, France, Germany, Luxembourg and the Netherlands. Walloons primarily speak langues d'oïl such as Belgian French, Picard and Walloon. Walloons are primarily Roman Catholic, with a historical minority of Protestantism which dates back to the Reformation era.
Total population | |
---|---|
c. 3.5–4 million | |
Regions with significant populations | |
Belgium | 3,240,000[1] |
United States | Indeterminable[a] (352,630 Belgians)[2] |
Canada | 176,615[b] (Belgians)[3] |
France | 133,066[4][5] |
Languages | |
Walloon French Regional Langues d'oïl | |
Religion | |
Historically Roman Catholic majority Protestant minority (see also Walloon church) Increasingly irreligious | |
Related ethnic groups | |
Other Romance, romanized Celtic and Germanic peoples | |
^a U.S. population census does not differentiate between Belgians and Walloons, therefore the number of the latter is unknown. Walloons might also identify as French, of which there were as many as 8.2 million. ^b Canadian census does not differentiate between Belgians and Walloons, therefore the number of the latter is unknown and indeterminable. In 2011, 176,615 respondents stated Belgian ethnic origin; this figure definitely includes a substantial number of ethnic Flemings who may also identify as Belgian even though the census differentiates between the two. They may also be inclined to identify as French, of which there were as many as 7 million. |
In modern Belgium, Walloons are, by law, termed a "distinctive linguistic and ethnic community" within the country, as are the neighbouring Flemish, a Dutch (Germanic) speaking community.
When understood as a regional identification, the ethnonym is also extended to refer to the inhabitants of the Walloon region in general, regardless of ethnicity or ancestry.