Editing Chastre (section)

==Geography==

=== Location ===
Along the [[N4 road (Belgium)|N4 road]], approximately halfway between [[Ottignies-Louvain-la-Neuve]] and [[Gembloux]], Chastre is also reachable by train (SNCB line 161 stops at Blanmont and Chastre), and by the [[Opérateur de transport de Wallonie|TEC]] buses (depot). Chastre is surrounded by the municipalities of Walhain-Saint-Paul, [[Gembloux]], [[Mont-Saint-Guibert]], [[Sombreffe]] and [[Villers-la-Ville]].

=== Hydrography ===
Chastre is crossed by two charming small rivers: the Orne and the Houssière. The former rises in Bertinchamps (Gembloux, province of Namur), and waters the villages of Cortil, Noirmont, Chastre and Blanmont before flowing by Mont-Saint-Guibert and eventually emptying into the [[Dyle (river)|Dyle]], via the Thyle, in [[Court-Saint-Étienne]]. The latter rises in Sombreffe, near Gentinnes, which it runs through, then crosses Villeroux and eventually empties into the Orne at Mont-Saint-Guibert. It cannot be said that these two small rivers have made much of a dent in this part of the Brabant high plateau, which has an elevation of between 145 and 155 metres.

=== Natural environment ===
Despite being very green, the natural environment of Chastre is quite poor. The essentially rural vocation has changed with the population's growth and diversification. The number of agricultural enterprises is continuously decreasing. Due to its location between [[Brussels]] and [[Namur]] and to the high road and railroad connections, Chastre's countryside has had to face a strong urbanisation for more than 30 years.

=== Demography ===
On 1 November 2019, Chastre had 7,684 inhabitants (3,805 men and 3,879 women), giving a population density of 245.73 inhabitants per square km for a surface of 31.27 square km.