Editing Wallonia (section)

== Economy ==
[[Image:Ougree 16.jpg|thumb|Steelmaking along the [[Meuse]] at [[Ougrée]], near [[Liège]], on the ''[[sillon industriel]]'']]
Wallonia is rich in iron and coal, and these resources and related industries have played an important role in its history. In ancient times, the [[Sambre and Meuse valley]] was an important industrial area in the [[Roman Empire]]. In the [[Middle Ages]], Wallonia became a center for [[brass]] working and [[bronze]] working, with [[Huy]], [[Dinant]] and [[Chimay]] being important regional centers. In the 12th and 13th centuries, the iron masters of [[Liège]] developed a method of refining iron ore by the use of a blast furnace, called the [[Oregrounds iron|Walloon Method]]. There were also a few coal mines around [[Charleroi]] and the [[Borinage]] during this period, but their output was small, and was principally consumed as fuel by various industries such as the important glassmaking industry that sprang up in the [[Charleroi]] basin during the 14th century.<ref>Allan H. Kittel, "The Revolutionary Period of the Industrial Revolution", ''Journal of Social History'', Vol. I, n° 2 (Winter 1967), pp. 129–130.</ref>

In the 19th century, the area began to industrialize, mainly along the so-called [[sillon industriel]]. It was the first fully <!--waste ?--> industrialized area in [[continental Europe]],<ref name = "Atlas">{{cite web | title =  Wallonie : une région en Europe | url = http://sder.wallonie.be/ICEDD/CAP-atlasWallonie2006/pages/atlas.asp?txt=conWalEur | publisher = Ministère de la Région wallonne | access-date = September 29, 2007|language=fr}}</ref> and Wallonia was the second industrial power in the world, in proportion to its population and its territory, after the United Kingdom.<ref>Philippe Destatte, ''L'identité wallonne'', Institut Destrée, Charleroi, 1997, pages 49–50 {{ISBN|2-87035-000-7}}</ref> The sole industrial centre in Belgium outside the collieries and blast furnaces of Wallonia was the historic cloth making town of [[Ghent]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://en.erih.net/index.php?pageId=114|title=Welcome|work=erih.net|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130731024244/http://en.erih.net/index.php?pageId=114|archive-date=2013-07-31}}</ref>

The two World Wars curbed the continuous expansion that Wallonia had enjoyed up till that time. Towards the end of the 1950s, things began to change dramatically. The factories of Wallonia were by then antiquated, the coal was running out and the cost of extracting coal was constantly rising. It was the end of an era, and Wallonia has been making efforts to redefine itself. The restoration of economical development is high on the political agenda, and the government is encouraging development of industries, notably in cutting-edge technology and in business parks.<ref name="wallonie.be">{{cite web |url=http://www.wallonie.be/en/discover-wallonia/economy/walloon-incentives/index.html |title=Walloon incentives - Portal Wallonia |access-date=2008-12-22 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110521083719/http://www.wallonie.be/en/discover-wallonia/economy/walloon-incentives/index.html |archive-date=2011-05-21 }}</ref> The economy is improving,<ref>{{cite news|title=Wallonia battles wasteland image |url= http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/europe/7647591.stm|work=BBC News|date= October 6, 2008|access-date=September 27, 2009}}</ref> but Wallonia is not yet at the level of [[Flanders]] and is still suffering from difficulties.

[[Image:Spa JPG02.jpg|thumb|left|The word ''[[spa]]'' comes from the healing [[hot springs]] of [[Spa, Belgium|Spa]] in the [[Ardennes]]. Tourism is an important part of the economy of Wallonia.<ref>According to [[La Libre Belgique]] on 26 August 2010: 9.8 million visitors in 2009 (2.8 in Brussels), 6% of the regional economy (15% in Brussels)</ref>]][[File:Belgium, Charleroi (Dampremy), Rue Arthur Decoux (1).jpg|thumb|right|250px|Urban blight in Damprémy near Charleroi]]
The current Walloon economy is relatively diversified, although certain areas (especially around Charleroi and Liège) are still suffering from the steel industry crisis, with an unemployment rate of up to 30 percent. Nonetheless, Wallonia has some companies which are world leaders in their specialized fields, including [[Weapon|armaments]], glass production,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/agc-flat-glass-leadership-through-innovation|title=AGC Flat Glass: Leadership through innovation|website=Uwe.be|access-date=11 November 2008|archive-date=9 October 2008|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20081009135400/http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/agc-flat-glass-leadership-through-innovation|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[Calcium oxide|lime]] and [[limestone]] production,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/carmeuse-expansion-through-partnership-and-knowledge|title=Carmeuse: expansion through partnership and knowledge|website=Uwe.be|access-date=2008-11-11|archive-date=2011-07-22|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722023258/http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/carmeuse-expansion-through-partnership-and-knowledge|url-status=dead}}</ref> [[cyclotron]]s<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/iba2019s-growth-still-accelerating|title=IBA's growth still accelerating|website=Uwe.be|access-date=2008-11-11|archive-date=2011-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706142424/http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/iba2019s-growth-still-accelerating|url-status=dead}}</ref> and aviation parts.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/sonaca-increasing-visibility-in-north-america|title=Sonaca: Increasing visibility in North America|website=Uwe.be|access-date=2008-11-11|archive-date=2011-07-06|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110706142434/http://www.uwe.be/bases-de-donnees/leaders-mondiaux/sonaca-increasing-visibility-in-north-america|url-status=dead}}</ref> The south of Wallonia, bordering [[Luxembourg]], benefits from its neighbour's economic prosperity, with many Belgians working on the other side of the border; they are often called ''frontaliers''. The [[Ardennes]] area south of the [[Meuse]] is a popular tourist destination for its nature and outdoor sports, in addition to its cultural heritage, with places such as [[Bastogne]], [[Dinant]], [[Durbuy]], and the famous [[hot springs]] of [[Spa, Belgium|Spa]].

The Gross domestic product (GDP) of the region was 105.7 billion € in 2018, accounting for 23% of Belgian economic output. GDP per capita adjusted for purchasing power was €25,700  or 85% of the EU27 average in the same year.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://ec.europa.eu/eurostat/documents/2995521/10474907/1-05032020-AP-EN.pdf/81807e19-e4c8-2e53-c98a-933f5bf30f58|title=Regional GDP per capita ranged from 30% to 263% of the EU average in 2018|website=Eurostat}}</ref>