The Fagne or la Fagne is a natural region in southern Belgium

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 and northern France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

, sometimes grouped with Famenne

Famenne

Famenne is a natural region in southern Belgium. Together with The Fagne or la Fagne, west of the river Meuse, it is part of the Fagne-Famenne natural region...

 as Fagne-Famenne. It should not be confused with the High Fens

High Fens

The High Fens , which were declared a nature reserve in 1957, are an upland area, a plateau region in the province of Liège, in the east of Belgium and nearby parts of Germany, lying between the Ardennes and the Eifel highlands. It is the largest nature reserve or park in Belgium, with an area of ;...

 , which are further east and straddle the border of Belgium and Germany

Germany

Germany , officially the Federal Republic of Germany , is a federal parliamentary republic in Europe. The country consists of 16 states while the capital and largest city is Berlin. Germany covers an area of 357,021 km2 and has a largely temperate seasonal climate...

.

Etymology

The word Fagne comes from the Walloon language

Walloon language

Walloon is a Romance language which was spoken as a primary language in large portions of the Walloon Region of Belgium and some villages of Northern France until the middle of the 20th century. It belongs to the langue d'oïl language family, whose most prominent member is the French language...

, and means 'swampy ground'. This term comes from the Old Low Franconian *fanja 'mud', in turn coming from the Gothic

Gothic language

Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. It is known primarily from the Codex Argenteus, a 6th-century copy of a 4th-century Bible translation, and is the only East Germanic language with a sizable Text corpus...

 fani 'mud'. The English term 'fen' is a cognate

Cognate

In linguistics, cognates are words that have a common etymological origin. This learned term derives from the Latin cognatus . Cognates within the same language are called doublets. Strictly speaking, loanwords from another language are usually not meant by the term, e.g...

. The Haute Fagnes in eastern Belgium share the same etymology.

Geography

The Fagne is mostly in the provinces of Namur

Namur (province)

Namur is a province of Wallonia, one of the three regions of Belgium. It borders on the Walloon provinces of Hainaut, Walloon Brabant, Liège and Luxembourg in Belgium, and on France. Its capital is the city of Namur...

 and Hainaut in Wallonia in southern Belgium. It extends west into the French Arrondissement of Avesnes-sur-Helpe

Arrondissement of Avesnes-sur-Helpe

The arrondissement of Avesnes-sur-Helpe is an arrondissement of France, located in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas de Calais region. It has 12 cantons and 151 communes.-Cantons:The cantons of the arrondissement of Avesnes-sur-Helpe are:...

 in the Nord department, in the Nord-Pas de Calais

Nord-Pas de Calais

Nord-Pas de Calais , Nord for short, is one of the 27 regions of France. It consists of the departments of Nord and Pas-de-Calais, in the north and has a border with Belgium. Most of the region was once part of the Southern Netherlands, within the Low Countries, and gradually became part of France...

 region

Régions of France

France is divided into 27 administrative regions , 22 of which are in Metropolitan France, and five of which are overseas. Corsica is a territorial collectivity , but is considered a region in mainstream usage, and is even shown as such on the INSEE website...

. It is bounded on the east by the river Meuse

Meuse

Meuse is a department in northeast France, named after the River Meuse.-History:Meuse is one of the original 83 departments created during the French Revolution on March 4, 1790...

, east of which lies Famenne

Famenne

Famenne is a natural region in southern Belgium. Together with The Fagne or la Fagne, west of the river Meuse, it is part of the Fagne-Famenne natural region...

, similar to the Fagne both geographically and naturally. To the north of both lies the Condroz

Condroz

The Condroz is a region in the center of Wallonia and in the south of Belgium. Its unofficial capital is Ciney....

 natural region. The Fagne and Famennes are at the western edge of the Ardennes

Ardennes

The Ardennes is a region of extensive forests, rolling hills and ridges formed within the Givetian Ardennes mountain range, primarily in Belgium and Luxembourg, but stretching into France , and geologically into the Eifel...

 mountain range.

Philippeville

Philippeville

Philippeville is a Walloon municipality located in Belgium in the province of Namur. The Philippeville municipality includes the old communes of Fagnolle, Franchimont, Jamagne, Jamiolle, Merlemont, Neuville, Omezée, Roly, Romedenne, Samart, Sart-en-Fagne, Sautour, Surice , Villers-en-Fagne,...

 is the largest and most important town in The Fagne, and considered an unofficial capital of sorts. Other settlements of note include Couvin

Couvin

Couvin is a Walloon municipality and town located in Belgium in the province of Namur.On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 13,476 inhabitants. Couvin is the second largest municipality of Belgium by surface area, after Tournai...

, Cerfontaine

Cerfontaine, Belgium

Cerfontaine is a Walloon municipality located in Belgium in the province of Namur. On January 1, 2006 Cerfontaine had a total population of 4,546. The total area is 83.45 km² which gives a population density of 54 inhabitants per km²....

, Rance, Trélon

Trélon

-References:*...

 and Solre-le-Château

Solre-le-Château

-References:*...

.