Charleroi (UK: , US: , French: [ʃaʁləʁwa]; Walloon: Tchålerwè [tʃɑːlɛʀwɛ]) is a city and a municipality of Wallonia, located in the province of Hainaut, Belgium. By 1 January 2008, the total population of Charleroi was 201,593. The metropolitan area, including the outer commuter zone, covers an area of 1,462 square kilometres (564 sq mi) with a total population of 522,522 by 1 January 2008, ranking it as the 5th most populous in Belgium after Brussels, Antwerp, Liège, and Ghent. The inhabitants are called Carolorégiens or simply Carolos.


Charleroi lies on the banks of the river Sambre in an industrial region, which has been nicknamed "the Pays Noir" (Black Country) or "Wallonia's Birmingham", for its extensive coal deposits and ironworks. Once a major centre of steel production in Wallonia, Charleroi today is also known as one of the centres of excellence for the Information technology sector in Belgium with several companies such as Microsoft and Hewlett-Packard having offices there.

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