Has a Population over 100,000.

Location

It is situated on the Meuse on the Sambre - Meuse coal field. It is a drier -port connected to Antwerp by a deep water Albert canal.

Functions

It became an important manufacturing centre depending on the local supplies of coal, iron  limestone and Zinc from the Ardennes which have been worked out (except limestone)

Its imports are similar to Antwerp, coal from Ruhr, copper ore from Zanzibar, Aluminum from Ghana, Rubber, Palm kernels, palm oil, iron ore from Sweden, Luxembourg and France etc- However, it is the chief centre for the production of iron and steel products.

Industries

It is an area of great industrial activity concerned with Iron and steel works and non -ferrous metal works-

Products include locomotives, cycle, steel and iron bars, cable wires, utensils and fire arms, electrical equipment, aircrafts.