Gaume

Gaume(French pronunciation:[ɡom]) is a region in the extreme southeast ofBelgium.At a lower altitude than theArdennes,it borders the French region ofLorraineto the south (although some consider the bordering parts of Lorraine to beGaume française), theLand of Arlon(Luxembourgish: Arelerland) to the east, and the Belgian part of theArdennesto the north.

In cultural terms, Gaume is theRomance-speaking part of what is now calledBelgian Lorraine,Arelerland being its Luxembourgish-speaking part.

Gaume was part of theGrand-Duchy of Luxembourgtill 1839, when it was integrated in the newly created Belgian province of Luxembourg.

It is composed of the districts ofChiny,Étalle,Florenville,Habay,Meix-devant-Virton,Musson,Rouvroy,TintignyandVirton,but some villages in the northern districts are not in Gaume (asSuxyorHachy).

Historically, the area aroundMontmédy,CarignanandCharency-Vezin,that was ceded toFrancebySpainin 1659, is also part of Gaume. Therefore, strictly speaking, the southern border of the region is not the border with France. The French part of the Gaume, namedGaume françaiseby some, is part of a greater cluster of former Luxembourgish territories called French Luxembourg. It consists of the canton ofMontmédy,almost all of the canton ofCarignanand parts of the cantons ofDamvillersandLonguyon.It largely corresponds with the now French part of the county ofChiny.

The unofficial capital of the Gaume region isVirton.

Temperatures in this region are often 1 °C to 3 °C higher than in other parts of theprovince of Luxembourgbecause of a distinctivemicroclimate.

Gaume is a popular destination fortourism in Belgium.

TheLorrain language,alangue d'oïlthat is distinct from theWalloon language,is a minority language in Gaume, where it is known asgaumais.Although it is declining, several local authors are trying to revive its usage. Lorrain is recognized as a regional language of Wallonia.