The Walloons, who make up about one-third of the Belgian population, speak dialects of French and live chiefly in the south and east. The religion of the vast majority of both groups is Roman Catholicism. Originally, the area of Belgium was a part of Gaul in Roman times and was inhabited by Romanized Celts.

Where did the Walloons come from?

The first wave of many thousands of French-speaking Protestants were Walloon refugees who arrived in England from the Spanish Netherlands (now Belgium and the Netherlands) in 1567, having been forced to flee the suppression of Protestantism by King Philip of Spain's forces lead by the Duke of Alva.

Is Walloon still spoken?

Although Walloon was widely spoken until the mid-20th century, today only a small proportion of the inhabitants of the region are fluent in the language. ... The Walloon language is still part of the Walloon heritage; it is one component of Walloon identity.