Mons

This article is about the city in Belgium. For other uses, see Mons (disambiguation).

Mons (Dutch: Bergen) is a municipality located in the Belgian province of Hainaut, of which it is the capital. On January 1st, 2002 Mons had a total population of 90,955 (43,520 males and 47,435 females). The total area is 147.73 km² which gives a population density of 615.68 inhabitants per km². Located close to the French border, it is the centre of the Borinage district, the old coal mining centre of the country. During the First World War it was occupied by the Germans, before being liberated by the Canadian Corps during the final days of the war. NATO's Supreme Headquarters Allied Powers in Europe (SHAPE) was relocated to Mons, Belgium after France's withdrawal. \n\n