Editing Dinant (section)

==Geography==
Dinant is positioned in the Upper [[Meuse]] valley, at a point where the river cuts deeply into the western [[Condroz|Condroz plateau]].  Sited in a steep-sided valley, between the rock face and the river, the original settlement had little space in which to grow away from the river, and it therefore expanded into a long, thin town, on a north–south axis, along the river shore. During the 19th century, the former ''Île des Batteurs'' (Drummers' Island) to the south was attached directly to the town when a branch of the Meuse was filled in.

Dinant has been enriched by the agricultural opportunities presented by the fertile land on the plateau that overlooks it. Within the town, [[Ornamental brassware|brassware]] production is a traditional craft that has benefited from the presence of the broad and, at this point, easily navigable river which has facilitated easy delivery of the raw materials and ready distribution of the resulting products of the artisans' workshops. Another traditional source of wealth is provided by the [[limestone]] cliffs overlooking the town, which supported a high-end quarrying industry, producing [[Noir de Golzinne|black marble]] and [[bluestone]], and whose distribution also benefited from the proximity of the relatively wide and deep navigable river.