Steve Lee, age 16, of New Bedford, mass., for his question:

WHO ARE THE WALLOONS?

Walloons are French speaking people of central and southern Belgium inhabiting the provinces of Liege, Hainault, Luxembourg, Namur and southern Brabant. They constitute one of two principal ethnic groups found in Belgium, the other being the Flemings, a Dutch speaking people of the northern provinces.

The Walloons are chiefly descended from the Romanized Celts of northern Gaul, the so called Belgae described by Julius Caesar in his "Commentaries."

Since the early Middle Ages the Walloons and the Flemings have been characterized by social and economic differences, and the division was intensified during the 19th century.

During the religious wars of the 16th and 17th centuries, members of the few Protestant Walloon communities immigrated to the Netherlands and to America.

Even in the late 20th century, the continuing differences and rivalries between the Walloons and the Flemings remain among the thorniest problems of the Belgian central government.