The is a river rising in northern
France and flowing into southern
Belgium .
It passes through the Franco-Belgian coal basin, formerly an important industrial district.
It is canalized along much of its length and flows into the
Meuse River at
Namur , Belgium.
The cities
Maubeuge (France) and
Charleroi (Belgium) lie along the Sambre which flows through the French ''
Département s''
Aisne and
Nord and the Belgian provinces
Hainaut and
Namur .
Heavy fighting occurred along it during
World War I , especially at the siege of Namur in
1914 .
