Coordinates: 50°39′21″N 3°11′19″E / 50.6558°N 3.1886°E / 50.6558; 3.1886

Hem is a commune in the Nord department in northern France.

It is located near the city of Roubaix.

Hem is one of the oldest communes in the North of France. Originally known as ‘Ham’, it became ‘Hem’ during the 14th century. The name means ‘the dwelling-place’ and suggests a large number of households of the size of a hamlet.

A territory of around 9.65 km² (3.73 sq mi), Hem at the beginning of the 19th century numbered just 4 876 inhabitants. It was at first essentially an agricultural centre with the fine plains of Hauts-Champs, Longchamp, Beaumont and Le Civron, but would reach the height of its industrial prosperity in 1900 although there would still be 41 farmers.

It was after the Second World War that the population of Hem began to grow rapidly. In the space of twenty years, Hem's population quadrupled. The town's former centre found itself increasingly pushed towards the town limits; the new housing was largely concentrated around the north of the town and would accommodate almost 50 per cent of the population. This housing would count for 72 per cent of the total housing of Hem but only 15 per cent of the total area of the town.

Daouda Sow (born January 19, 1983 in Roubaix) is an amateur boxer from France. He competed at the 2008 Summer Olympics in the lightweight division.

At the first Olympic qualifier the southpaw lost to Ukrainian Oleksandr Klyuchko but qualified at the second tournament. At Beijing he surprisingly medaled by beating Olympic silver medalist Kim Song-Guk, José Pedraza, local Hu Qing and 2005 world champ Yordenis Ugas and made it to the final. There he was edged out by Russian 2004 Olympic Champion Aleksei Tishchenko 9:11.

2008 (as a lightweight)

2007 (as a lightweight)