Coordinates: 52.3° N 3.7° W
| Cymru
Wales
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Motto
Cymru am byth (Welsh)
"Wales Forever" |
Anthem
"Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" (Welsh)
"Land of my fathers"
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Capital
(and largest city) |
Cardiff
51°29′N, 3°11′W |
| Official languages |
Welsh, English |
| Government |
Constitutional monarchy |
| - |
Queen (of the UK) |
Queen Elizabeth II |
| - |
Prime Minister (of the UK) |
Gordon Brown MP |
| - |
First Minister (of Wales) |
Rhodri Morgan AM |
| - |
Secretary of State (in the UK government) |
Peter Hain MP |
| Unification |
| - |
by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn |
1056 |
| Area |
| - |
Total |
20,779 km²
8,022 sq mi |
| Population |
| - |
2005 estimate |
2,958,6001 |
| - |
2001 census |
2,903,085 |
| - |
Density |
140/km²
361/sq mi |
| GDP (PPP) |
2002 estimate |
| - |
Total |
US$48 billion |
| - |
Per capita |
US$23,741 |
| HDI (2003) |
0.939 (high) |
| Currency |
Pound sterling (GBP) |
| Time zone |
GMT (UTC0) |
| - |
Summer (DST) |
BST (UTC+1) |
| Internet TLD |
.uk2 |
| Calling code |
+44 |
| Patron saint |
David |
| 1 |
Office for National Statistics - UK population grows to more than 60 million |
| 2 |
Also .eu, as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB, but .gb is unused. |
Wales (Welsh: Cymru;[1] pronounced /ˈkəmrɨ/) is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. Wales is a Principality closely, but not completely, integrated politically with England. Wales is located in the south-west of the island of Great Britain and is bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel (Môr Hafren) to the south and the Irish Sea (Môr Iwerddon) to the west and north, and also by the estuary of the River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) in the north-east. Wales is the largest principality in the world.
Welsh cultural identity is represented by elements such as the Welsh language (which remains one of Europe's oldest spoken indigenous languages), ancient Welsh festivals and traditions, monastic asceticism, a highly evolved secular legal system (Cyfraith Hywel), and a distinctive literary tradition and culture which emerged after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. Of the principal polities within Wales, only Gwynedd retained independence until the late 13th century, when it was finally conquered by England. However, formal annexation and abolition of Welsh law did not take place until the 16th century. Wales (with all regions united under one government) has never been a sovereign state, although a number of internal principalities remained independent until the Anglo-Norman conquest and the Welsh national hero Prince Owain Glyndŵr briefly created an independent Welsh kingdom in the early 15th Century.
From the late 18th century, some parts of Wales became heavily industrialised, playing a significant and innovative role in the industrial revolution, as it exported vast quantities of coal and steel and established a large manufacturing base which has only recently been overtaken by the tourism and service sectors. More latterly, manufacturing emphasis has been on the electronic and technological sectors.
Two thirds of the population of Wales live in the coastal plains and valleys of the south, with a further significant population concentration in the north east. The remaining areas in mid Wales, the north west and south west are predominantly rural and characterised by hilly and mountainous terrain.
From the 19th century a the notion of a distinctive Welsh polity has emerged. Wales's largest city, Cardiff (Caerdydd) was formally recognised as the capital of Wales in 1955. A devolved legislature, the National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was formed in 1999, with powers to amend primary legislation from the U.K. Parliament as well as propose and pass its own laws.
Etymology
- See also: List of meanings of countries' names and History of the term Vlach
The English name for Wales originates from the Germanic word Walha, meaning "foreigner", probably derived from the term Volcae. The term also appears in the "-wall" of Cornwall. The Welsh call themselves Cymry in Welsh, which most likely meant "compatriots" in Old Welsh[2]. The name competed for a long time in Welsh literature with the older name Brythoniaid (Brythons). Only after 1100 did the former become as common as the latter[3]; both terms applied originally not only to the inhabitants of what is now called Wales, but in general to speakers of the Brythonic language and its descendants, many of whom lived in "the Old North": the placenames Cymru (Welsh for Wales) and Cumbria are of the same origin.[3] The Angles, Saxons and Jutes were known indiscriminately as Saeson in Welsh (the term is cognate with "Saxon"; compare Gaelic Sassenach); Sais, plural Saeson, is the modern Welsh word for "Englishman".
There is also a medieval legend found in the Historia Regum Britanniae of Sieffre o Fynwy (Geoffrey of Monmouth) that derives it from the name Camber, son of Brutus and, according to the legend, the eponymous King of Cymru (Cambria in Latin); this however is considered largely the fruit of Geoffrey's vivid imagination. Cumberland and Cumbria in the North of England derive their names from the same Old Welsh word.
History
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- Bangor
- Cardiff (Caerdydd)
- Newport (Casnewydd)
- St David's (Tyddewi)
- Swansea (Abertawe)
(St. Asaph historically had city status. The 1911 Encyclopædia Britannica refers to it as a city, but it is no longer considered as such. Applications for restoration of city status in the 2000 and 2002 competitions were unsuccessful).
- Highest maximum temperature: 35.2°C (95.4°F) at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2 August 1990.
- Lowest minimum temperature: -23.3°C (-10°F) at Rhayader, Radnorshire on 21 January 1940. [1]
- Maximum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 354.3 hours at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire in July 1955.
- Minimum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 2.7 hours at Llwynon, Brecknockshire in January 1962. [2]
- Maximum rainfall in a day (0900 UTC - 0900 UTC): 211 mm (8.30 inches) at Rhondda, Glamorgan, on 11 November 1929. [3]
- See also: List of towns in Wales
Economy
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- The Flag of Wales incorporates the red dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) of Prince Cadwalader along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 after which it was carried in state to St. Paul's Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. The British Union Flag incorporates the flags of Scotland, Ireland and England but does not have any Welsh representation. Technically, however, it is represented by the flag of England due to the Laws in Wales act of 1535 which annexed Wales following the Thirteenth Century conquest.
- The flag of Owain Glyndŵr, which has 4 squares alternating in red and yellow and then a rampant lion in each square of the opposite colour. Some believe that this is the true flag of Wales arguing that Owain Glyndŵr was the last real Prince of Wales.
- The Dragon, part of the national flag design, is also a popular Welsh symbol. The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 820, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. This myth is likely to have originated from Merlin's vision of a Red (The Native Britons) and White (The Saxon Invaders) dragon battling, with the Red dragon being victorious. Following the annexation of Wales by England, the dragon was used as a supporter in the English monarch's coat of arms.
- The leek is also a national emblem of Wales. According to legend, Saint David ordered his Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons that took place in a leek field.
- The daffodil is the national flower of Wales, and is worn on St David's Day each March 1. (In Welsh, the daffodil is known as "Peter's Leek", cennin Pedr.)
- The Sessile Oak is the national tree of Wales.
- The Flag of Saint David is sometimes used as an alternative to the national flag (and used in part of Cardiff City FC's crest), and is flown on St David's Day.
- The Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales is used by Charles, Prince of Wales in his personal standard.
- The Prince of Wales's feathers, the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales is sometimes adapted by Welsh bodies for use in Wales. The symbolism is explained on the article for Edward, the Black Prince, who was the first Prince of Wales to bear the emblem; see also John, King of Bohemia. The Welsh Rugby Union uses such a design for its own badge.
- The red kite is sometimes named as the national bird of Wales.
Photos of Wales
Nantclwyd-y-dre, Ruthin, thought to be the oldest town house in Wales
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Notable Welsh people
- see List of Welsh people
See also
References
- ^ Also spelled "Gymru" or "Nghymru" or "Chymru" in certain contexts, as Welsh is a language with initial mutations— see Welsh morphology.
- ^ Online Etymological Dictionary Cymric
- ^ a b Davies, John (1990/2007). A History of Wales. London: Penguin Books, 68–69.
- ^ For the original Middle Welsh text see, Ifor Williams (ed.), Breuddwyd Maxen (Bangor, 1920). Discussion of the tale and its context in, M.P. Charlesworth, The Lost Province (Gregynog Lectures series, 1948, 1949).
- ^ The earliest instance of Lloegyr occurs in the early 10th century prophetic poem . It seems comparatively late as a place name, the nominative plural , "men of Lloegr", being earlier and more common. The English were sometimes referred to as an entity in early poetry (Saeson, as today) but just as often as Eingl (Angles), Iwys (Wessex-men), etc. Lloegr and Saecson became the norm later when England emerged as a kingdom. As for its origins, some scholars have suggested that it originally referred only to Mercia - at that time a powerful kingdom and for centuries the main foe of the Welsh. It was then applied to the new kingdom of England as a whole (see for instance Rachel Bromwich (ed.), ', University of Wales Press, 1987). "The lost land" and other fanciful meanings, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth's monarch , have no etymological basis whatsoever. (See also Discussion, article 40)
- ^ "Tribute to lost Welsh princess", bbc.co.uk date 12 June 2000, URL retrieved on 5 March 2007
- ^ Official Welsh Government biography of Morgan.
- ^ See Meic Stephens (ed.), Companion to Welsh Literature. The doggerel verse was composed in English, probably for the benefit of visitors from across Offa's Dyke.
- ^ 41,155 (1951 Census: Wales total monoglots)
- ^ are also growing in Wales. Many Pagans and Wiccans also visit Wales because of the Ancient Celtic history the country has.BBC - Wales - History of religion : Multicultural Wales
- ^ Welsh language paper is unveiled. BBC News (20 June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
- ^ "Wales: Cultural life: Music, literature and film". Britannica (Online). (2006).
External links
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Wales
