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| Wales is not WORTHY to have a page because Shaun Randle a dirty little sheep humper lives there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! | |||
| {{coor title d|52.3|N|3.7|W|region:GB_type:country}} | |||
| {{about|the country}} | |||
| {{Infobox Country | |||
| |native_name = {{lang|cy|''Cymru''}} | |||
| |conventional_long_name = Wales | |||
| |common_name = Wales | |||
| |image_flag = Flag of Wales 2.svg | |||
| |image_coat = Wales coa.jpg | |||
| |symbol_type = Coat of arms | |||
| |national_motto = {{lang|cy|''Cymru am byth''}}<br/>(] for "Wales forever") | |||
| |national_anthem = {{lang|cy|'']''}}<br/>(] for "Land of My Fathers") | |||
| |patron_saint = ] | |||
| |image_map = Europe location WAL.png | |||
| |map_caption = {{map_caption |region=] |subregion=the ]}} | |||
| |capital = ] (''Caerdydd'') | |||
| |latd= 51|latm=29 |latNS= N|longd=3 |longm=11|longEW=W | |||
| |largest_city = capital | |||
| |official_languages = ], ] | |||
| |government_type = ] | |||
| |leader_title1 = ] | |||
| |leader_name1 = ] | |||
| |leader_title2 = ] | |||
| |leader_name2 = ] ] | |||
| |leader_title3 = ] | |||
| |leader_name3 = ] ] | |||
| |leader_title4 = ] | |||
| |leader_name4 = ] ] | |||
| |sovereignty_type = ] | |||
| |sovereignty_note = | |||
| |established_event1 = by ] | |||
| |established_date1 = ] | |||
| |area_rank = | |||
| |area_magnitude = 1 E10 | |||
| |area = 20,779 | |||
| |areami² = 8,022 | |||
| |percent_water = | |||
| |population_estimate = 2,958,600<sup>1</sup> | |||
| |population_estimate_rank = | |||
| |population_estimate_year = 2005 | |||
| |population_census = 2,903,085 | |||
| |population_census_year = 2001 | |||
| |population_density = 140 | |||
| |population_densitymi² = 361 | |||
| |population_density_rank = | |||
| |GDP_PPP = ]48 billion | |||
| |GDP_PPP_rank = | |||
| |GDP_PPP_year = 2002 | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita = ]23,741 | |||
| |GDP_PPP_per_capita_rank = | |||
| |GDP_nominal = | |||
| |GDP_nominal_rank = | |||
| |GDP_nominal_year = | |||
| |GDP_nominal_per_capita = | |||
| |GDP_nominal_per_capita_rank = | |||
| |HDI = 0.939 | |||
| |HDI_rank = | |||
| |HDI_year = 2003 | |||
| |HDI_category = <font color="#009900">high</font> | |||
| |currency = ] | |||
| |currency_code = GBP | |||
| |time_zone = GMT | |||
| |utc_offset = 0 | |||
| |time_zone_DST = BST | |||
| |DST_note = | |||
| |utc_offset_DST = +1 | |||
| |cctld = ]<sup>2</sup> | |||
| |calling_code = 44 | |||
| |footnote1 = Office for National Statistics - | |||
| |footnote2 = Also ], as part of the ]. ] is ], but ] is unused.}} | |||
| '''Wales''' ({{lang-cy| Cymru<!-- *NOTE*: Standard Wiki style is that non-English alternative names for articles are in italics rather than bold. This doesn't change for country names — see the articles on Germany or Italy for example. -->}}; pronounced ]: {{IPA|/ˈkəmrɨ/}}) is one of the four ] of the ]. Wales is located in the south-west of ] and is bordered by ] to the east, the ] (''Môr Hafren'') to the south and the ] (''Môr Iwerddon'') to the west and north, and also by the estuary of the ] (''Afon Dyfrdwy'') in the north-east. Wales is the largest ] in the world. | |||
| Welsh ], represented by elements such as ] ], a highly evolved ] ] (''Cyfraith Hywel''), and a distinctive ] emerged after the ] in the ]. Of the principal ] within Wales, only ] retained independence until the late 13th century, when it too was conquered by England. However, formal annexation and ] did not take place until the 16th century. Wales (with all regions united under one government) has never been a ], although a number of rival principalities remained independent until the ] conquest. | |||
| From the 19th Century parts of Wales became heavily ], exporting vast quantities of ] and ] and establishing a large manufacturing base which has only recently been overtaken by the ]. Despite lower ] than other regions of Britain, the gap in real ] across the whole of Wales, compared to other parts of Britain, is not as pronounced. | |||
| Two thirds of the population of Wales live in the valleys and coastal plain of the south, with a further significant population concentration in the north east. The remaining areas in Mid Wales, the south west and west are predominantly rural and characterised by hilly and mountainous terrain. | |||
| From the 20th Century a revival in Welsh national consciousness and sentiment has taken place. | |||
| Wales's largest city, ] (''Caerdydd'') was established as the capital of Wales in 1955. The ] (''Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru'') was formed in 1999, with powers to amend primary legislation from the U.K. Parliament. These powers were widened by the ], which will take effect after the 2007 Welsh Assembly election. The ] (''Llywodraeth Cynulliad Cymru'') will be reformed from a committee ''within'' the Assembly to a separate Welsh Government executive body, with a role similar to that of the ]. | |||
| ==Etymology== | |||
| {{See also|List of meanings of countries' names|History of the term Vlach}} | |||
| The English name for Wales ] from the ] word '']a'', meaning "stranger" or "foreigner", probably derived from the term ]. The term also appears in the "-wall" of ]. The Welsh called themselves ''Cymry'', "compatriots", and named their country ''Cymru'', which is thought to have meant "Land of the Compatriots" in ]; this has reference to their awareness that they were the original countrymen of Wales, and indeed Britain by virtue of their ancestors the ''Brythoniaid'' (]), and also in order to distinguish themselves from the foreign invaders of Britain, the ''Saeson'' (English). | |||
| There is also a mediaeval legend found in the ] of ''Sieffre o Fynwy'' (]) that derives it from the name ], son of ] and, according to the legend, the eponymous King of Cymru (] in ]); this however was largely the fruit of Geoffrey's vivid imagination. ] and ] in the North of England derive their names from the same Old Welsh word. | |||
| ==History== | |||
| {{main|History of Wales}} | |||
| ===Colonisation=== | |||
| ] | |||
| The first documented history was recorded during the ] occupation of Britain. At that time the area of modern Wales was divided into many tribes, of which the ] in the south-east and the ] in the central and north-west areas were the largest and most powerful. The Romans established a string of forts across what is now Southern Wales, as far west as ] (''Caerfyrddin''; {{lang-la|Maridunum}}), and mined gold at ] in Carmarthenshire. There is evidence that they progressed even farther west. They also built the legionary fortress at ] ({{lang-la|Isca Silurum}}), whose magnificent ] is the best preserved in Britain. The Romans were also busy in Northern Wales, and the mediaeval Welsh tale ''Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig'' claims that ] (''Macsen Wledig''), one of the last western Roman emperors, married Elen or Helen, the daughter of a Welsh chieftain from ], present-day ].<ref>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).</ref> It was in the ] during the Roman occupation that ] was introduced to Wales. | |||
| After the ] in 410, much of the ] were overrun by various ]. However, ], ], ], Morgannwg, and ] emerged as independent Welsh ]. They endured, in part because of favourable geographical features such as uplands, mountains, and rivers and a resilient society that did not collapse with the end of the Roman ]. This tenacious survival by the ] and their descendants in the western kingdoms was to become the foundation of what we now know as Wales. With the loss of the lowlands, England's kingdoms of ] and ], and later ], wrestled with Powys, Gwent, and Gwynedd to define the frontier between the two peoples. | |||
| Having lost much of the ] to Mercia in the 6th and early 7th century, a resurgent late 7th century Powys checked Mercian advancement. ], looking to defend recently acquired lands, had built ]. According to John Davies, this endeavour may have been with Powys king ]'s own agreement, however, for this boundary, extending north from the Severn valley to the Dee estuary, gave Oswestry (Welsh: Croesoswallt) to Powys.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} King ] seems to have continued this consultive initiative when he created a larger earth work, now known as Offa's Dyke (Welsh: Clawdd Offa). Davies wrote of ]'s study of ]: | |||
| {{quotation|In the planning of it, there was a degree of consultation with the kings of Powys and Gwent. On the Long Mountain near Trelystan, the dyke veers to the east, leaving the fertile slops in the hands of the Welsh; near Rhiwabod, it was designed to ensure that Cadell ap Brochwel retained possession of the Fortress of Penygadden." And for Gwent Offa had the dyke built "on the eastern crest of the gorge, clearly with the intention of recognizing that the river Wye and its traffic belonged to the kingdom of Gwent.}} | |||
| Offa's Dyke largely remained the frontier between the Welsh and English, though the Welsh would recover by the 12th century the area between the ] and the Conwy known then as the ]. By the eighth century the eastern borders with the Anglo-Saxons had broadly been set. | |||
| Following the successful examples of Cornwall in 722 and Brittany in 865, the Britons of Wales made their peace with the Vikings and asked the Norsemen to help the Britons fight the Anglo-Saxons of Mercia to prevent an Anglo-saxon conquest of Wales. In 878 AD the Britons of Wales unified with the Vikings of Denmark to destroy an Anglo-Saxon army of Mercians. Like Cornwall in 722, this decisive defeating of the Saxons gave Wales some decades of peace from Anglo-saxon attack. In 1063, the Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Llewelyn made an alliance with Norwegian Vikings against Mercia which, as in 878 AD was successful, and the Saxons of Mercia defeated. As with Cornwall and Brittany, Viking aggression towards the Saxons/Franks ended any chance of the Anglo-Saxons/Franks conquering their Celtic neighbours. | |||
| ===Medieval Wales=== | |||
| The southern and eastern lands lost to English settlement became known in Welsh as ''Lloegyr'' (Modern Welsh ''Lloegr''), which may have referred to the kingdom of Mercia originally, and which came to refer to England as a whole.<ref>The earliest instance of Lloegyr occurs in the early 10th century prophetic poem Armes Prydain. It seems comparatively late as a place name, the nominative plural Lloegrwys, "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 Saeson 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 ] (ed.), ''Trioedd Ynys Prydain'', University of Wales Press, 1987). "The lost land" and other fanciful meanings, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth's monarch Locrinus, have no etymological basis whatsoever. (See also Discussion, article 40)</ref> The Germanic tribes who now dominated these lands were invariably called ''Saeson'', meaning "Saxons". The Anglo-Saxons, in turn, labelled the Romano-British as ], meaning 'foreigner' or 'stranger'. The Welsh continued to call themselves ''Brythoniaid'' (Brythons or Britons) well into the ], though the first use of ''Cymru'' and ''y Cymry'' is found as early as 633 in the ] of ]. In ], written in about 930, the words ''Cymry'' and ''Cymro'' are used as often as 15 times. It was not until about the 12th century however, that ''Cymry'' began to overtake ''Brythoniaid'' in their writings. | |||
| ], built by ] in the early 13th century to watch over one of the valley routes into Gwynedd]] | |||
| From the year 800 onwards a series of dynastic marriages led to ]'s (r. 844-877) inheritance of Gwynedd and Powys. His sons in turn would found three principal dynasties (] for Gwynedd, ] for Deheubarth, and ] for Powys), each competing for hegemony over the others. Rhodri's grandson ] (r.900-950) founded Deheubarth out of his maternal and paternal inheritances of Dyfed and Seisyllwg, oust the Aberffraw dynasty from Gwynedd and Powys, and codify ] in 930, finally going on a pilgrimage to Rome (and allegedly having the Law Codes blessed by the pope). ] (r.986-999) of Deheubarth (Hywel's grandson) would, (again) temporarily oust the Aberffraw line for control of Gwynedd and Powys. Maredudd's great-grandson (through his daughter Princess Angharad) ] (r.1039-1063) would conquer his cousins' realms from his base in Powys, and even extend his authority into England. ] (1100-1170) of the Aberffraw line was the first Welsh ruler to use the title '''''princeps Wallensium''''' (prince of the Welsh), a title of substance given his victory on the Berwyn Mountains, according to historian John Davies.{{Fact|date=March 2007}} The Aberffraw dynasty would surge to pre-eminence with Owain Gwynedd's grandson ] (the Great) (b.1173-1240), wrestling concessions out of the ] in 1215 and receiving the ] of other Welsh lords in 1216 at the council at Aberdyfi, becoming the first ]. His grandson ] also secured the recognition of the title ''Prince of Wales'' from ] with the ] in 1267. Later however, a succession of disputes, including the imprisonment of Llywelyn's wife Eleanor, daughter of ], culminated in the first invasion by ]. As a result of military defeat, the ] imposed English fealty over Llywelyn in 1277. Peace was short lived and in 1282 the English conquest of Wales permanently ended the rule of the Welsh princes, with Llywelyn's death and his brother prince ]'s execution. Llywelyn's head was then carried through London on a spear; his baby daughter Gwenllian was locked in the priory at Sempringham, where she remained until her death fifty four years later.<ref> date 12 June 2000, URL retrieved on 5 March 2007</ref> | |||
| To help maintain his dominance, Edward constructed a series of great stone ]s. ], ], and ] were built mainly to overshadow the Welsh royal home and headquarters ], ], on the north coast of Gwynedd. | |||
| There was no major uprising except that led by ] a century later, against ]. In ] Owain was reputedly crowned Prince of Wales in the presence of emissaries from ], ] and ]; he went on to hold parliamentary assemblies at several Welsh towns, including Machynlleth. The rebellion was ultimately to founder, however, and Owain went into hiding in ], with peace being more or less restored in Wales by ]. | |||
| Although English conquest of Wales took place under the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan, a formal Union did not occur until 1536, shortly after which Welsh law, which continued to be used in Wales after the conquest, was fully replaced by English law under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542. | |||
| ===Nationalist revival=== | |||
| In the ], Wales saw a revival in its national status. ] was formed in ], seeking greater autonomy or independence from the rest of the UK. In 1955, the term ] became common for describing the area to which English law applied, and ] was proclaimed as capital. In 1962 the ] (''Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg'') was formed in response to fears that the language might soon die out. Nationalism grew, particularly following the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965, drowning the village of ] to create a reservoir supplying water to ]. In 1966 the Carmarthen Parliamentary seat was won by Plaid Cymru at a by-election, their first Parliamentary seat. A terror campaign was waged for a short period by the ] and ] (MAC - Welsh Defence Movement). In the years leading up to the investiture of ] as ] in 1969, these groups were responsible for a number of bomb blasts destroying water pipes and tax and other offices. In 1967, the ] was repealed for Wales, and a legal definition of Wales, and of the boundary with England was stated. | |||
| A referendum on the creation of an assembly for Wales in 1979 (see ]) led to a large majority for the "no" vote. However, in 1997 a referendum on the same issue secured a "yes", although by a very narrow majority. The ] (''Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru'') was set up in 1999 (as a consequence of the ]) and possesses the power to determine how the central government budget for Wales is spent and administered (although the UK parliament reserves the right to set limits on the powers of the Welsh Assembly). | |||
| ==Politics== | |||
| {{Main article|Politics of Wales}} | |||
| {{see also|Politics of the United Kingdom}} | |||
| {{see also| National Assembly for Wales election, 2007}} | |||
| ], the ]]] | |||
| The head of state in Wales, a constituent part of the United Kingdom, is the ], currently ] (since 1952). Executive power is derived by the Queen, and exercised by the ] at ], with some powers devolved to the ] in ]. The United Kingdom Parliament retains responsibility for passing ] in Wales. The National Assembly has regulatory authority over laws passed that are applicable to Wales, and has limited power to vary these by ]. The National Assembly is not a sovereign authority, and the UK Parliament could, in theory, overrule or even abolish it at any time. However, its powers are set to increase as the ] will allow it to speed up the passage of 'Assembly Measures'. | |||
| The National Assembly was first established in 1998 under the ]. There are 60 members of the Assembly, known as "Assembly Members (AM)". Forty of the AMs are elected under the ] system, with the other 20 elected via the ] via regional lists in 5 different regions. The largest party elects the ], who acts as the head of government. The ] is the ], and the Assembly has delegated most of its powers to the Assembly Government. The new Assembly Building designed by ] was opened by ] on ] (March 1) 2006. | |||
| The current First Minister of Wales is ] <ref>{{cite web |url=http://new.wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetm/rhodrimorgan?lang=en |title=Official Welsh Government biography of Morgan}}</ref> (since 2000), of the ] who form a minority government, with 29 of 60 seats. The largest opposition party to Labour, with 12 seats, is ], which favour Welsh independence. ''Plaid Cymru'' is currently led in the Assembly by ]. The ] of the Assembly is ''Plaid Cymru'' member ]. Other parties include the ] (11 seats), the ] (6 seats) (who formed part of a coalition government with Labour in the first Assembly), and ] (1 seat). | |||
| In the ], Wales is represented by 40 ] (out of a total of 646) in ]. Currently, ] represents 29 of the 40 seats, the Liberal Democrats hold 4 seats, Plaid Cymru 3 and the Conservatives 3. A ] sits in the UK cabinet and is responsible for representing matters that pertain to Wales. The ] is a department of the United Kingdom government, responsible for Wales. The current Secretary of State for Wales is ]. | |||
| ==Law== | |||
| {{Main article|English law}} | |||
| {{see also|Contemporary Welsh Law}} | |||
| England fully annexed Wales under the ], in the reign of ]. Prior to that ] had survived ''de facto'' after the conquest up to the fifteenth century in areas remote from direct English control. The ] provided that all laws that applied to England would automatically apply to Wales (and Berwick, a town located on the Anglo-Scottish border) unless the law explicitly stated otherwise. This act, with regard to Wales, was repealed in 1967. However, Wales and England, as part of the legal entity ], share the same legal system —except for a few changes to accommodate the autonomy recently awarded to Wales (but not to England). In this sense, ] is the law of Wales. | |||
| English law is regarded as a ] system, with no major ] of the law, and legal ]s are binding as opposed to persuasive. The ] is headed by the ] which is the highest court of appeal in the land for criminal and civil cases (although this is due to be replaced by a ]). The Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales is the highest ] as well as an ]. The three divisions are the ]; the ] and the ]. Minor cases are heard by the ] or the ]. | |||
| Now, however, with the large degree of autonomy caused by the creation of the Welsh Assembly, there is a degree of independence for Wales (but not England) in terms of law-making. Following the Government of Wales Act 2006, which transferred some primary legislation powers to the National Assembly for Wales (although the final authority on such legislation must be passed by the Westminster Parliament), the ancient and historic Wales and Chester court circuit was disbanded and a separate Welsh court circuit was created to allow for any 'Welsh laws' passed by the National Assembly. | |||
| ==Subdivisions== | |||
| ]]] | |||
| {{main|Subdivisions of Wales}} | |||
| For the purposes of local government, Wales was divided into 22 council areas in 1996. These are unitary authorities responsible for the provision of all local government services, including education, social work, environment and roads services. Below these in some areas there are ]s — that cover specific areas within a council area. | |||
| The Queen appoints a ] to represent her in the eight ] — which are combinations of council areas. The 13 ] are also used as geographical areas. However other subdivisions occur when dividing Wales into separate regions in the provisions of fire, and police services. For example there is a South Wales police force, rather than the Glamorgan Police Force. | |||
| ] is determined by ]. There are five cities in Wales: | |||
| * ] | |||
| * ] (Caerdydd) | |||
| * ] (Casnewydd) | |||
| * ] (Tyddewi) | |||
| * ] (Abertawe) | |||
| (] historically had ]. The ] refers to it as a city, but it is no longer considered as such. Applications for restoration of city status in the ] and ] competitions were unsuccessful). | |||
| {{Wales subdivisions}} | |||
| ==Geography== | |||
| ] | |||
| {{main|Geography of Wales}} | |||
| Wales is located on a ] in central-west ]. The entire area of Wales is about 20,779 km² (8,023 square miles). It is about 274 km (170 miles) ]-] and 97 km (60 miles) ]-]. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel ] to the south, St George's Channel to the west, and the ] to the north. Altogether, Wales has over 1,200km (750 miles) of coastline. There are several ] off the Welsh mainland, the largest being ] (Anglesey) in the northwest. | |||
| The main population and industrial areas are in ], consisting of the cities of ] (''Caerdydd''), ] (''Abertawe'') and ] (''Casnewydd'') and surrounding areas. | |||
| ] (''Yr Wyddfa''), ], highest ] in Wales]] | |||
| Much of Wales' diverse landscape is ]ous, particularly in the north and central regions. The mountains were shaped during the last ], the ]. The highest mountains in Wales are in ] (''Eryri''), and include ] (''Yr Wyddfa''), which, at 1085 m (3,560 ft) is the highest peak in Wales. The 14 (or possibly 15) Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high are known collectively as the '''Welsh 3,000s'''. The ] (''Bannau Brycheiniog'') are in the south and are joined by the ] in mid-Wales, the latter name being given to the earliest geological period of the ] era, the ]. | |||
| In the mid-nineteenth century, two prominent geologists, ] and ] used their studies of the geology of Wales to establish certain principles of ] and ]. After much dispute, the next two periods of the Paleozoic era, the ] and ], were named after ancient Celtic tribes from this area. The older rocks underlying the Cambrian rocks were referred to as ]. | |||
| Wales has four ]. These areas include ], ], ] and ]. The ] was the first area in the whole of the ] to be designated as an ], in ]. ], ] (''Gŵyr''), South Wales.]] | |||
| Along with its Celtic cousins in ] and ], the coastline of South and West Wales has more miles of ] than anywhere else. The coastline of the ], the ], ], ], and ] is particularly wild and impressive. Gower, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay all have clean blue water, white-sand beaches and impressive marine life. Despite this scenic splendour the coast of Wales has a dark side; the South and West coasts of Wales, along with the Irish and Cornish coast, are frequently blasted by huge ] westerlies/south westerlies that, over the years, have sunk and wrecked many vessels. On the night of 25 October 1859, 114 ships were destroyed off the coast of Wales when a hurricane blew in from the Atlantic - Cornwall and Ireland also had a huge fatality rate on its coastline from shipwrecks that night. Wales has the somewhat unenviable reputation, along with Cornwall, Ireland and Brittany, of having, per square mile, some of the highest shipwreck rates in Europe. {{Fact|date=February 2007}} The shipwreck situation was particularly bad during the industrial era when ships bound for ] got caught up in Atlantic gales and were decimated by "the cruel sea". | |||
| The modern border between Wales and England is highly arbitrary; it was largely defined in the 16th century, based on mediaeval feudal boundaries. It has apparently never been confirmed by referendum or reviewed by any Boundary Commission. The boundary line (which very roughly follows ] up to 40 miles (64 km) of the northern coast) separates ] from its railway station, virtually cuts off ] from the rest of Wales, and slices straight through the village of ] (where a pub actually straddles the line). | |||
| The ] is a list in doggerel verse of seven geographic and cultural ]s in Wales probably composed in the late eighteenth century under the influence of tourism from England.<ref>See Meic Stephens (ed.), ''Companion to Welsh Litarature''. The doggerel verse was composed in English, probably for the benefit of visitors from across Offa's Dyke.</ref> All the 'wonders' are in north Wales: Snowdon (the highest mountain), the Gresford bells (the peal of ]s in the mediaeval church of All Saints at ]), the ] bridge (built in 1347 over the ], ''Afon Dyfrdwy''), ] (a ] site at ], ''Treffynnon'') in ]) the Wrexham (''Wrecsam'') steeple (16th century tower of St. Giles Church in ]), the Overton yew trees (ancient ] trees in the churchyard of St Mary's at ]) and ] (Wales' tallest ], at 240 ft or 75 m). The wonders are part of the rhyme: | |||
| :''Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,'' | |||
| :''Snowdon's mountain without its people,'' | |||
| :''Overton yew trees, St Winefride wells,'' | |||
| :''Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.'' | |||
| ===Climate=== | |||
| *'''Highest maximum temperature''': 35.2°C (95.4°F) at ], ] on ] 1990. | |||
| *'''Lowest minimum temperature''': -23.3°C (-10°F) at ], ] on ] 1940. | |||
| *'''Maximum number of hours of sunshine in a month''': 354.3 hours at Dale Fort, ] in July 1955. | |||
| *'''Minimum number of hours of sunshine in a month''': 2.7 hours at Llwynon, ] in January 1962. | |||
| *'''Maximum rainfall in a day (0900 UTC - 0900 UTC)''': 211 mm (8.30 inches) at Rhondda, ], on ] ]. | |||
| {{see also|List of towns in Wales}} | |||
| ==Economy== | |||
| {{main|Economy of Wales}} | |||
| Parts of Wales have been heavily ] since the ]. ], ], ], ], ], and ] have been mined in Wales, and ] has been quarried. By the second half of the ], ] and ] had come to dominate the Welsh ], transforming the ] and ] in the industrial districts of south and north-east Wales. | |||
| From the early 1970s, the Welsh economy faced massive restructuring with large numbers of jobs in traditional ] disappearing and being replaced by new ones in ] and in ]. Over this period Wales was successful in attracting an above average share of ] (FDI) in the UK. However, much of the new industry has essentially been of a 'branch factory' type, often routine ] employing low ] workers. | |||
| Wales has struggled to develop or attract high ] employment in sectors such as ] and ], attributable in part to a comparative lack of economic mass (i.e. ]) and the absence of a large ] - ] is smaller than other major British regional cities like ], ] or ], or prime cities in small countries such as ], ] or ]. The lack of high value-added employment is reflected in lower economic ] per head relative to other regions of the UK - in 2002 it stood at 90% of the EU25 ] and around 80% of the UK average. However, care is needed in interpreting these data, which do not take account of regional differences in the ]. The gap in real ] between Wales and more prosperous parts of the UK is not pronounced. | |||
| In 2002, the ] (GDP) of Wales was just over £26 billion ($48 billion), giving a per capita GDP of £12,651 ($19,546). As of 2006, the unemployment rate in Wales stood at 5.7% - above the UK average, but lower than in the majority of EU countries. | |||
| Due to poor-quality ], much of Wales is unsuitable for ]-growing, and ] farming has traditionally been the focus of ]. The Welsh ] (protected by three ]), as well as the unique ] of Wales, attract large numbers of ], who play an especially vital role in the economy of rural areas. | |||
| ==Demographics== | |||
| {{main|Demographics of Wales|Demographics of the United Kingdom}} | |||
| The population of Wales in the 2001 census was 2,903,085, which has risen to 2,958,876 according to 2005 estimates. This would make Wales the 132nd largest ] if it were a sovereign state. | |||
| According to the 2001 census, 96% of the population was ] ], and 2.1% non-white (mainly of ] origin). Most non-white groups were concentrated in the southern cities of ], ] and ]. | |||
| Wales has large ethnically Asian communities mainly in Cardiff, Newport and Swansea due to immigration since ] and more recently, since the European Union enlarged to include many ] nations. Much of Wales has seen an increased number of immigrants settle from countries such as ] - although considerable numbers of Poles also settled in Wales in the immediate aftermath of World War II. | |||
| In the 2001 Labour Force Survey, 72% of adults in Wales considered their national identity as wholly Welsh and another 7% considered themselves to be partly Welsh (Welsh and British were the most common combination). A recent study estimated that 35% of the Welsh population have surnames of Welsh origin. However, some names identified as English (such as 'Greenaway') may be corruptions of Welsh ('Goronwy'). Other names common in Wales, such as 'Richards', may have originated simultaneously in other parts of Britain. Equally, Welsh surnames such as 'Jones' are amongst the most common names in England. | |||
| In 2001 a quarter of the Welsh population were born outside Wales, mainly in England; about 3% were born outside the UK. The proportion of people who were born in Wales differs across the country, with the highest percentages in the ], and the lowest in Mid Wales and parts of the north-east. In both ] and ] 92% were Welsh-born, compared to only 51% in ] and 56% in ]. One of the reasons for this is that the locations of the most convenient hospitals in which to give birth are over the border in England. In the case of ], ] is only 13 miles (21 km) from ], the prime town of the county. The Welsh option would be ] in ] which would be a 25 mile (40 km) trip. | |||
| ===Languages=== | |||
| {{main|Welsh language}} | |||
| The official languages in Wales are ] and ]. English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is the ''de facto'' main language (see ]). However, Wales is officially ], with 21.7% of the population able to speak Welsh and a larger proportion having some knowledge of the Welsh language according to a 2004 language survey. Today there are almost certainly no monoglot Welsh speakers, other than small children, although there would still have been many as recently as the middle of the twentieth century. The ] and the ] provide that the Welsh and English languages should be treated on a basis of equality. Public bodies are required to prepare and implement a Welsh Language Scheme. Thus the Welsh Assembly, local councils, police forces, fire services and the health sector use Welsh as an official language, issuing official literature and publicity in Welsh versions (e.g. letters to parents from schools, library information, and council information). All road signs in Wales should be in English and Welsh, including both versions of place names where names or versions exist in both languages e.g. "Cardiff" and "Caerdydd". | |||
| During the 20th Century a number of small communities of speakers of languages other than English or Welsh, such as ] or ], have established themselves in Wales as a result of immigration. This phenomenon is almost exclusive to urban Wales. The Italian Government funds the teaching of ] to Welsh residents of Italian ancestry. These other languages however have no official status, although public services may produce information leaflets in minority ethnic languages where there is a specific need, as happens elsewhere in the United Kingdom. | |||
| ===Religion=== | |||
| The largest religion in Wales is ], with 72% of the population describing themselves as Christian in the 2001 census. The ] is the largest denomination and was born out of the ] in the eighteenth century and seceded from the ] in 1811. The ] is the next largest denomination, and forms part of the ]. It too was part of the Church of England, and was disestablished by the British Government under the ] (the act did not take effect until 1920). The ] makes up the next largest denomination at 3% of the population. Non-Christian religions are small in Wales, making up approximately 1.5% of the population. 18% of people declare no religion. | |||
| The patron saint of Wales is ], with ] celebrated annually on ]. | |||
| ] is the largest non-Christian religion in Wales, with over 30,000 reported in the 2001 census. There are also communities of ] and ] mainly in the South Wales cities of Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, while curiously the largest concentration of ] is in the western rural county of ]. | |||
| ] was the first non-Christian faith (excluding pre-roman animism) to be established in Wales, however, due to a history of ] attacks, the community has declined to a small community of about 2,000 as of 2001.<ref></ref> | |||
| ==Culture== | |||
| {{main|Culture of Wales}} | |||
| ===Sport=== | |||
| {{main|Sport in Wales}} | |||
| ]The most popular sports in Wales are ] and ]. Wales, like other constituent nations, enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the ], ] and in the ] (however as Great Britain in the ]). As in New Zealand, Rugby is a core part of the national identity, although football is the preferred sport in North Wales. Wales has its own governing bodies in rugby, the ] and in football, the ] (the third oldest in the world). | |||
| ] takes part in the annual ], and the ]. Welsh teams also play in the ] alongside teams from Ireland and Scotland, the ] and the European ]. Wales hosted the ]. | |||
| Wales has had its own ] since 1992 although, for historical reasons, the three major Welsh clubs (], ], and ]) play in the ] and another three minor clubs in its feeder leagues. | |||
| ] is now developing in Wales. There has been a national league since 2003 and the admission of the ]-based ] to ] in 2006 brought the semi-professional game to Wales. | |||
| In international ], England and Wales field a single representative team which is administered by the ] (ECB). There is a separate ] that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition. ] is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship. A Wales team also plays in the English ] competition. | |||
| Wales' other bat-and-ball sport is ], which is chiefly confined to ] and ]. The sport is governed by the Welsh Baseball Union. | |||
| The Isle of ]/Ynys Môn is a member island of the ]. The next Island Games will be held in 2007 on Rhodes (Greece). In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, the Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals. | |||
| Wales has produced some great world class ] players such as ], ] and ]. Amateur participation in the sport is very high. The rugged terrain of the country also gives plenty of opportunities for rally driving and Wales currently hosts the finale of the ]. ] compete in county cricket competitions and the ] were once a strong force in British ]. There is also some success in boxing. ] the half-Welsh, half-Italian boxer is current World Super-Middleweight Champion and Swansea born ] the current ], ] and ] World Cruiserweight Champion. | |||
| Wales has also produced a number of athletes who have made a mark on the world stage, including the 110m hurdler Colin Jackson who is a former world record holder and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals. | |||
| Two Welsh drivers have competed in the ] championship: the first was ] at the ], who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, ]. ] was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the ], qualified in ]. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, ], killing both instantly. As well as Formula One, Wales have had some notability in the ], producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist, who helped ] to victory in 1996 and ] who helped ] win the 2003 title. | |||
| Fred Williams was world ] champion twice - in 1950 and 1953 - and the country has a professional speedway team, ]. The ] in ] hosts the annual British Speedway Grand Prix, the United Kingdom's round of the world championship. | |||
| Other notable Welsh sports people include 11 times gold medal winning paralympic athlete Tani Grey Thompson, BDO world darts champion ], international champion cyclist ] and Commonwealth gold and bronze medalist in shooting ]. | |||
| Since 2006, Wales has had its own professional golf tour, the Dragon Tour. | |||
| ===Media=== | |||
| Cardiff is home to the Welsh national media. ] is based in ], Cardiff and produces Welsh-oriented output for ] and ] channels. BBC 2W is the Welsh digital version of BBC Two, and broadcasts between 8.30pm and 10pm each week night for specific Wales based programming. ] the UK's main commercial broadcaster has a Welsh-oriented service branded as ITV Wales, whose studios are in ], Cardiff. ], based in ], Cardiff, broadcasts mostly Welsh-language programming at peak hours, but shares English-language content with ] at other times. ''S4C Digidol'' (S4C Digital), on the other hand, broadcasts entirely in Welsh. Channel 4 and Channel 5 are now available in most parts of the country via digital television and satellite. | |||
| ] is Wales's only national English-language radio station, while ] broadcasts throughout Wales in Welsh. There are also a number of independent radio stations across Wales. Major radio stations around the country include ], ], ], Swansea Sound, 96.4FM The Wave and ]. | |||
| Most of the newspapers sold and read in Wales are national newspapers sold and read throughout Britain, unlike in Scotland where many newspapers have rebranded into Scottish based titles. Wales-based newspapers include: Cardiff's '']'', '']'', '']'' (Welsh edition) and the '']'', a Welsh language publication. | |||
| The '']'' is the main all-Wales newspaper which includes the ''Wales on Sunday'' paper. The first Welsh language daily, '']'', is due to commence on St David's Day 2007 . | |||
| The ''Western Mail'' and ''South Wales Echo'' have their offices in Thomson House, ] | |||
| In addition to English-language magazines, a number of weekly and monthly Welsh-language magazines are published. Wales has some 20 publishing companies, publishing mostly English titles. However, some 500-600 titles are published each year in Welsh. | |||
| ===Food=== | |||
| {{main|Welsh cuisine}} | |||
| About 80% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. Very little of this is ], though–the vast majority consists of permanent grass or rough grazing for herd animals. Although both ] and ] are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is more well-known for its ] farming, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking. | |||
| Some traditional dishes include ] (made from ]), ] (fruit bread), ] (]), ]s, ] (cheese on toast), and Welsh ]. ] are sometimes served with breakfast. | |||
| In 2005 the Welsh National Culinary Teams returned from the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg with eight gold, 15 silver and seven bronze medals; plus an overall top 7 place in the world. | |||
| ===Music=== | |||
| {{main|Welsh music}} | |||
| The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the '']''. This takes place annually in a different town or city. The ''Llangollen ]'' echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform. | |||
| Wales is often referred to as "the land of song",<ref>{{cite encyclopedia|encyclopedia=Britannica|edition=Online|year=2006|title=Wales: Cultural life: Music, literature and film}}</ref> being particularly famous for ]ists, male voice choirs, and solo artists including Sir ], Dame Gwynneth Jones, ], ], Madam ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ], ] and ]. | |||
| ] bands like the ], ], ], ], ], and ], in the 1990s, and later ], ], ], ], ], ], ],] and ] were preceded by ] in the 1970s. Another famous Welsh singer includes pop icon ] who has recorded songs for/performed on TV programmes such as ] and ], and movies such as ]. The popular ]/] group ] was a vehicle for singer/songwriter and ] native ]. | |||
| The Welsh traditional and ] scene, long overshadowed by its ] and ] cousins, is in resurgence with performers and bands such as ], ], Fernhill, ], ], ], ] and ]. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by a myriad of societies. Welsh Folk Song Society (Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin Cymru) has published a number of collections of songs and tunes. The Welsh Folk Dance Society (Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru) supports a network of national amateur dance teams and publishes support material. Clera (Traditional instruments society) runs workshops to promote the harp, ''telyn deires'' (]), fiddle, ], ''pibgorn'' (hornpipe) and other instruments. The ] Society promotes its specific singing art primarily through an annual one-day festival. The traditional music development agency, trac, runs projects in communities throughout Wales and advocates on behalf of traditional music. There are also societies for Welsh ]ology, oral history, small eisteddfodau, oral history, and poetry. | |||
| The 'Sîn Roc Gymraeg' (Welsh language Rock Scene) in Wales is thriving, with acts ranging from rock to hip-hop which routinely attracts immense crowds and audiences. The Welsh-language Rock Scene presently is stated as 'the best yet,' with more bands, and more audiences than the 'Sin Roc Gymraeg' has ever seen in its existence. Dolgellau, in the heart of Snowdonia has held the annual Sesiwn Fawr (mighty session) festival since 1992. From humble beginnings the festival has grown to be Wales' largest Welsh-Language Music Festivals. | |||
| The ] performs in Wales and internationally. The world-renowned ] now has a permanent home at the ] in ]. | |||
| ==Transport== | |||
| {{Main|Transport in Wales}} | |||
| The main road artery linking cities and other settlements along the south Wales coast is the ] which also provides a link with England and eventually ]. The Welsh section of the motorway, managed by the Welsh Assembly Government, runs from the Second Severn Bridge to Pont Abraham in West Wales, connecting cities such as Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. In north Wales the ] performs a similar role along the north Wales coast providing connections for places such as Holyhead and Bangor with Wrexham and Flinthsire and also with England, principally Chester. The main north-south Wales link is the ] which runs from Cardiff to Llandudno. | |||
| ] is the only large airport in Wales, offering links domestically and limited destinations in Europe, located some 12 miles south-west of Cardiff city centre, in the Vale of Glamorgan. | |||
| Rail is also extensively developed throughout the country, with ] station being the busiest and a major hub on the national network. The ] manages the rail network and has a programme of reopening old railway lines and extending rail usage. ] is the major operator of rail services within Wales, while ] and other operators provide services to London and elsewhere to England. | |||
| Regular ferry services operate from Holyhead and Fishguard to Ireland, while there is also a seasonal ferry between Swansea and ]. | |||
| ==National symbols== | |||
| ] | |||
| * The ] (Y Ddraig Goch) incorporates the ] ] of Prince Cadwalader along with the ] colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the ] 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. Since the British ] does not have any Welsh representation, the Flag of Wales has become very popular. | |||
| * The ], 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 ], written around 820, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of ] and other ancient Celtic leaders. This myth is likely to have originated from ]'s vision of a Red (Wales) and White (England) 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 ] is also a national emblem of Wales. According to legend, ] 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 ] is the ] of Wales, and is worn on ] each ]. (In Welsh, the daffodil is known as "]'s Leek", ''cenhinen Pedr''.) | |||
| * The ] is sometimes used as an alternative to the national flag (and used in part of Cardiff City FC's crest), and is flown on ]. | |||
| * The ] is used by ] in his personal standard. | |||
| * The ], the heraldic badge of the ] is sometimes adapted by Welsh bodies for use in Wales. The symbolism is explained on the article for ], who was the first Prince of Wales to bear the emblem; see also ]. The ] uses such a design for its own badge. | |||
| ==Photos of Wales== | |||
| <gallery> | |||
| image:Tredegar-House.png|], ] | |||
| image:HallOfTheMountainKings.jpg|Hall of the Mountain Kings, ], a ] in the ] | |||
| Image:Ynys_Llanddwyn_old_light.pg.jpg|''']''' old lighthouse with ] in background. | |||
| image:Uwlsdb.jpg|The ], the oldest higher education institution in Wales | |||
| <!-- Unsourced image removed: image:Aberstw.jpg|The Castle and Old College building, ] --> | |||
| Image:Rhossili 06 05.jpg|] and Rhossili Bay, ], ] | |||
| Image:OxwichBay.jos.500pix.jpg|] Bay, Oxwich, Gower Peninsula | |||
| Image:Penclawdd..JPG|], Gower Peninsula | |||
| Image:Vale of Glamorgan Wales countryside.jpg|], ] | |||
| Image:Rain coming in over the lake.jpg|], ] | |||
| Image:Brecon.beacons.arp.750pix.jpg|Part of the ], looking from the highest point Pen y Fan. | |||
| Image:Marloes peninsula, Pembrokeshire coast, Wales, UK.JPG|Marloes peninsula, ] coast | |||
| Image:Sugarloaf.JPG|] mountain, Gwent | |||
| </gallery> | |||
| ==Notable Welsh people== | |||
| :''see ]'' | |||
| ==Trivia== | |||
| ] is the longest place name in the UK. | |||
| One of its associated internet sites is the longest valid registered domain name | |||
| ==See also== | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| *] | |||
| ==References== | |||
| {{portal}} | |||
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| </div> | |||
| ==External links== | |||
| {{sisterlinks|Wales}} | |||
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| {{Welsh topics}} | |||
| {{United Kingdom}} | |||
| {{Germanic Europe}} | |||
| {{Celtic nations}} | |||
| {{British Isles}} | |||
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Revision as of 09:45, 3 May 2007
Wales is not WORTHY to have a page because Shaun Randle a dirty little sheep humper lives there!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!