Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmrɨ] ^ⓘ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021^[update], it had a population of 3,107,494. It has a total area of 21,218 square kilometres (8,192 sq mi) and over 2,700 kilometres (1,680 mi) of coastline. It is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate. The capital and largest city is Cardiff.

A distinct Welsh culture emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales was briefly united under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn in 1055. After over 200 years of war, the conquest of Wales by King Edward I of England was completed by 1283, though Owain Glyndŵr led the Welsh Revolt against English rule in the early 15th century, and briefly re-established an independent Welsh state with its own national parliament (Welsh: senedd). In the 16th century the whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century: a nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, was formed in 1925, and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. A governing system of Welsh devolution is employed in Wales, of which the most major step was the formation of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament, formerly the National Assembly for Wales) in 1998, responsible for a range of devolved policy matters. (Full article...)

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Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa, pronounced [əɾ ˈwɪðva]) is the highest mountain in Wales, at an altitude of 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) above sea level, and the highest point in the British Isles outside Scotland. It is located in Snowdonia National Park (Parc Cenedlaethol Eryri) in Gwynedd, and has been described as "probably the busiest mountain in Britain". It is designated as a national nature reserve for its rare flora and fauna.

The rocks that form Snowdon were produced by volcanoes in the Ordovician period, and the massif has been extensively sculpted by glaciation, forming the pyramidal peak of Snowdon and the arêtes of Crib Goch and Y Lliwedd. The cliff faces on Snowdon, including Clogwyn Du'r Arddu, are significant for rock climbing, and the mountain was used by Edmund Hillary in training for the 1953 ascent of Mount Everest. The summit can also be reached on the Snowdon Mountain Railway, a rack and pinion railway opened in 1896 which carries passengers the 4.7 miles (7.6 km) from Llanberis to the summit station. The summit also houses a visitor centre called Hafod Eryri, built in 2006 to replace one built in the 1930s by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis.

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Credit: Jamieo

Tor Bay and Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Glamorgan

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Did you know...?

... that St Eugrad's Church, Llaneugrad contains an Art Nouveau memorial to one of the officers who died in the wreck of the Royal Charter in 1859?
... that St Beuno's Church, Aberffraw is a rare example of a church in Anglesey with two naves?
... that a 19th-century rector of St Mary's Church in Llanfair-yng-Nghornwy was awarded a gold medal for his attempt to save a boat during a gale?
... that Maurice Wilks, who invented the Land Rover, is buried at St Mary's Church, Llanfair-yn-y-Cwmwd?

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This island is made mainly of coal and surrounded by fish. Only an organising genius could produce a shortage of coal and fish at the same time.

— Aneurin Bevan, speech at Blackpool, 24 May 1945.

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Manic Street Preachers (known colloquially as the "Manics") are a Welsh rock band, consisting of James Dean Bradfield (lead vocals, guitar), Nicky Wire (bass guitar, vocals) and Sean Moore (drums, vocals). Co-lyricist and guitarist Richey James Edwards (Richey James, as he preferred to be known) mysteriously disappeared in 1995; his whereabouts are unknown.

The band are often associated with the Britpop scene, and gained mainstream popularity in the UK in the late 1990s. They are known for their intelligent and often political lyrics and have a dedicated following. Although during the early part of their career they were regarded as a punk rock band, their music is now often generally regarded as alternative rock, due to changes in their sound. Politically, the Manics appear as a socialist group – a stance inflected by their working class upbringing in Blackwood, Caerphilly, South Wales (they grew up during the miners' strike of the 1980s) as shown by their often highly politicised lyrics and actions (they once dedicated an award to Arthur Scargill, leader of the National Union of Mineworkers and later the Socialist Labour Party). The band also played a highly publicised gig in Cuba as guests of President Fidel Castro.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

The following are images from various Wales-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 2Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 3Island of Britain in AD 500. (from History of Wales)
Image 4Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 5Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 6Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 7Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 8Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 9Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 10Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 11Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 12Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 13Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 14Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 15'The Welsh at Mametz Wood' painted by Christopher Williams, commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 16Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 17Roman invasion of Wales. (from History of Wales)
Image 18The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 19Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 20Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 21Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)
Image 22The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 23King Hywel Dda depicted in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 24Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog led multiple celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)
Image 25Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)

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