Wales (Welsh: Cymru; pronounced IPA: , roughly "KUM-ree") occurs as united states & one of a foursome organic area of the United Kingdom (along with England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland). Wales is in the south-west of Great Britain, and is bordered by England to a east, the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel in the west, and the Irish Sea to the north.

A term Principality of Wales, inside Welsh, Tywysogaeth Cymru, is typically utilized, although a Prince of Wales has no role in the governance of Wales & this term is unpopular among a select few. Wales has non been politically independent since 1282, when it was conquered by King Edward I of England. A capital of Wales since 1955 has been Cardiff, although Caernarfon is a location where the Prince of Wales is invested, & Machynlleth was the page of the parliament known as by Owain Glyndwr during his revolt at first of the fifteenth century. Within 1999, the National Assembly for Wales was formed, which has limited domestic powers & can't produce law.

History
Independent article: History of Wales

A Romans established a string of forts through what is nowadays southern Wales, when far west when Carmarthen (Maridunum). There exists grounds to believe that it progressed potentially farther west. It besides built a legionnaire fort at Caerleon (Isca), whose magnificent amphitheatre is the best preserved within Britain. A Romans were likewise occupy within n Wales, & an old legend claims that Magnus Maximus, one of the go emperors, married Elen or even Helen, the girl of a Welsh chieftain from either Segontium, touching present-contemporary Caernarfon.

Wales was never conquered per Anglo-Saxons, due to the fierce trend lines of its humans & its mountainous terrain. An Anglo-Saxon king, Offa of Mercia, is credited by owning getting constructed the great globe wall, or even dyke, along a border with his kingdom, to mark off a big section of Powys which he experienced conquered. Area of Offa's Dyke can still be seen today.

Wales remained the Celtic region, & its population saved speaking a Welsh language, even as a Celtic elements of England and Scotland gradually disappeared. A title Wales is grounds to believe of this, when it comes from either the Germanic root word meaning alien or even foreigner, & intrinsically is related the list of many more European regions in which Germanic peoples inherit email by having non-Germanic cultures including Wallonia (Belgium), Valais (Switzerland), and Wallachia in Romania, when well as a "-wall" of Cornwall. A share of the word "Cymru" is evident in the "Cum-" of Cumberland and Cumbria.

Wales continued to exist as Christian (understand. 1904-1905 Welsh Revival and Welsh Methodist revival) when Engl& was overrun by ethnic German & Scandinavian tribes, though numbers of older beliefs and customs survived among its population. So, Saint David went on a pilgrim's journey to Rome in the period of the 6th century, and was serving as a bishop inside Wales swell prior to Augustine arrived to convert the king of Kent and found a diocese of Canterbury. Although a Druidic religion is alleged to have had its fastness around Wales until a Roman invasion, numerous of a thus-alleged traditions, like the gorsedd, or assembly of bards, were a invention of eighteenth-century "historians." A traditional women's Welsh costume, incorporating the tall nigrify hat, was devised in the nineteenth century by Lady Llanover, herself the large patron of the Welsh language & culture.

A conquest of Wales by England did non require place around 1066, when England was conquered per Normans, but was gradual, non existence complete until 1282, when King Edward I of England defeated Llywelyn the Last, Wales's last independent prince, around battle. Edward constructed the series of peachy stone castles in order to keep the Welsh in check. A better known come at Caernarfon, Conwy, and Harlech. Wales was legally annexed per Act of Union 1536, in the reign of Henry VIII of England. A Wales and Berwick Act 1746 provided that all laws that applied to Engl& would automatically use to Wales (and Berwick, a town placed on a Anglo-Scottish border) unless the law explicitly stated otherwise. This work, sustaining regard to Wales, was repealed around 1967.

Understand: Annales Cambriae

Politics
Independent article: Politics of Wales; see besides Politics of the United Kingdom

Wales has been the principality since the 13th century, initially under a Welsh prince Llywelyn the Great, and late under his grandson, Llywelyn the Last, who took a title Prince of Wales around 1258, and was recognised per English Crown around 1277 by the Treaty of Aberconwy. Ensuing his kill by Edward I, however, Welsh independence in the 14th century was limited to a total of minor rising. A greatest such rebellion was that of Owain Glyndwr, who gained popular trend lines within 1400, and defeated an English click at Pumlumon in 1401. Around response, a English parliament passed repressing measures denying a Welsh the right of assembly. Glyndwr was announced Prince of Wales, & sought assistance from either a French, but by 1409 his forces were scattered under the attacks of King Henry IV of England and further measures imposed against the Welsh.

A Act of Union 1536 abolished the left Marcher Lordships, leaving Wales sustaining 13 counties: Anglesey, Brecon, Caernarfon, Cardigan, Carmarthen, Denbigh, Flint, Glamorgan, Merioneth, Monmouth, Montgomery, Pembroke, and Radnor, & applied a Law of England to two England and Wales, requiring a English language for official purposes. This excluded virtually all native Welsh from either any formal professional. Wales continues to part a legal idbreathe by owning Engl& to the big degree when the joint entity of England and Wales. Scotl& and Northern Ireland locate separate legal systems.

Wales was for centuries dwarfed by its big neighbour, England. Indeed, a single easily-known British encyclopaedia was said — peradventure apocryphally — to will have an entry reading "WALES. See under ENGLAND". Inside 1955 steps were taken to re-establish a feel of national identity for Wales whilst Cardiff was established as its capital. Prior to this, legislation go past the UK parliament had simply referred to Engl&, like than England and Wales.

Since 1993 and the passing of the Welsh Language Act it has been law for all documents by public bodies to exist as within two English and Welsh. Numerous personal corporations use followed lawsuit, producing literature by owning similar bilingual qualities.

A National Assembly for Wales, sitting in Cardiff, first elected inside 1999, is elected per Welsh humans & has its powers defined by the Government of Wales Act 1998. A title of Prince of Wales is however from a regnant British monarch to his or even even her firstborn boy, however inside modern days a Prince doesn't sleep in Wales & has there are no directly involvement sustaining administration or government. A Prince is, however, still symbolically linked to a princedom; the investiture of Charles, Prince of Wales took place at Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, a place traditionally associated by owning a creation of the title in the 13th century. A investiture was considered an insult by a select few Welsh population, & Welsh folk singer Dafydd Iwan released mocking singles called Croeso Chwedeg Nain (Welcome 69, although the literal translation would exist as ''Welcome Granny's Sixtieth (birthday)) & Carlo (Charlie). Both members of "Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru" – MAC (Welsh Defence Movement) – George Taylor and Alwyn Jones, a "Abergele Martyrs", were flushed by the house processed bomb at Abergele a day before the investiture ceremony.

Geography
Independent article: Geography of Wales''

Wales is placed in the peninsula in central-west Great Britain. A entire region of Wales is all about 20,779 klick² (8,023 square miles). These are astir 274 klick (170 miles) yearn & 97 klick (Sixty miles) wide. Wales borders by Engl& to a east and by sea in the more triplet directions: the Bristol Channel south, St George's Channel to a west, & the Irish Sea to the north. Together, Wales has complete 965 klick (600 miles) of coastline. There are many islands off a Welsh mainland, the largest existence Anglesey in the northwest.

A independent people & industrial areas come around South Wales, consisting of the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport and surrounding areas.

Very much of Wales's diverse landscape is mountainous, particularly in the north & central regions. A mountains were shaped when you took a endure ice age, the Devensian glaciation. A greatest mountains withinside Wales come in Snowdonia, and include Snowdon, which, at 1085 m (3,560 feet) is the highest peak within Engl& and Wales. A Xiv (or even even Xv) Welsh mountains complete 3000 feet high come known conjointly when a Welsh 3000s. A Brecon Beacons come in the south & are joined per Cambrian Mountains in mid-Wales, the latter existence given to the earliest of the period(Cambrian). Consequently, a next ii periods, Ordovician and Silurian were named fallowing Welsh/Celtic tribes from this metropolitan area.

A modern border between Wales & England is extremely arbitrary; it was largely defined in the 16th century, according to mediaeval feudalistic boundaries. It hwhen apparently never been confirmed by referendum or even reviewed by any Boundary Commission (except to confirm Monmouthshire as section of Wales within 1968). A delimitation follows Offa's Dyke only approximately. It separates Knighton from either either its train depot, virtually cuts off Church Stoke from a rest of Wales, & slices straight through the village of Llanymynech (in which a public house actually straddles the line).

A Seven Wonders of Wales is a traditional list of 7 geographic & ethnic landmarks in Wales: Snowdon (a greatest mountain), a Gresford bells (a roll of bells in the medieval church of A lot Saints at Gresford), the Llangollen bridge (built in 1347 over the River Dee), St Winefride's Well (a pilgrimage site at Holywell in Flintshire) the Wrexham steeple (16th century tower of St. Giles Church within Wrexham), the Overton yew trees (ancient yew trees in the churchyard of St Mary's at Overton-on-Dee) and Pistyll Rhaeadr (Wales's tallest waterfall, at 240 feet or 75 m). A wonders come a share of the traditional rhyme: Watch likewise: List of towns in Wales

Divisions
For administrative purposes, Wales has been divided since 1996 into 22 one authorities: Nine counties X county boroughs Iii cities^{1 - Cardiff, Swansea and Newport.}

For other details & recent history of the political divisions of Wales, watch Subdivisions of Wales.

Single: There are 5 cities withwithin number in Wales — in addition to theLeash one authorities enrolled above, a communities of Bangor & St. David's likewise use at times the status of a city.

Economy

Area of Wales use been heavy industrialized since a eighteenth century. Coal, copper, iron, lead, & gold develop been mined inside Wales, & slate has been quarried. Ironworks & tinplate works, along by using a coalpit, attracted heavy many immigrants when you took a nineteenth century, particularly to the vale northerly of Cardiff. Due to a unfortunate quality soil, tremendously of Wales is unsuitable for crop-growing, & farm animal farming has traditionally been the focus of agriculture. A Welsh landscape, protected by iii National Parks, & a unique Welsh culture bring within touristry, which is especially vital for rural areas.

Lightly engineering is however an crucial activity in a independent people areevery bit of the South & extreme Northward-East, however the economy, as elsewhere in the UK, is okay, focused on the service sector.

Food

Just about 80% of the land surface of Wales is given complete to agrarian utilise. Super little of this is arable land though as a huge majority consists of lasting grass or even rough out grazing for herd creature. Although each beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire & Pembrokeshire, Wales is thomas more easily-known for its sheep farming, and so lamb is the meat traditionally associated by owning Welsh preparation.

Welsh food is usually processed from either local ingredients. A select few traditional dishes include laverbread (made from either seaweed), bara brith (fruit cake), cawl cennin (leek stew), Welsh cakes, Welsh rabbit, and Welsh lamb. The nature and severity of shellfish, cockles, is often served using breakfast.

Demographics
Demographics of Wales when at a 2001 Nose count: Population: 2,903,085, Male: 1,403,782 Female: 1,499,303 Percentage of the people born within: England: Twenty.32% Wales: 75.39% Scotland: Cipher.84% Northern Ireland: Cypher.27% Republic of Ireland: Cipher.44% Ethnic groups: White: British: 95.99% White: Irish: Cypher.61% White: more: Ace.28% Mixed: white & black: Cipher.29% Mixed: white & Asian: Zero.17% Mixed: more: Zero.15% Asian: Indian/British Indian: Zero.28% Pakistani/British Pakistani: Zero.29% Bangladeshi/British Bangladeshi: Nought.19% Other Asian: Nought.12% Black: Zero.25% Chinese: Nought.40% Percentage of the British people self-identifying when Welsh: Fourteen.39% (polemically, there was there is no wonder on the Nose count form request this — humans experienced to write this within). Religion: Christian: 71.9% Buddhist: Cypher.19% Hindu: Nought.19% Jewish: Nought.08% Muslim: Cipher.75% Sikh: Cypher.07% Other religion: Nought.24% No religion: Eighteen.53% Not disclosed: Ogdoad.07% The big only denomination of Wales is Calvinist Methodism, which by far is the largest lone denomination, followed per Roman Catholic Church (Eglwys Catholig Rufeinig) and a Episcopalian (Anglican) Church in Wales (Eglwys yng Nghymru) with 3% of a people both, & the Congregationalist Union of Welsh Independents (Undeb yr Annibynwyr Cymraeg) & a Presbyterian Church of Wales (Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru) with 1% of the people both. Age structure of the people: 0-Four: 167,903 5-7: 108,149 8-9: 77,176 10-14: 195,976 15: 37,951 16-17: 75,234 18-19: 71,519 20-2 dozen: 169,493 25-29: 166,348 30-44: 605,962 45-59: 569,676 60-64: 152,924 65-74: 264,191 75-84: 182,202 85-89: 38,977 90+: 19,404 Knowledge of the Welsh language: Percentage of the people aged Terzetto or even further caring spoken Welsh exclusively: Foursome.93% Percentage of the people aged Threesome or even even sir thomas more speaking Welsh but not reading or writing it: Deuce.83% Percentage of the people aged Terzetto or even thomas more speaking & reading Welsh but not writing it: Single.37% Percentage of the people aged Tercet or even other speaking, reading, & writing Welsh: Sixteen.32% Percentage of the people aged Leash or even thomas more by having another skills combination: Deuce.98% Percentage of the people aged Trio or even sir thomas more by owning there are no cognition of Welsh: 71.57% In Gwynedd, Anglesey, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, Welsh speakers are in the majority. Gwynedd has a greatest proportion of Welsh speakers, however Carmarthenshire has a greatest total of the babies in any of these primary locality. Based on data from world wide web.central intelligence agency.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.hypertext markup language[http://www.cia.gov/cia/publications/factbook/geos/uk.html], 26% of the people come knowledgeable of Cymraeg.

Culture
Independent article: Culture of Wales

Photos of Wales

image:Snowdon from either Llyn Llydaw.jpg|The summit of Snowdon, Snowdonia, highest mountain in Wales image:Caernarfon_castle_interior.jpg|Caernarfon castle image:Tredegar-Home.png|Tredegar House, Newport image:HallOfTheMountainKings.jpg|Hall of the Mountain Kings, Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, a cave in the Brecon Beacons image:Uwlsdb.jpg|The University of Wales, Lampeter, the oldest higher education institution in Wales image:Aberstw.jpg|The Castle & Old College building, Aberystwyth Image:Assemblybldg1.jpg|The National Assembly for Wales, Cardiff

Welsh notables