Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəm.rɨ] ^ⓘ) 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 the 2021 census, 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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The Talyllyn Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for 7.25 miles (11.67 km) from Tywyn^a on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage. Despite severe under-investment, the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers.

Since preservation, the railway has operated as a tourist attraction, expanding its rolling stock through acquisition and an engineering programme to build new locomotives and carriages. In 1976, an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn to the new station at Nant Gwernol. In 2001, the preservation society celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in 2005 a major rebuilding and extension of Tywyn Wharf station took place, including a much-expanded facility for the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.

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Crib Goch (Welsh for red ridge) is a "knife-edged" arête in Snowdonia National Park; all routes which tackle Crib Goch are considered mountaineering routes or scrambles. Crib Goch is the wettest place in the United Kingdom, with an average of 4,473 mm (176 in) rainfall a year over the past 30 years.

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Did you know...?

... that the Masonic Hall in Monmouth, Wales, located on Monk Street, houses the oldest surviving masonic lodge in Monmouthshire?
... that Whitecross Street is included on the 1610 map of Monmouth (pictured) drawn by cartographer John Speed?
... that a year after excavation of Neolithic and Roman artefacts at 33 Whitecross Street, archaeologists discovered evidence of Mesolithic human settlement in Monmouth?
... that boys from a Monmouth prep school housed in The Grange won the British under-11 chess championship in 2003?

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Maxwell Boyce, MBE, (born 7 September 1945 in Glynneath) is a Welsh comedian, singer and former coal miner. He rose to fame in the United Kingdom during the mid-1970s with an act that combined musical comedy with his passion for rugby union and his origins in the mining communities of South Wales. Having sold more than two million albums in a career spanning four decades, and playing to full houses all around the world, Boyce is one of the most successful and enduring entertainers in Welsh history. Max Boyce has always lived in the town of Glynneath, but his family were originally from Ynyshir in the Rhondda Valley. Within days of Boyce's birth, his father died in an explosion in the coal pit where he was working. At the age of fifteen, Boyce left school, went to live with his grandfather, and followed his father's footsteps by working in a colliery "for nearly eight years". In his early twenties, he managed to find work in a factory instead, but his earlier mining experiences were to influence his music considerably in later years.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

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

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Featured content

This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Wales}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.