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. , 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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Aberdaron is a community and former fishing village at the western tip of the Llŷn Peninsula in the Welsh county of Gwynedd. It lies 14.8 miles (24 km) west of Pwllheli and 33.5 miles (54 km) south west of Caernarfon, and has a population of 1,019. It is sometimes referred to as the "Land's End of Wales" (Welsh: Pendraw'r Byd). The community includes Bardsey Island, the coastal area around Porthor, and the villages of Anelog, Llanfaelrhys, Penycaerau, Rhoshirwaun, Rhydlios, Uwchmynydd and Y Rhiw.

The village was the last rest stop for pilgrims heading to Bardsey Island (Ynys Enlli), the legendary "island of 20,000 saints". In the 18th and 19th centuries it developed as a shipbuilding centre and port. The mining and quarrying industries became major employers, and limestone, lead, jasper and manganese were exported. After the Second World War the mining industry collapsed, and Aberdaron gradually developed into a popular holiday resort. The beach was awarded a Seaside Award in 2008.

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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 Wales international footballer Alexander Jones was killed in a shooting accident on board a train?
... that St Edwen's Church, Llanedwen, is one of the few churches in Wales to be lit only by candles?
... that although St Cynfarwy was active in Anglesey, in the 7th century, the age of the church dedicated to him cannot be ascertained due to extensive rebuilding?
... that one 19th-century writer condemned the partial demolition of the old church dedicated to St Nidan in Anglesey, saying that its replacement (pictured) was "a painfully impressive example of architectural bad taste"?

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

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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.