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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HMS Cardiff (D108) is a Type 42 destroyer, the third ship of the Royal Navy to be named in honour of the Welsh capital city of Cardiff. She was built by Vickers Shipbuilding and Engineering in Barrow-in-Furness, Cumbria and launched on 22 February 1974. During her career, Cardiff served in the Falklands War, where she shot down the last enemy aircraft of the conflict and accepted the surrender of a 700-strong Argentine garrison at the settlement of Port Howard. During the 1991 Gulf War, Cardiff was part of the British contribution to the Coalition, and her Lynx helicopter sank two Iraqi minesweepers. Later participating in the build-up to the 2003 invasion of Iraq as part of the Royal Navy's Armilla patrol, Cardiff thwarted attempts to smuggle oil out of the country, but was not involved with the actual invasion. Cardiff was decommissioned in July 2005, having earned two battle honours for service in the Falklands and Gulf wars. She is currently moored in Portsmouth Harbour, next to sister ship HMS Newcastle. Former servicemen have petitioned for her preservation as a museum ship and local tourist attraction at Cardiff, but her fate remains undecided.

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A view down the River Vyrnwy (Afon Efyrnwy in Welsh) in northern Powys, Wales.

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Did you know...?

... that part of an inscribed medieval gravestone is set into a window sill at St Fflewin's Church, Llanfflewin?
... that Dylan Thomas' short prose A Child's Christmas in Wales was first published under its own title two years after his death?
... that the redundant church of St Ellyw, Llanelieu in Powys, is a venue for the annual Talgarth Festival?
... that despite having only one arm, Arthur Lea played international football for Wales?

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John Dee (13 July 1527 – 1609) was a noted English mathematician, astronomer, astrologer, geographer, occultist, and consultant to Queen Elizabeth I. He also devoted much of his life to alchemy, divination, and Hermetic philosophy. Dee straddled the worlds of science and magic just as they were becoming distinguishable. One of the most learned men of his time, he had lectured to crowded halls at the University of Paris when still in his early twenties. John was an ardent promoter of mathematics, a respected astronomer and a leading expert in navigation, having trained many of those who would conduct England's voyages of discovery (he coined the term "British Empire"). At the same time, he immersed himself deeply in magic and Hermetic philosophy, devoting the last third of his life almost exclusively to these pursuits. For Dee, as with many of his contemporaries, these activities were not contradictory, but particular aspects of a consistent world-view.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

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