Portal:Wales

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 3.2 million. 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. Its 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 late 19th and 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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Mwng (pronounced [ˈmʊŋ]; English: Mane) is the fourth studio album by Welsh rock band the Super Furry Animals, and the first by the group to have lyrics written entirely in Welsh. It includes the single "Ysbeidiau Heulog", and reached number 11 on the UK Albums Chart following its release – the first Welsh-language album to reach the Top 20. This success lead to Mwng being mentioned in the House of Commons by Elfyn Llwyd, who described the record as a celebration of a "new wave of confidence in the Welsh nation".

Mwng is an understated rock record inspired by the band's love of "Anglo-American pop culture of the 60s, 70s and 80s". Singer Gruff Rhys feels that the record marks the first time the band managed to escape their influences and clearly establish their own sound. The album's lyrics deal with a diverse set of subjects, such as the death of rural communities, old school teachers and Sarn Helen. Mwng was included in both the Melody Maker and NME "Best album of 2000" lists, with the latter calling the record the band's best release.

The Super Furry Animals had written several Welsh-language songs during sessions for Guerrilla, and opted to release them as a coherent album rather than issue "token Welsh songs" as B-sides. Rhys stated that, although the decision to release a Welsh language album was not an explicitly political statement, he does feel the record is a "stand against globalisation". The "lo-fi" album cost just £6,000 to make, and was recorded almost entirely live.

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The national flag of Wales is The Red Dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch), consisting of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with any heraldic charge, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many interpretations exist.

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Did you know...?

... that Richard Summers, Edward Peake, Godfrey Darbishire and Richard Williams were all single cap Wales rugby union players after the team was humiliated by England in its first international match?
... that when Scottish poet Hugh MacDiarmid was found plagiarising the work of Welsh author Glyn Jones, he claimed he had a photographic memory and had copied his work unconsciously?
... that the Banc Ty'nddôl sun-disc, a gold ornament discovered at Cwmystwyth, is over 4,000 years old, making it the earliest gold artifact discovered in Wales?
... that 'The Ghost with the Hammer in his Hand', with more than ninety knock-outs, was one of the greatest Welsh boxers?

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Lloyd Owen (born 14 April 1966) is a British actor of Welsh descent. Trained at the National Youth Theatre and the Royal Academy of Dramatic Art (RADA) in London, he is probably best known for his portrayal of Indiana Jones's father Professor Dr. Henry Jones, Sr. in The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles between 1992 and 1993 and for playing Paul Bowman-MacDonald in the BBC Scotland television series Monarch of the Glen from 2002 to 2005. He played the role of solicitor William Heelis in the film Miss Potter (2006). However, his first love has always been the theatre. His first break on stage was the role of Nick in Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? in 1996. Other highlights of his stage career include playing Dan in Closer in 1998 and George in The York Realist in 2002. His most recent role was as Peter in Paul (2005). Growing up in a theatrical family, as a child Owen met many icons who were his father's friends, including John Conteh, Tommy Cooper, Ken Dodd, Ronnie Fraser, Richard Harris, Danny La Rue and Peter O'Toole.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

Image 1Battle at Mametz Wood by Christopher Williams (1918), commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 2Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 3Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 4Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 5Statue of Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 or 1359 – c. 1416) at Cardiff City Hall
Image 6The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 7Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 8Opening of the Sixth Senedd in Cardiff in 2021 (from History of Wales)
Image 9Medieval map of Welsh realms (from History of Wales)
Image 10Map of the Roman invasion of Wales (from History of Wales)
Image 11Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 12Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 13Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 14"Cymdeithas yr Iaith" (Society for the Language) bilingual road sign protest, 1972. (from History of Wales)
Image 15Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 16Bryn Celli Ddu, a late Neolithic chambered tomb on Anglesey
Image 17Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 18Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 19King Hywel Dda depicted enthroned in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 20Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 21Britain in AD 500: The areas shaded pink on the map were inhabited by the Britons, here labelled Welsh. The pale blue areas in the east were controlled by Germanic tribes, while the pale green areas to the north were inhabited by the Gaels and Picts. (from History of Wales)
Image 22Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 23Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 24Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 25A Plaid Cymru rally in Machynlleth in 1949, where the Parliament for Wales Campaign began (from History of Wales)
Image 26Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 27Dowlais Ironworks (1840) by George Childs (1798–1875) (from History of Wales)
Image 28The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 29Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)
Image 30Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 31Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 32Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog was leader of the north Walian Celtic tribe, the Ordovices, and led multiple Celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)

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