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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Our Lady Star of the Sea and St Winefride, Amlwch is a Roman Catholic church in Amlwch, a town on the island of Anglesey, north Wales. It was built in the 1930s to a design by an Italian architect, Giuseppe Rinvolucri, using reinforced concrete. The church is in the shape of an upturned boat, reflecting Amlwch's maritime heritage, and is dedicated to Our Lady, Star of the Sea (a title of St Mary) and St Winefride, a Welsh saint.

The church was closed between 2004 and 2011 because of structural problems that required costly repairs. The church is a Grade II* listed building, a designation given to "particularly important buildings of more than special interest", because it is a "remarkable inter-war church", built to "a highly unusual and experimental design". The Twentieth Century Society has called it "a rare and unique church", and it has also been called "one of Britain's most avant-garde churches".

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The Marloes peninsula on the Pembrokeshire coast, Wales

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Did you know...?

... that the Cambriae Typus map shows a sea monster in the Irish Sea?
... that Welsh footballer Dickie Morris became the first Plymouth Argyle player to be capped at senior international level in April 1908?
... that the church of Llangadfan, near Dyfnant Forest, was visited by Saint Cadfan who founded a church there before moving to Bardsey Island in 516?
... that The King retired after a girl curtsied to him?

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Guto Pryderi Puw (born 1971) is a Welsh composer, university lecturer and conductor. He is considered to be one of the most promising Welsh composers of his generation and a key figure in current Welsh music. Puw's music has been broadcast on BBC Radio 3 and been featured on television programmes for the BBC and S4C. He has twice been awarded the Composer's Medal at the National Eisteddfod.

Puw's works include pieces for unusual combinations of instruments, such as a tuba quartet or a trio consisting of harp, cello and double-bass, as well as more traditional forces such as solo baritone and piano, choir or orchestra. He was associated with the BBC National Orchestra of Wales as its Resident Composer, the first holder of this title, from 2006 to 2009. Puw wrote an oboe concerto as part of this association, and his latest composition for the orchestra was premiered at the 2007 Proms. Puw's own Welsh identity is a recurrent theme in his music: some of his pieces set Welsh-language poetry to music and one of his pieces, Reservoirs, is written about the flooding of Welsh valleys to provide water for England.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

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