Portal:Wales

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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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The Kidwelly and Llanelly Canal was a canal and tramroad system in Carmarthenshire, Wales, built to carry anthracite coal to the coast for onward transportation by coastal ships. It began life as the Kymer Canal in 1766, which linked pits at Pwll y Llygod to a dock near Kidwelly. Access to the dock gradually became more difficult as the estuary silted up, and an extension to Llanelli was authorised in 1812. Progress was slow, and the new canal was linked to a harbour at Pembury built by Thomas Gaunt in the 1820s, until the company's own harbour at Burry Port was completed in 1832. Tramways served a number of collieries to the east of Burry Port.

In 1832 engineer James Green advised on extending the system, and suggested a line with three inclined planes to reach Cwmmawr, further up the Gwendraeth Valley. Green underestimated the cost and could not complete the work. He was sacked in 1836, but the canal company finished the new route the following year. In 1865 the company changed its name to become the Kidwelly and Burry Port Railway, amalgamated with the company running Burry Port in the following year, and the canal became the Burry Port and Gwendraeth Valley Railway in 1869. Kymer's Dock at Kidwelly continued to be used for the export of coal by coasters for another 50 years. It was used as a rubbish dump during the 1950s, but together with a short section of the canal was restored in the 1980s.

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Portmeirion is an Italianate village designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. It has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously serving as The Village in the 1960s television show The Prisoner.

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Did you know...?

... that crime writer Dick Francis was a notable figure in Welsh horse racing, becoming British Champion Jockey in 1954?
... that St Caffo's Church, Llangaffo commemorates St Caffo who was martyred in the area in the 6th century?
... that in the Welsh folk tale of Y Ladi Wen, the "white lady" ghost purportedly guarded the treasure of Ogmore Castle?
... that the first church built on the site of St Deiniol's Church, Llanddaniel Fab, is said to have been established by St Deiniol Fab himself in 616?

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Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould (10 October 1864 – 2 January 1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre and full back who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales, 18 as captain, and is considered the first superstar of Welsh rugby. Gould led Wales to the country's very first Home Nations Championship and Triple Crown titles in 1893; defining himself as a great player and captain in the match against England during the same tournament. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy which saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for 12 months.

Gould was the most capped Welsh centre until Steve Fenwick of Bridgend beat the record at Lansdowne Road on 15 March 1980. He played 27 times for Wales, twice at full back and 25 at centre, ending his career against England on 9 January 1897. This last game was played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade; Wales won 11–0. It was the 18th time Gould had captained Wales and this record stood until broken by Ieuan Evans in 1994.

A superb all round player and even-time sprinter with swerve, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased to practise to develop his fitness and skills. He was considered the outstanding player of his time.

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General images

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

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