Wales
- Further information: List of Welsh writers
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Transport
The main road artery linking cities and other settlements along the South Wales coast is the M4 motorway which also provides a link with England and eventually London. The Welsh section of the motorway, managed by the Welsh Assembly Government, runs from the Second Severn Crossing to Pont Abraham in West Wales, connecting cities such as Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. In North Wales the A55 expressway performs a similar role along the north Wales coast providing connections for places such as Holyhead and Bangor with Wrexham and Flintshire and also with England, principally Chester. The main north-south Wales link is the A470 which runs from Cardiff to Llandudno. Cardiff International Airport is the only large and international airport in Wales, offering links domestically and to European and North American destinations, located some 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Cardiff city centre, in the Vale of Glamorgan.
The country also has a significant railway network managed by the Welsh Assembly Government which has a programme of reopening old railway lines and extending rail usage. Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street are the busiest and the major hubs on the internal and national network. Beeching cuts in the 1960s mean that most of the remaining network is geared toward east-west travel to or from England. Services from North to South Wales operate through the English towns of Chester and Shrewsbury. Valley Lines services operate in Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys and surrounding area and are heavily used as commuter lines.
Arriva Trains Wales is the major operator of rail services within Wales. It operates routes from South East Wales to Crewe, Manchester and Cheltenham. Virgin Trains operate services from North Wales to London as part of the West Coast Main Line. First Great Western operate services from Cardiff and Swansea via Newport to London and services from Cardiff and Newport to southern England. CrossCountry offer services from Cardiff to Nottingham and Newcastle upon Tyne via the West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire.
Regular ferry services operate from Holyhead and Fishguard to Ireland.
National symbols
- The Flag of Wales incorporates the red dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) of Prince Cadwalader along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 after which it was carried in state to St. Paul's Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. The British Union Flag incorporates the flags of Scotland, Ireland and England but does not have any Welsh representation. Technically, however, it is represented by the flag of England due to the Laws in Wales act of 1535 which annexed Wales following the 13th century conquest.
- The flag of Owain Glyndŵr, which has 4 squares alternating in red and yellow and then a rampant lion in each square of the opposite colour. Some believe that this is the true flag of Wales arguing that Owain Glyndŵr was the last real Prince of Wales.
- The Dragon, part of the national flag design, is also a popular Welsh symbol. The oldest recorded use of the dragon to symbolise Wales is from the Historia Brittonum, written around 820, but it is popularly supposed to have been the battle standard of King Arthur and other ancient Celtic leaders. This myth is likely to have originated from Merlin's vision of a Red (The Native Britons) and White (The Saxon Invaders) dragon battling, with the Red dragon being victorious. Following the annexation of Wales by England, the dragon was used as a supporter in the English monarch's coat of arms.
- The leek is also a national emblem of Wales. According to legend, Saint David ordered his Welsh soldiers to identify themselves by wearing the vegetable on their helmets in an ancient battle against the Saxons that took place in a leek field. It is still worn on St David's Day each March 1
- The daffodil is the national flower of Wales, and is worn on St David's Day each March 1. (In Welsh, the daffodil is known as "Peter's Leek", cenhinen Bedr.)
- The Sessile Oak is the national tree of Wales.
- The Flag of Saint David is sometimes used as an alternative to the national flag (and used in part of Cardiff City FC's crest), and is flown on St David's Day.
- The Coat of Arms of the Principality of Wales which are the historic arms of the Kingdom of Gwynedd are used by Charles, Prince of Wales in his personal standard.
- The Prince of Wales's feathers, the heraldic badge of the Prince of Wales is sometimes adapted by Welsh bodies for use in Wales. The symbolism is explained on the article for Edward, the Black Prince, who was the first Prince of Wales to bear the emblem; see also John, King of Bohemia. The Welsh Rugby Union uses such a design for its own badge. The national sport is often considered rugby union, though football is very popular too.
- The red kite is sometimes named as the national symbol of wildlife in Wales.[43]
- Patriotic anthems for "the land of Song" include "God Bless the Prince of Wales", "Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" ("Land of My Fathers") (national anthem), "Men of Harlech", "Cwm Rhondda" (national hymn), "Delilah", "Calon Lan", "Sosban Fach".
Photos of Wales
 Nantclwyd-y-dre, Ruthin, thought to be the oldest town house in Wales |
 Hall of the Mountain Kings, Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, a cave in the Brecon Beacons |
 Llanddwyn Island old lighthouse with Gwynedd in background. |
 The University of Wales, Lampeter, the oldest higher education institution in Wales |
 Rhossili down and Rhossili Bay, Gower peninsula, Swansea |
 Steelworks, Port Talbot |
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 Part of the Brecon Beacons, looking from the highest point Pen y Fan. |
 Aberaeron, Harbour |
 Marloes peninsula, Pembrokeshire coast |
 Snowdon, highest mountain in Wales |
 A Welsh mountain pony in the Brecon Beacons |
 A lake in the Brecon Beacons |
 The marina of Swansea, Wales' second city |
 Sunset in Aberystwyth, one of the cultural capitals of Wales |
 Llangollen Bridge watching over the River Dee |
 Overton's yew trees |
 St Winefride's Well, one of the Seven Wonders of Wales |
 The steeple of St Giles' Church in Wrexham |
 Gresford Bells at All Saints' Church, Gresford |
 Pistyll Rhaeadr is the tallest waterfall in England & Wales |
 Newport Transporter Bridge, built in 1906 |
Welsh people
- See main article Welsh people
See also
- England and Wales
- Welsh Peers
- Welsh Nationalism
- Welsh language
- Plaid Cymru
- Wales Council for Voluntary Action
- Visit Wales
- Welsh settlement in Argentina
- Seven Wonders of Wales
- Capital of Wales
- National Eisteddfod
- Madoc
- Welsh American
- List of Wales dialling codes
- Welsh placenames
References
- ^ Also spelled "Gymru", "Nghymru" or "Chymru" in certain contexts, as Welsh is a language with initial mutations – see Welsh morphology.
- ^ Countries within a country www.number-10.gov.uk
- ^ Countries within a country www.number-10.gov.uk
- ^ Davies, John, A History of Wales, Penguin, 1994, Welsh Origins pg 54, ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8
- ^ "Welsh Assembly Government - International Affairs".
- ^ Ties with Middle East strengthened, BBC News, May 30, 2002. Accessed May 17, 2008.
- ^ Welsh European Funding Office (WEFO).
- ^ Welsh Assembly government - Wales: A Vibrant Economy.
- ^ Business Support Wales.
- ^ The Welsh Ministers' Business Scheme (Government of Wales Act 2006, Section 75).
- ^ Welsh Assembly Government - European Union.
- ^ Welsh Assembly Government EU Office.
- ^ The Film, TV and Multimedia Sector in Cardiff (PDF). Economic Development Division, Cardiff County Council (2003-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-01-17.
- ^ Template error: argument title is required.
- ^ "Cardiff: the building of a capital".
- ^ UK Travel Destinations, www.map-of-uk.com, Accessed May 4, 2008
- ^ Top facts on tourism in Wales.
- ^ New survey boost for tourism, BBC News, January 19, 2004. Accessed May 17, 2008. }}
- ^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008
- ^ Why the Welsh voice is so musical, BBC News, June 8, 2006. Accessed May 17, 2008.
- ^ Johnson, Martin. Revival has Wales singing in the rain, Daily Telegraph, March 17, 2008. Accessed May 17, 2008.
- ^ Cardiff - A Capital City.
- ^ Devichand, Mukul. Tongue tied, BBC News. Accessed May 17, 2008.
- ^ Online Etymological Dictionary Cymric
- ^ a b Davies, John (1990/2007). A History of Wales. London: Penguin Books, 68–69.
- ^ For the original Middle Welsh text see, Ifor Williams (ed.), Breuddwyd Maxen (Bangor, 1920). Discussion of the tale and its context in, M.P. Charlesworth, The Lost Province (Gregynog Lectures series, 1948, 1949).
- ^ The earliest instance of Lloegyr occurs in the early 10th century prophetic poem Armes Prydein. It seems comparatively late as a place name, the nominative plural Lloegrwys, "men of Lloegr", being earlier and more common. The English were sometimes referred to as an entity in early poetry (Saeson, as today) but just as often as Eingl (Angles), Iwys (Wessex-men), etc. Lloegr and Sacson became the norm later when England emerged as a kingdom. As for its origins, some scholars have suggested that it originally referred only to Mercia - at that time a powerful kingdom and for centuries the main foe of the Welsh. It was then applied to the new kingdom of England as a whole (see for instance Rachel Bromwich (ed.), Trioedd Ynys Prydein, University of Wales Press, 1987). "The lost land" and other fanciful meanings, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth's monarch Locrinus, have no etymological basis whatsoever. (See also Discussion, article 40)
- ^ "Tribute to lost Welsh princess", bbc.co.uk date 12 June 2000, URL retrieved on 5 March 2007
- ^ Official Welsh Government biography of Morgan.
- ^ See Meic Stephens (ed.), Companion to Welsh Literature. The doggerel verse was composed in English, probably for the benefit of visitors from across Offa's Dyke.
- ^ Introduction to NHS Wales 1960's www.wales.nhs.uk
- ^ Introduction to NHS Wales - Staff www.wales.nhs.uk
- ^ National Statistics Online
- ^ wales.gov.uk
- ^ National Statistics Online
- ^ A Bilingual Wales, Accessed April 27, 2008
- ^ 2004 Welsh Language Survey, www.bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.uk, Accessed April 28, 2008
- ^ 41,155 (1951 Census: Wales total monoglots)
- ^ Paganism and Wicca are also growing in Wales. Many Pagans and Wiccans also visit Wales because of the Ancient Celtic history the country has. BBC - Wales - History of religion : Multicultural Wales
- ^ Welsh language paper is unveiled. BBC News (20 June 2007). Retrieved on 2007-08-27.
- ^ Daily Welsh newspaper abandoned. BBC News Online (15 February 2008).
- ^ "Wales: Cultural life: Music, literature and film". Britannica (Online). (2006).
- ^ The RSPB: Red kite voted Wales' Favourite Bird
External links
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- VisitWales.com The official international guide to places to stay and things to do in Wales.
- VisitWales.co.uk The official UK guide to places to stay and things to do in Wales.
- Wales - World Nation
- National Assembly for Wales
- Welsh Icons - About Wales and all things Welsh
- Myths of British ancestory
- BBC Wales
- http://www.llywelyn.co.uk
- WalesCymru.com
- 100 Welsh Heroes
- Wales Council for Voluntary Action
- Gathering the Jewels - Welsh Heritage and Culture
- The castles and history of Wales
- The medieval history of Wales
- What's on Wales
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