Wales [weɪlz] (help·info) (Welsh: Cymru;[1] pronounced /ˈkəmrɨ/ (help·info)) is a country which is part of the United Kingdom, bordering England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union. Wales has a population estimated at three million and is a bilingual country, with both English and Welsh having equal status.
Originally (and traditionally) a Celtic land and one of the Celtic nations, a distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the early fifth century, after the Roman withdrawal from Britain.[2] The 13th-century defeat of Llewelyn by Edward I completed the Anglo-Norman conquest of Wales and brought about centuries of English occupation. Wales was subsequently incorporated into England with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, creating the legal entity known today as England and Wales. However, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century, and the Welsh Church Act 1914 applied solely to Wales. In 1955 Cardiff was proclaimed as national capital and in 1999 the National Assembly for Wales was created, which holds responsibility for a range of devolved matters.
The capital Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is Wales' largest city with 317,500 people. For a period it was the biggest coal port in the world.[3] Two-thirds of the Welsh population live in South Wales, with another concentration in eastern North Wales. The Encyclopaedia of Wales notes that many travellers and tourists have been drawn to Wales' "wild... and picturesque" landscapes.[4] [5] From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", attributable in part to the revival of the eisteddfod tradition.[6] Actors, singers and other artists are celebrated in Wales today, often achieving international success,[7] and Cardiff is the home of the largest media centre in the UK outside of London.[8]
Wales is sometimes referred to as a principality, although this has no current constitutional basis. Llywelyn the Great founded the Principality of Wales in 1216, and following the Edwardian Conquest, Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to a large part of Wales in the early 15th century. Traditionally the British Royal Family have bestowed the courtesy title of 'Prince of Wales' upon the heir apparent of the reigning monarch.
10-09-2008, 04:06 PM
British Wales ...... something of the imagination
Linear Mode
