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Wales is a country that is part of the [[United Kingdom]]. [[Charles]], son of [[Queen Elizabeth II]], is the Prince of Wales. The Welsh flag has a picture of a [[dragon]], usually called Idris. The Welsh flag forms no part of the Union Flag as Wales is a principality.
Wales is a country that is part of the [[United Kingdom]]. [[Charles]], son of [[Queen Elizabeth II]], is the current Prince of Wales, a title normally bestopwed on the first-born son of the sovereign but implying noparticular monarchical role in the Principality. The Welsh flag has a picture of a [[dragon]], usually called Idris. The Welsh flag forms no part of the Union Flag as at the time the flag was first devised Wales was considered as part of the kingdom of England.
English is universally spoken in Wales - however, the ancestral Celtic language of Welsh is still spoken as a first or second language by approximately a quarter of the population. The long-term decline in Welsh-speakers has stabilised since the early 1990s.
English is universally spoken in Wales - however, the ancestral Celtic language of Welsh is still spoken as a first or second language by approximately a quarter of the population. The long-term decline in Welsh-speakers has stabilised since the early 1990s.
[[Druidry]] survived as a major force in Wales until the 18th century, and may never have completely died out. The first modern Welsh druids date from 1717, but they took many of their rites from existing practices.
[[Druidry]] survived as a major force in Wales until the 18th century, and may never have completely died out. The first modern Welsh druids date from 1717, but they took many of their rites from existing practices.
The capital of Wales is [[Cardiff]].
The largest city in Wales is [[Cardiff]], which was declared to be the capital city in 1955, against competition from Swansea.
The national sport is [[rugby union]], the national emblems are the leek and the daffodil. South Wales was formerly heavily industrialised, with [[coal]] mining and [[steel]]working, whereas North Wales is a pastoral area used mainly for [[sheep]]farming.
The national sport is [[rugby union]], the national emblems are the leek and the daffodil. South Wales was formerly heavily industrialised, with [[coal]] mining and [[steel]]working, whereas North Wales is a pastoral area used mainly for [[sheep]]farming.
It is often said that the vowels in English are "A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y;" however, in Welsh the letter W can be a vowel (pronounced roughly like a double-length U). Most English dictionaries contain some Welsh-derived English words such as ''cwm'' (a circular valley or ''cirque'') and ''crwth'' (an traditional Celtic fiddle-like musical instrument). These can be very effective stumpers when playing word games, provided of course that they are actually included in whatever dictionary is the authority agreed on by the players.
It is often said that the vowels in English are "A, E, I, O, U and sometimes Y;" however, in Welsh the letter W can be a vowel (pronounced roughly like a double-length U). Most English dictionaries contain some Welsh-derived English words such as ''cwm'' (a circular valley or ''cirque'') and ''crwth'' (an traditional Celtic fiddle-like musical instrument). These can be very effective stumpers when playing word games, provided of course that they are actually included in whatever dictionary is the authority agreed on by the players.
==History==
Wales emerged as a nation from the collapse of Romano-British Britannia following the invasions of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes from the firth century AD onwards. What is now known as Wales was for a time known as 'North Wales', while Devon and Cornwall (in SW England) were 'West Wales' until their conquest. The Mercian king Offa (Mercia equates roughly to the English Midlands) created an earthwork (Offa's Dyke') running between the Irish Sea and the Severn estuary in the later eighth century to separate his kingdom from Welsh lands. The dyke broadly marks the Anglo-Welsh boundary to this day.
The Norman Conquest of England following 1066 gave rise to Norman attempts to occupy Wales; by the thirteenth century much of eastern and southern WAles were under Norman control in autonomous 'Marcher Lordships' owing loyalty to the English crown. What was left of independent Wales was not a unitary nation, but comprised a number of separate, often warring, principalities, and only late on, under English pressure, did these unite to acknowledge one 'Prince of Wales'. These princes were provided by the most powerful of the Welsh states, Gwynedd, in the mountainous NW of the country. Most notable was Llewelyn the Great (1173-1240; who unified the country, and gave it a code of laws). His grandson, Llewelyn ap Gruffydd, was unable to resist a powerful invasion mounted by the English king Edward i, and his death in battle in 1282 marked the extinction of independent Wales.
==Notes and references==
==Notes and references==