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. As of 2021^[update], it had a population of 3.2 million. 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. Its 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 Talyllyn Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Talyllyn) is a narrow-gauge preserved railway in Wales running for 7.25 miles (11.67 km)^[1] from Tywyn^a on the Mid-Wales coast to Nant Gwernol near the village of Abergynolwyn. The line was opened in 1866 to carry slate from the quarries at Bryn Eglwys to Tywyn, and was the first narrow gauge railway in Britain authorised by Act of Parliament to carry passengers using steam haulage.^[2]^[3] Despite severe under-investment,^[4] the line remained open, and in 1951 it became the first railway in the world to be preserved as a heritage railway by volunteers.^[5]^[6]

Since preservation, the railway has operated as a tourist attraction, expanding its rolling stock through acquisition and an engineering programme to build new locomotives and carriages. In 1976, an extension was opened along the former mineral line from Abergynolwyn to the new station at Nant Gwernol. In 2001, the preservation society celebrated its 50th anniversary, and in 2005 a major rebuilding and extension of Tywyn Wharf station took place, including a much-expanded facility for the Narrow Gauge Railway Museum.

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Royal Badge of Wales

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Did you know...?

... that the Welsh library educator Peter Havard-Williams served as Chief Librarian to the Council of Europe?
... that tree-ring dating shows that the wood for the rood screen in St Brothen's Church, Llanfrothen, Gwynedd, came from trees felled between 1496 and 1506?
... that troops of both the 28th Infantry Division and 75th Infantry Division were stationed at Seabank Hotel in Porthcawl during World War II?
... that St Cynhaearn's Church, Ynyscynhaearn in Gwynedd is located in an isolated position on a former island in a lake, and is approached by an ancient causeway?

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Gethin Clifford Jones (born 12 February 1978) is a Welsh television presenter best known for co-presenting the long-running BBC children's show Blue Peter. An active rugby union player when at the Manchester Metropolitan University and for a time after graduation, Jones began his television career on Welsh channel S4C as a presenter of children's programmes such as Popty, Mas Draw and the flagship children's entertainment show Uned 5 (Unit 5, 2002–2005). In 2005, he became the 31st presenter of Blue Peter, the world's longest-running children's television series. He has also hosted major live telecasts of events like Mardi Gras in Cardiff and New Year Live (2007) and, from 2008, co-hosts the entertainment news programme E24 on BBC News 24. He has made guest appearances in various programmes, including The Mighty Boosh (2004) and Doctor Who (2006). In 2007 Jones was a contestant in Series 5 of Strictly Come Dancing, achieving third place.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

Image 1Statue of Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 or 1359 – c. 1416) at Cardiff City Hall
Image 2Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 3Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog was leader of the north Walian Celtic tribe, the Ordovices, and led multiple Celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)
Image 4Map of the Roman invasion of Wales (from History of Wales)
Image 5The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 6Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 7Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 8Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)
Image 9Opening of the Sixth Senedd in Cardiff in 2021 (from History of Wales)
Image 10Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 11Dowlais Ironworks (1840) by George Childs (1798–1875) (from History of Wales)
Image 12A Plaid Cymru rally in Machynlleth in 1949, where the Parliament for Wales Campaign began (from History of Wales)
Image 13"Cymdeithas yr Iaith" (Society for the Language) bilingual road sign protest, 1972. (from History of Wales)
Image 14Britain in AD 500: The areas shaded pink on the map were inhabited by the Britons, here labelled Welsh. The pale blue areas in the east were controlled by Germanic tribes, while the pale green areas to the north were inhabited by the Gaels and Picts. (from History of Wales)
Image 15Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 16Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 17Battle at Mametz Wood by Christopher Williams (1918), commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 18Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 19Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 20Bryn Celli Ddu, a late Neolithic chambered tomb on Anglesey
Image 21King Hywel Dda depicted enthroned in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 22Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 23Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 24Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 25The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 26Medieval map of Welsh realms (from History of Wales)
Image 27Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 28Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 29Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 30Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 31Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 32Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)

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Wales topics

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