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. 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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Flat Holm (Welsh: Ynys Echni) is a limestone island lying in the Bristol Channel approximately 6 km (4 mi) from Lavernock Point in the Vale of Glamorgan, but in the City and County of Cardiff. It includes the most southerly point of Wales. It is now managed by Cardiff Council's Flat Holm Project Team and designated as a Local Nature Reserve, Site of Special Scientific Interest and a Special Protection Area, because of the maritime grassland and rare plants such as Rock Sea-Lavender (Limonium binervosum) and Wild Leek (Allium ampeloprasum). The island also has significant breeding colonies of Lesser Black-backed Gull (Larus fuscus), Herring Gull (Larus argentatus) and Great Black-backed Gull (Larus marinus). It is also home to Slow worms (Anguis fragilis) with larger than usual blue markings.

The island has a long history of occupation, dating at least from Anglo-Saxon and Viking periods. Religious uses include visits by disciples of Saint Cadoc in the 6th century, and in 1835 it was the site of the foundation of the Bristol Channel Mission, which later became the Mission to Seafarers. A sanatorium for cholera patients was built in 1896 as the isolation hospital for the port of Cardiff. Guglielmo Marconi transmitted the first wireless signals over open sea from Flat Holm to Lavernock. Because of frequent shipwrecks a lighthouse was built on the island, which was replaced by a Trinity House lighthouse in 1737. Because of its strategic position on the approaches to Bristol and Cardiff a series of gun emplacements, known as Flat Holm Battery, were built in the 1860s as part of a line of defences, known as Palmerston Forts. On the outbreak of World War II, the island was rearmed.

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Gregynog Hall is a large country mansion in the village of Tregynon, 4 miles northwest of Newtown, Powys. The Blayney and Hanbury-Tracy families lived on the site from the fifteenth to nineteenth centuries; in 1920 the current house was bought by Gwendoline and Margaret Davies, who turned it into an important cultural centre. During their ownership Gregynog hosted music festivals, gave its name to a printing press and, until the sisters' respective bequests to the National Museum of Wales, a housed significant collection of Impressionist and Post-Impressionist art. In 1960 the house was transferred to the University of Wales as a conference and study centre.

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Did you know...?

... that the church dedicated to St Cwyllog in Llangwyllog, Anglesey, has a rare surviving Georgian triple-decker pulpit?
... that The Brahmin and the Mongoose, an Indian folktale about the rash killing of a loyal animal, travelled the world and inspired shrines to the dogs Saint Guinefort in France and Gelert in Wales?
... that Eleazar Roberts pioneered the tonic sol-fa method of sight-singing in Wales?
... that although the church of St Pabo, Llanbabo has a 14th-century monument to Pabo Post Prydain, its supposed 5th-century founder, there is no strong evidence that he founded the church?

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Ryan Joseph Giggs OBE (born Ryan Joseph Wilson on 29 November 1973) is a Welsh professional footballer. He plays as a left winger for Manchester United, and is the most decorated player in the history of English football. He made his first appearance for the club during the 1990–91 season, and holds the club records for competitive appearances and team trophies won by a player (23). Since 1992, he has collected 11 Premier League winner's medals, four FA Cup winner's medals, three League Cup winner's medals and two Champions League winner's medals. He is the only player to have played and scored in every season of the Premier League, and is the first player in UEFA Champions League history to have scored in 11 successive seasons. At the 2008 UEFA Champions League Final, held on 21 May 2008, Giggs surpassed Sir Bobby Charlton's record of 758 appearances for Manchester United to become the club's all-time leader in appearances.

At international level, Giggs played for the Welsh national team prior to his retirement from international football on 2 June 2007, and was once the youngest player ever to represent Wales. He was appointed an OBE in the Queen's 2007 Birthday Honours List, and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2005. He was named as BBC Sports Personality of the Year in 2009. On 31 January 2011, Giggs was named Manchester United's greatest ever player.

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In the news

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General images

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

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