Wales

Introduction

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain. Wales is regarded as of the modern Celtic nations.

Geography and Climate

Wales is bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish west. Wales is a generally mountainous country. It is about 274 km (170 mi) north _ south and 97 km (60 mi) east- west. Over 50 islands lie off the Welsh mainland; the largest being Anglesey, in the northwest. The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon.

It has a changeable, maritime climate and is one of the wettest countries in Europe. Welsh weather is often cloudy, wet and windy, with warm summers and mild winters.

History

·         Roman Era: the Roman conquest of Wales began in AD 48 and took 30 years to complete.  Roman rule lasted over 300 years.

·         From 600 AD to 1277 AD Wales was governed by Welsh kings.

·         In 1277 the king of England (Edward I) invaded and conquered Wales.

·         During the industrial revolution, Wales developed important coal and iron manufacturing industries.

·         The 20^th century saw a revival in Welsh national feeling. Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925, seeking greater autonomy or independence from the rest of the UK.

Politics

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. The national assembly for Wales was set up in 1999 and possesses the power to determine how the central government budget for Wales is spent and administered, although the UK parliament reserves the right to set limits on the powers of the Welsh assembly.

Languages

  Everyone speaks English, the country has retained a distinct identity and is officially bilingual.

English and Welsh languages are treated on a basis of equality. English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is the main language. Wenglish is the Welsh English language dialect. It has been influenced significantly by Welsh grammar and includes words derived from Welsh.

Population

Wales’ population is approximately 3.064.000.

96% of the people are white. The rest is Asian, African and other.

Cuisine

There are many famous traditional welsh dishes: laverbread (made from laver, and edible seawed).bara brith (fruit bread) Cawl (a lamb stew); and cawl cennin (leek soup).

Sports

The most important sports in Wales are: football, rugby and cricket.

Individual sports are also important. There were many Welsh champions in international competitions of snooker, boxing and racing.