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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Rhondda /ˈrɒnðə/, or the Rhondda Valley (Welsh: Cwm Rhondda), is a former coal mining valley in Wales, formerly a local government district, consisting of 16 communities built around the River Rhondda. The valley is made up of two valleys, the larger Rhondda Fawr valley (mawr, large) and the smaller Rhondda Fach valley (bach, small). Both the singular term 'Rhondda Valley' and the plural 'Rhondda Valleys' are commonly used. In 2001 the Rhondda constituency of the National Assembly for Wales had a population of 72,443; the National Office of Statistics described the Rhondda urban area as having a population of 59,602, making it the fourth largest single urban area in Wales after the cities of Cardiff, Swansea and Newport. Rhondda is part of Rhondda Cynon Taf County Borough and is part of the South Wales Valleys.

The Rhondda Valley is most notable for its historical link to the coal mining industry which was at its peak between 1840 and 1925. The Rhondda Valleys were home to a strong early nonconformist Christian movement which manifested itself in the baptist chapels which moulded Rhondda values in the 19th century and early 20th century. Rhondda is also famous for strong masculine cultural ties within a social community which expressed itself outside industry in the form of male voice choirs, sport, trade unions and public house life.

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Credit: Stemonitis

Tryfan is one of the most recognisable peaks in Snowdonia, having a classic pointed shape with rugged crags. At 917.5 metres (3,010 ft) above sea level it is the fifteenth highest mountain in Wales.

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Did you know...?

... that Hayscastle in Pembrokeshire once contained a Norman motte and an RAF Chain Home?
... that the very rare ghost orchid was once found in Fiddler's Elbow National Nature Reserve, near Monmouth, Wales?
... that the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge live in a rented Anglesey farmhouse on the Bodorgan Hall estate?
... that Sir Watkin Williams-Wynn was a prisoner of war of the Japanese on the Burma Railway before becoming Lord Lieutenant of Denbighshire and of Clwyd?

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A fo ben, bid bont. [He who is chief, let him be a bridge.]

— Mabinogion, "Branwen, Daughter of Llŷr" (Jones & Jones, 1989, p. 34)

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Alfred Russel Wallace OM, FRS (8 January 1823 – 7 November 1913) was a British naturalist, explorer, geographer, anthropologist and biologist. He did extensive fieldwork first in the Amazon River basin, and then in the Malay Archipelago, where he identified the Wallace line dividing the fauna of Australia from that of Asia. He is best known for independently proposing a theory of natural selection which prompted Charles Darwin to publish his own more developed and researched theory sooner than intended. Wallace was also one of the leading evolutionary thinkers of the 19th century who made a number of other contributions to the development of evolutionary theory, including the concept of warning colouration in animals, and the Wallace effect. He was also considered the 19th century’s leading expert on the geographical distribution of animal species and is sometimes called the "father of biogeography".

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Wikinews Wales portal

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

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