Our Country
How to speak Welsh Our Welsh names - What they mean
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Wales is one of the four countries that make up The United Kingdom. The biggest is England, then Scotland, then Wales and then Northern Ireland. There are 4 cities in Wales. Cardiff is the capital city. It is 100 years old in 2005 and has been the capital for 50 years. It is on the south coast of Wales. The next biggest city is Swansea which is further west along the coast. It takes about 40 minutes to get there from Cardiff along the only motorway in Wales, the M4. The M4 goes from north west of Swansea to the middle of London, the capital of Britain.
The smallest city in Wales is St. David's. There is a cathedral there and it is a very very small city. St. David's is in the southwest corner of Wales. The newest city in Wales is Newport which is the first big built up area that you come to when you come into Wales from England over the Severn Bridge. The M4 also goes past Newport. In the west of Newport by the M4 is a massive hotel called The Celtic Manor Resort. Next to this hotel is a road called the A449 which goes north to Monmouth. It is about 17 miles from Newport to Monmouth. In 2010, the biggest tournament in world golf called The Ryder Cup will be held at The Celtic Manor Resort. The hotel is the biggest hotel in Wales and was also the first 5 star hotel.
The Celtic Manor Resort - Home of The Ryder Cup 2010
Wale sis a country with a lot of different scenery. Most people live in the south of Wales along the M4 motorway. The cities there have lots of jobs and offices. If you head upwards (north) from the south coast you reach an area called 'The Valleys'. These are lots of mountains with valleys in between and the run from north to south. In the past these areas had lots of coalmines and produced lots of the coal that was dug out of the ground to heat houses and use in factories and on trains. Unfortunately it was too expensive to keep these coalmines open so one by one they closed down. In the middle of Wales (Mid Wales) most land is used for farming. There are endless hills, fields and gentle valleys. There are lots of crops grown in this part of Wales and a lot of dairy farms (cows). In the north of Wales there are bigger, more rugged mountains. It isn't as easy to have cows or crops in these areas so most of the farming is sheep farming. Sheep don't mind grazing high in hills and don't need to be looked after as closely as cows. In north Wales there used to be lots of mining but here it was slate mining rather than coal. Slate is a grey flat rock that can be used to make roof tiles as well as in other buildings.
Typical Brecon Beacons National Park Scenery
The weather in Wales is quite different to the rest of the UK in many ways. Usually the wind in Wales blows from the southwest across the Atlantic Ocean. This means that when it reaches Wales it is carrying quite a lot of moisture that it's picked up as it passed over the sea. When it reaches Wales it is forced upwards by the hills and mountains. This cools the air & the water moisture cools down & turns into rain. This is why it rains a lot in Wales. Generally it is quite wet and damp during the autumn and winter and it is quite dry and hot during the late spring and summer. The amount of rain is one of the reasons why Wales has such lush green scenery and good farming land.
The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff People in Wales are very patriotic. This means that they love their country. Welsh people love sport and the national game is rugby. In 2005 Wales won the 6 Nations competition between England, Scotland, Ireland, France & Italy. Welsh people are very proud of their history and culture. Every year on March 1st they celebrate St. David's Day. St. David (Dewi Sant in Welsh) is the patron saint of Wales. On this day, children across the country go to school dressed in the national costume and celebrate being Welsh.
Evan James, a weaver from Pontypridd in Mid-Glamorgan, wrote the words to Hen Wlad fy Nhadau in 1856. The tune was written by his son James. It's uncertain exactly when it became the official National Anthem though it was chosen because it expresses Welsh national sentiment. The song is sung on a wide variety of occasions throughout the country like sporting events.
More Photos of Wales and links to the great websites they came from
Cardiff Bay - (www.south-wales.info)
A Welsh Coastal Scene (kmi.open.ac.uk/people/
Tryfan (www.wilderness-wales.co.uk)
Castell y Gwynt in Fog) (www.wilderness-wales.co.uk)
Foel Goch (www.wilderness-wales.co.uk)
Glyder Fach (www.wilderness-wales.co.uk)
Glyder Fach (www.wilderness-wales.co.uk)
Here are some facts about life in Wales taken from the Data Wales website CLICK HERE for facts about Costume and Food Language
English is the day to day language for most Welsh people. Due to the efforts of many dedicated people the Welsh language still flourishes (and there is a Welsh language TV channel). The 1991 census gave a figure of 18.5 per cent Welsh speakers.
Currency
The currency is that of Britain in general i.e. the pound sterling, sometimes referred to on the Net as the GBP. This tends to hover at around 1.4 dollars US in value.
Climate
Wales has the sort of climate often described as "temperate". This means that it never gets very hot or very cold. May, June, July and August are the sunniest and driest months, but even in the winter a raincoat and sweater will usually cope with the worst that the weather has to offer. For more weather information check the statistics at the foot of this page and our Travel Notes.
The land area is just over 8,000 square miles and Wales measures 160 miles long by 60 miles wide. Wales has extensive tracts of high plateaux with mountain ranges deeply dissected by river valleys radiating from the centre of the upland area. The lowland area is confined mainly to the relatively narrow coastal belts and the valley floors. Snowdon is the highest mountain at 3,650 feet. The coastline is almost 750 miles long (1,200 Km.) Go to the Data Wales Maps Page for a selection of maps of Wales.
Nowadays, tourism is a key employer and revenue earner for Wales. Wales has a wealth of holiday cottages and private hotels, renowned for their hospitality. A Japanese student with an interest in visiting Wales recently wrote with a list of questions. One of these was "Are there any places dangerous for tourists in Wales?" The answer was "no" - but on reflection I would add that visitors should take advice before tackling walks and climbs in mountainous areas when the weather is uncertain. Wales has a mountain rescue service but let's allow them to enjoy their day off. Parents with young children should take care when visiting the ancient castles of Wales. Moats, battlements and dungeons weren't designed to be visitor friendly. As for conversation - it may or may not be appropriate to ask about the current state of Welsh rugby football.
Wales is a land of small farms. Sheep farming is predominant in the mountains and moorlands, dairy and mixed farming around the coast. The old heavy industries which once made the port of Cardiff (the capital city) the busiest in the world have declined to such an extent that even coal mining has almost ceased in Wales. British governments have attracted English and multi-national companies to Wales with generous incentives but unemployment is still higher than the average for Britain. Recent years have seen a strong growth in the science and technology sectors, however, so this may change.
The Welsh flag has two equal horizontal stripes, white above green, and a large red dragon passant. We have a drawing and some historical background here.
The daffodil and the leek are also famous emblems of Wales.
St. David - the patron saint of Wales
March 1st is celebrated in Wales as St. David's Day. This is the most important day in the Welsh calendar and the day on which expatriates around the world remember their roots. It is a day for Welsh people to celebrate their culture and identity. St. David was an early crusader for Christianity in Wales and is supposed to have died on March 1st, 589. His remains were buried at what is now the Cathedral of St. David's in Pembrokeshire, west Wales.
The peace and tranquility of the Welsh landscape belies a turbulent history. The Romans occupied Britain for 400 years but never succeded in entirely subduing Wales. Testaments to their efforts may still be seen at the site of the barracks of the II Augusta Legion at the pretty town of Caerleon in South Wales. Archeological excavation still takes place in nearby Caerwent (Venta Silurum) where the beautifully constructed core of the Roman town wall still fascinates, despite the fact that much of its facing stone has been re-used in local houses and farms. Following the Romans came the Saxons, Picts, Vikings and Normans. The history of the medieval period is dominated by the exploits of the rebellious Welsh princes such as Owain Glyndwr. Acts of parliament between 1536 and 1543 unified Wales with England.
This history of struggle against invaders from within and without mainland Britain has left Wales with more castles per square mile than any other country in Western Europe. It's a nice irony that previous centuries of oppression have left Wales with a priceless national asset, the great castles in peaceful rural settings that contribute so much to the beauty of the Welsh landscape.
The character of Wales is thankfully still unique. Welsh culture and tradition is celebrated at a festival called the Eisteddfod. We are indebted to the Wales Tourist Board for the background to this important element of Welsh life.
"....The present form of the eisteddfod is a nineteenth century creation. Wales at that time was a country where the national language and culture lacked patronage because the property owning gentry had become Anglicised. The medieval meeting of the bards called an eisteddfod was revived as a means of attracting patronage for Welsh cultural activity. At first competitions were confined to poetry composition and harp playing but today choir singing, bands, acting, recitation, fiction writing, painting and much more is judged at an eisteddfod."
"There are two important annual eisteddfodau in Wales. The first is the National Eisteddfod which is held in North and South Wales in alternate years at the beginning of August. The ceremonies of this Eisteddfod are carried out by the Gorsedd of Bards which is an association of people interested in Welsh literature and music... The International Eisteddfod takes place in Llangollen where dancers, singers and choirs from every part of the world converge to take part in this global festival of music. The Llangollen Eisteddfod usually takes place in July." Statistics - from Wales in Figures 2001
Population 2,946,200 General medical practitioners per 10,000 population: 6.0 Road length (km) - 33,695 The National Assembly for Wales publishes a wide range of statistics covering education, health, local government finance, housing and economic and social trends. If you have a specialised interest you can e-mail - stats.info.desk@wales.gsi.gov.uk
Here is a selection of Welsh Songs. You can download the tunes at the bottom of the page.
Sosban Fach Mae bys Mari Ann wedi gwywo,
Mae bys Mari Ann wedi gwella,
Mae Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau - Land of My Fathers (National Anthem) Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn anwyl i mi,
Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad dan ei droed,
We'll keep a welcome in the hillside Far away a voice is calling,
Well keep a welcome in the hillside.
This land of song will keep a welcome
Dau Gi Bach (Two Small Dogs)
Dau gi bach yn mynd i’r coed, Esgid newydd am bob troed; Dau gi bach yn dwad adre Wedi colli un o’u sgidie Dau gi bach.
Dau gi bach yn mynd i’r coed, Dau gi bach a’u bron yn wyn
Gee, Geffyl Bach (Gee Up Little Horse)
Dros y mynydd i hela cnau; Dŵr yn yr afon a’r cerrig yn slic, Cwympo ni’n dau. Wel dyna i chi dric!
Cwyd Robin bach a saf ar dy draed, Gee, geffyl bach dros frigau y coed,
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