Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəm.rɨ] ^ⓘ) 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 the 2021 census, it had a population of 3,107,494. 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. The 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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Penmon is a promontory, parish and community on the south-east tip of Anglesey, North Wales, about three miles east of the town of Beaumaris. The name comes from the Welsh word "pen" (which can mean "head", "end" or "promontory") and "Môn", which is the Welsh word for Anglesey. It is the site of a historic monastery and associated 12th century church. Walls near the well next to the church may be part of the oldest remaining Christian building in Wales. Penmon also has an award-winning beach and the Anglesey Coastal Path follows its shores. Quarries in Penmon have provided stone for many important buildings and structures, including Birmingham Town Hall and the two bridges that cross the Menai Strait. The area is popular with locals and visitors alike for its monuments, tranquillity, bracing air and fine views of Snowdonia to the south across the Menai Strait.

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Credit: Jamieo

Tor Bay and Three Cliffs Bay, Gower, Glamorgan

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Did you know...?

... that according to legend, water from a holy well in Penrhys, Wales, can be used to cure rheumatism and poor eyesight?
... that Wales Triple Crown winner Norman Biggs was killed after being struck by a poison arrow while on military duty in Northern Nigeria?
... that Henry Bracy was one of the most popular comic tenors of the Victorian era?
... that Tara Bethan, finalist in the BBC One TV show I'd Do Anything, was the daughter of "El Bandito"

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It is spring, moonless night in the small town, starless and bible-black, the cobblestreets silent and the hunched, courters'-and-rabbits' wood limping invisible down to the sloeblack, slow, black, crowblack, fishingboat-bobbing sea.

— Dylan Thomas, Under Milk Wood (1954)

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Rowan Douglas Williams, DD, DCL, PC, FBA (born 14 June 1950 in Swansea, Wales) is the 104th and current Archbishop of Canterbury, Metropolitan of the Province of Canterbury and Primate of All England. Williams was born in Swansea, Wales, into a Welsh-speaking family. He was educated at Dynevor School, Swansea; Christ's College, Cambridge, where he studied theology; and Wadham College, Oxford, where he took his DPhil in 1975. He lectured at the College of the Resurrection in Mirfield, West Yorkshire for two years. In 1977 he returned to Cambridge to teach theology, first at Westcott House, having been ordained deacon in Ely cathedral that year and was ordained priest in 1978. Unusually, he undertook no formal curacy until 1980 when he served at St George's Chesterton until 1983, having been appointed as a lecturer in Divinity at the University of Cambridge. In 1984 he became dean and chaplain of Clare College, Cambridge, and, in 1986, at the very young age of 36, he was appointed to the Lady Margaret Professorship of Divinity at the University of Oxford and thus also a residentiary canon of Christ Church. He was awarded the degree of Doctor of Divinity in 1989. In 1991 Dr Williams was appointed and consecrated Bishop of Monmouth in the Anglican Church in Wales. In 1997 he was proposed as a potential Bishop of Southwark. George Carey, the then Archbishop of Canterbury, asked Dr Williams to distance himself from his writings sympathetic to the cause of gay rights, but he declined and was not nominated to the post.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

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

Image 1Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 2Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 3Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 4Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 5Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 6The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 7'The Welsh at Mametz Wood' painted by Christopher Williams, commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 8Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 9Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)
Image 10Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 11Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 12Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 13Roman invasion of Wales. (from History of Wales)
Image 14Island of Britain in AD 500. (from History of Wales)
Image 15Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 16Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 17Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 18Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 19The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 20King Hywel Dda depicted in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 21Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 22Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 23Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 24Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 25Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog led multiple celtic tribes against the Romans. (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.