Welsh History and Identity

• Wales is a country within the United Kingdom, 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 southwest.
• The capital and largest city is Cardiff.
• The official languages are Welsh (Cymraeg) and English.

Welsh Identity

• A distinct Welsh culture emerged among Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal in the 5th century.
• Wales was briefly united in 1055 under Gruffydd ap Llywelyn.
• Owain Glyndŵr led a revolt against English rule in the early 15th century, briefly re-establishing a Welsh state.
• Wales was annexed by England in the 16th century under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542.
• Welsh national feeling grew in the 19th and 20th centuries with the formation of Plaid Cymru in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962.
• Welsh devolution led to the formation of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament) in 1998, handling devolved policy matters.

History

• Permanently settled after the last ice age, Wales saw the rise of Celtic culture by the Iron Age.
• The Roman withdrawal in 383 created a post-Roman nation of Britons, with Magnus Maximus proclaimed emperor.
• Germanic Anglo-Saxon settlers displaced Britons, isolating a group in the western peninsula, later named Wales by the English.
• Wales remained divided into separate kingdoms, including Viking and Saxon settlements.
• Hywel Dda formed the kingdom of Deheubarth in the 10th century and codified Welsh law.
• Gruffydd ap Llywelyn united Wales in 1057, though it didn't last.
• The Norman invasion led to the creation of the Welsh Marches, dividing Pura Wallia.
• Llywelyn ab Iorwerth forced other Welsh princes to submit in 1216.
• Edward I's conquest in 1283 led to the Statute of Rhuddlan, ending Welsh independence.
• Owain Glyndŵr's rebellion in 1400–1415 was followed by the Laws in Wales Acts under Henry VIII, granting Welsh citizens rights in the Kingdom of England.
• The Act of Union in 1707 created the Kingdom of Great Britain.
• The Industrial Revolution transformed Wales into a mining and metallurgical center, causing resentment towards industrialists.
• Religious revivals led to non-conformism.
• Radical Welsh working-class movements arose, including the Merthyr Rising (1831) & Newport Rising (1839).
• Calls for devolution culminated in the Government of Wales Act (1998), creating a devolved Welsh assembly, now the Senedd.

Governance

• Wales is a country within the United Kingdom with a titular Prince of Wales.
• There are 32 Welsh Members of Parliament (MPs) in the UK Parliament.
• Wales has a devolved, unicameral legislature called the Senedd.
• For local government, Wales is divided into 22 council areas.
• The Government of Wales Act 1998 created the National Assembly for Wales, with powers over budget and administration.
• The Government of Wales Act 2006 reformed the National Assembly, creating the Welsh Government.
• A referendum in 2011 empowered the National Assembly to make laws on devolved matters.
• The National Assembly was renamed "Senedd Cymru" or "the Welsh Parliament" in May 2020.
• Devolved areas include agriculture, economic development, education, health, housing, local government, social services, tourism, transport, and the Welsh language.

Welsh Law

• Traditionally compiled around 930 by Hywel Dda, Welsh Law, or 'law of Hywel Dda', codified existing folk laws.
• Welsh Law emphasized compensation to victims rather than punishment.
• The Statute of Rhuddlan in 1284 replaced Welsh Law for criminal cases.
• The Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 applied English law to the whole of Wales.
• The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 provided that laws applying to England also applied to Wales unless stated otherwise; repealed in 1967.
• The Senedd can draft and approve laws outside the UK Parliamentary system.
• It can pass primary legislation related to health and education.
• Wales is served by four regional police forces and has five prisons, but no women’s prisons.

Geography

• Wales, about 170 miles north to south, is generally mountainous.
• Wales is bordered by England to the east and sea in all other directions.
• Wales has 1,680 miles of coastline and over 50 islands, the largest being Anglesey.
• The highest mountains are in Snowdonia, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), Wales's highest peak at 1,085 m.
• Wales has three national parks: Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons, and Pembrokeshire Coast.
• There are five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty, including the Gower Peninsula, the first in the UK.
• The south and west coasts are known for shipwrecks, including the Sea Empress oil spill in 1996.
• The first border between Wales and England was zonal, with the River Wye as the first accepted boundary.

Geology and Climate

• The Cambrian geological period is named after the Cambrian Mountains.
• Murchison and Sedgwick used Welsh geology studies to establish stratigraphy and palaeontology
• The Ordovician and Silurian periods were named after ancient Celtic tribes.
• Wales lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate.
• Welsh weather is often cloudy, wet, and windy, with warm summers and mild winters.
• Highest max temp: 37.1 °C (99 °F) at Hawarden, Flintshire on 18 July 2022.
• Lowest min temp: −23.3 °C (−10 °F) at Rhayader, Radnorshire on 21 January 1940.
• Max sunshine: 354.3 hours at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire in July 1955.
• Min sunshine: 2.7 hours at Llwynon, Brecknockshire in January 1962.
• Max rainfall in a day: 211 mm at Rhondda, Glamorgan, on 11 November 1929.
• Wettest spot: Crib Goch in Snowdonia, averaging 4,473 mm rain/year.

Flora and Fauna

• Wales's wildlife is typical of Britain with several distinctions.
• The Welsh coasts host various seabirds.
• Upland-habitat birds include raven and ring ouzel.
• Birds of prey include the merlin, hen harrier, and red kite, a Welsh national symbol
• Larger mammals like brown bears, wolves, and wildcats, died out in the Norman period.
• Mammals include shrews, voles, badgers, otters, stoats, weasels, hedgehogs, and fifteen bat species.
• The pine marten has been reintroduced and the polecat is rapidly spreading.
• Feral goats can be found in Snowdonia, Licensed beavers have been released in Dyfi Valley.
• Some 2,500 disused coal tips are home to rare land invertebrates.
• The waters of south-west Wales attract marine animals.
• Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion are important for bottlenose dolphins.
• The gwyniad only found in Bala Lake.
• The Snowdon lily is an iconic plant of Snowdonia.

Economy

• Wales transformed from an agricultural to an industrial, then post-industrial economy.
• In 2018, Wales's GDP was £75 billion, with a GDP per head of £23,866.
• In the three months to December 2017, 72.7% of working-age adults were employed.
• For the 2018–19 fiscal year, the Welsh fiscal deficit accounts for 19.4% of Wales's estimated GDP.
• In 2019, Wales was a net exporter of electricity, producing 27.9 TWh and consuming 14.7 TWh.
• From the mid-19th century, coal mining was dominant.
• Cardiff was the largest coal-exporting port.
• The Welsh economy faced restructuring from the mid-1970s.
• Livestock farming has been the focus of agriculture because of unsuitable crop-growing land.
• Numerous Welsh banks issued their own banknotes in the 19th century, but closed by 1908.
• The Royal Mint has been based at Llantrisant since 1980.
• The COVID-19 pandemic affected tourism and hospitality sectors.

Transport

• The M4 motorway links West London to South Wales, connecting Newport, Cardiff, and Swansea.
• The A55 expressway runs along the North Wales coast.
• The A470 runs from Cardiff to Llandudno.
• Rail transport include the Wales & Borders franchise, overseen by the Welsh Government.
• Cardiff Airport is the international airport of Wales.
• Regular ferry services to Ireland operate from Holyhead, Pembroke Dock, and Fishguard.

Education and Healthcare

• Formal education was the preserve of the elite until the 18th century.
• English became the language of instruction in the early 19th century.
• Welsh is now a compulsory subject in all state schools for pupils aged 5–16 years old.
• Public healthcare in Wales is provided by NHS Wales (GIG Cymru).
• NHS Wales employs over 90,000 staff.
• 72% of adults surveyed had good or very good general health in 2021–22.

Demography

• The population of Wales doubled from 587,000 in 1801 to 1,163,000 in 1851.
• In 2021, the population was 3,107,500.
• Wales has seven cities: Cardiff, Newport, Swansea, Wrexham, Bangor, St Asaph and St Davids.

Language and Ethnicity

• Welsh is an official language in Wales and of the Senedd.
• In 2021, 17.8% of the population (538,300 people) could speak Welsh.
• English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is the main language in most of the country.
• Polish is the most common main language after English and Welsh.
• In 2021, 93.8% of the population identified as "White".

Religion

• Christianity has dominated religious life in Wales for over 1,400 years.
• In 2021, 46.5% had "No religion", the largest single group.
• The largest religion is Christianity, with 43.6% of the population.
• The patron saint is Saint David (Dewi Sant), celebrated on 1 March.
• Non-Christian religions are Islam, Hinduism, Sikhism and Buddhism.

National Identity

• In 2021, 55.2% identified as "Welsh only" and 8.1% as "Welsh and British".

Culture

• Wales has a distinctive culture with its own language, customs, holidays, and music.
• The four UNESCO World Heritage Sites are The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd; Pontcysyllte Aqueduct and Canal; the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape; and The Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales.
• Remnants of native Celtic mythology were passed down orally by the cynfeirdd (the early poets).
• Earliest Welsh verse known today is recognised from Taliesin and Aneirin.

National Symbols

• The red dragon is the principal symbol of national identity, and appears on the flag of Wales.
• The Welsh celebrate Saint David's Day on 1 March.
• "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau" is the de facto national anthem of Wales.

Sport

• Rugby union is a symbol of Welsh identity.
• Wales has had its own football league since 1992.
• Wales and England field a single representative team in international cricket.

Media

• BBC Cymru Wales is the national broadcaster.
• S4C broadcasts exclusively in Welsh.
• The Western Mail is Wales's only print national daily newspaper.

Cuisine and Performing Arts

• Traditional Welsh dishes include laverbread, bara brith, cawl, and Welsh cakes.
• Wales known as the "land of song" is notable for solo artists, male voice choirs, and harpists.
• The annual National Eisteddfod is the country's main performance festival.
• Traditional instruments include the telyn deires, fiddle, crwth, and pibgorn.
• The earliest surviving Welsh plays are medieval miracle plays.
• Traditional dances include Welsh folk dancing and clog dancing.