Wales consists of many high plateaux areas, mountain ranges and river valleys.
The highest mountain in Wales is Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), North Wales at 3,650 feet.
Wales has approx. 400 castles with over 100 of them open to the public.
Four
of them, Conwy, Caernarfon, Beaumaris and Harlech are UNESCO World
Heritage Sites,
The
capital of Wales is Cardiff (Caerdydd), and it is here that
the Welsh National Assembly sits. Wales has a population of
approximately 3 million.
Wales
has it's own National
flag and National
anthem (first sung in 1856)
The
National flower emblem is the daffodil
and the Welsh also proudly wear the leek
(a vegetable) on St. David's Day (Dydd
Gwyl Dewi Sant) - the patron saint of Wales.
The
Welsh are one of six Celtic races - the Welsh, Bretons and Cornish (Brythonic
Celts), and the Irish, Manx and Scots (Goidelic Celts). The Welsh
heritage is the oldest in Europe, after Greek and Latin.
The
word "Wales" is derived from the Anglo-Saxon "welisc"
or "wealh" meaning "foreigner". Despite attempts
to Anglicize them, the Welsh have always remained "foreigners"
to their neighbours across the 'border' - the English!
Wales
has been "united" with England for over four hundred years but
has throughout this period retained its language and culture. A
1536 decree stated that the Welsh language was to be "utterly expired"
but the Welsh did not allow that to happen and even today nearly 20% of
the population are Welsh speaking and Welsh is taught in all of the primary
schools.
In
their own language Wales is called Cymru (Cumree)- 'the land of comrades'.
The language, Welsh, Cymraeg
is one of the oldest living languages in Europe.
Wales
still has a unique character. The culture and tradition is celebrated
at a festival called the Eisteddfod (pronounced
' eye-steth-vod' ).
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