Portal:Wales

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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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The Holy Bible is the third studio album by Welsh alternative rock band Manic Street Preachers. It was released on 29 August 1994 by Epic Records and was the last of the band's albums released before the disappearance of lyricist and guitarist Richey Edwards (credited as "Richey James" on the album sleeve), on 1 February 1995.

Edwards was facing problems with alcohol abuse, self-harm and anorexia nervosa at the time the album was written and recorded, and its contents are considered by some sources to reflect his mental state. The songs focus on themes relating to politics and human suffering.

The album won widespread critical acclaim and features in "Best Album of All Time" polls in the UK. It has been described by the NME as "a work of genuine genius". Although it reached number six on the UK albums charts, global sales were disappointing compared to previous albums, and the record did not chart in mainland Europe or North America. The album was promoted with tours and festival appearances in the UK, Ireland and mainland Europe, in part without Edwards.

An expanded 10th Anniversary Edition of the album was released in 2004.

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Colourful buildings in contrasting architectural styles surround a palm tree-lined paddling pool.
The Central Plaza at Portmeirion
Credit: MichaelMaggs

Portmeirion is an Italianate village designed and built by Sir Clough Williams-Ellis between 1925 and 1975. It has served as the location for numerous films and television shows, most famously serving as The Village in the 1960s television show The Prisoner.

Did you know...?

  • ... that Welsh boxer Barry Jones lost his WBO Super featherweight title through events caused by an anomaly in a brain scan?
  • ... that Arthur Cheetham's film of children playing on the beach at Rhyl is recognised as the first film of the Cinema of Wales?
  • ... that the churchyard of St Caian's Church, Tregaian, contains the grave of a man who died in 1581 aged 105 with over 40 children and 300 living descendants?
  • ... that after a fox took shelter in the ruins of Capel Lligwy, in Anglesey, a vault was discovered containing "a large mass of human bones, several feet in depth"?

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Rhodri Morgan
To say it is a dog's breakfast is an insult to the pet food industry.
Rhodri Morgan, comment on architectural plans for the National Assembly for Wales building.

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Michael Sheen at the San Diego Comic-Con International in July 2010.
Michael Christopher Sheen, OBE (born 5 February 1969) is a Welsh film and stage actor. He was born in Newport to Irene (née Thomas) and Meyrick Sheen, both of whom worked in personnel management; his father is also a part-time professional Jack Nicholson look-alike. When Sheen was five, the family moved to Liverpool, where he became a lifelong Liverpool F.C. fan. He returned to his parents' home of Port Talbot, Wales three years later, where he attended Glan Afan Comprehensive School and played football for Baglan boys club.

Sheen joined the West Glamorgan Youth theatre, where he was a contemporary of writer Russell T Davies. After leaving school, he accepted a place to study acting at the National Youth Theatre of Wales in Cardiff and then trained at the internationally renowned Royal Academy of Dramatic Art. Having worked with screenwriter Peter Morgan on five films, Sheen has become known for his portrayals of well-known public figures: Tony Blair in The Deal, The Queen, and The Special Relationship, David Frost in the stage production and film version of Frost/Nixon, and Brian Clough in The Damned United. He also played the Lycan Lucian in all three of the Underworld films, the vampire Aro in The Twilight Saga: New Moon, and more recently, the role of Castor in Tron: Legacy.

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1899 recording of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau

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Welsh national identity · English rule in Wales · Military history of Wales · Welsh pop and rock music · Wales in the World Wars · Carmarthen Bay · Clwydian Range · Glyn Daniel · List of places in Anglesey · List of places in Ceredigion · List of places in Gwynedd · List of places in Monmouthshire · List of places in Pembrokeshire · List of places in Powys · Pembroke River · River Cothi · River Dwyryd · River Ebbw · River Honddu · River Ithon · River Llynfi · River Mawddach · River Mynach · River Neath · River Ogwen · River Rheidol · River Taff · River Vyrnwy · River Ystwyth  · Aberfan Cemetery · East Glamorgan General Hospital · Welsh traditional music · River Gyffin Other pages that need expansion: Wales stubs

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National symbols of Wales · Welsh pop and rock music

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cy:Capel Seion, Llanrhaeadr-ym-Mochnant (Capel Seion, Llanrhaeadr ym Mochnant), Grade II* listed building · cy:Trefeurig (Trefeurig)

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