Wales

Wales (Welsh: Cymru) is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. Wales is regarded as being one of the Celtic nations. It is closely, but not completely, integrated politically with England. Wales is located in the south-west of the island of Great Britain and is bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel (Môr Hafren) to the south and the Irish Sea (Môr Iwerddon) to the west and north, and also by the estuary of the River Dee (Afon Dyfrdwy) in the north-east. Wales is the largest principality in the world.

Welsh cultural identity is represented by elements such as the Welsh language (which remains one of Europe's oldest spoken indigenous languages), ancient Welsh festivals and traditions, monastic asceticism, a highly evolved secular legal system (Cyfraith Hywel), and a distinctive literary tradition and culture which emerged after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century. Of the principal polities within Wales, only Gwynedd retained independence until the late 13th century, when it was finally conquered by England. However, formal annexation and abolition of Welsh law did not take place until the 16th century. Wales (with all regions united under one government) has never been a sovereign state, although a number of internal principalities remained independent until the Anglo-Norman conquest and the Welsh national hero Prince Owain Glyndŵr briefly created an independent Welsh kingdom in the early 15th Century.

From the late 18th century, some parts of Wales became heavily industrialised, playing a significant and innovative role in the industrial revolution, as it exported vast quantities of coal and steel and established a large manufacturing base which has only recently been overtaken by the tourism and service sectors. More latterly, manufacturing emphasis has been on the electronic and technological sectors.

Two thirds of the population of Wales live in and around the Capital Cardiff(around 1,695,500) with a further significant population concentration in the north east. The remaining areas in mid Wales, the north west and south west are predominantly rural and characterised by hilly and mountainous terrain.

About 40% of Wales GDP are in Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan

From the 19th century the notion of a distinctive Welsh polity has emerged. Wales's largest city, Cardiff (Caerdydd) was formally recognised as the capital of Wales in 1955. A devolved legislature, the National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was formed in 1999, with powers to amend primary legislation from the U.K. Parliament as well as propose and pass its own laws.

Wales is located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain. Its area, the size of Wales, is about 20,779 km² (8,023 square miles - about the same size as Massachusetts, Slovenia or El Salvador and about a quarter of the size of Scotland). It is about 274 km (170 miles) north-south and 97 km (60 miles) east-west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Môr Hafren (Bristol Channel) to the south, St. George's Channel to the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. Altogether, Wales has over 1,200km (750 miles) of coastline. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in the northwest.

The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the cities of Cardiff (Caerdydd), Swansea (Abertawe) and Newport (Casnewydd) and surrounding areas, with another significant population in the north-east around Wrexham (Wrecsam).

About 80% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. However, very little of this is arable land; the vast majority consists of permanent grass or rough grazing for herd animals. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is more well-known for its sheep farming, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking.

Some traditional dishes include laverbread (made from seaweed), bara brith (fruit bread), cawl cennin (leek soup), Welsh cakes, Welsh rarebit (cheese on toast), and Welsh lamb. Cockles are sometimes served with breakfast. [9]

In 2005 the Welsh National Culinary Teams returned from the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg with eight gold, 15 silver and seven bronze medals, and were placed 7th in the world.

Ski resorts

Beach resorts

Spa resorts

Golf regions