Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

Flag of Wales.
Coat of Arms of Wales.
Location of Wales within the United Kingdom.

Wales (Welsh: Cymru pronounced /ˈkəmrɨ/) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and an elective region of the European Union. Wales is located in the west of the island of Great Britain and is bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel (Welsh: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 has a population estimated at three million and is officially bilingual, with both Welsh and English having equal status. Around two-thirds of the population is located around the country's capital—and largest city since 1955—Cardiff.

The flag of Wales—the Red Dragon—is one of many Welsh symbols. Saint David is the patron saint of Wales and Saint David's Day, on 1st March, is Wales' national day. There are currently attempts to create a national holiday on this day. Wales has remained distinct from the rest of the United Kingdom due to the strength of Welsh history, culture and especially the Welsh language.

Machynlleth was the home of a parliament called by Owain Glyndŵr during his revolt at the start of the fifteenth century. In 1999, the National Assembly for Wales was formed, giving Wales power over healthcare, education and certain other devolved matters.

From the late 18th century, some parts of Wales became heavily industrialised, playing a significant 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—the capital Cardiff also had the largest and busiest port in the world. More recently, manufacturing emphasis has been on the electronic and technological sectors.

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The bilingual Welsh and English sign at Pontypridd County Court.
The modern system of county courts dates back to the County Courts Act 1846, which received Royal Assent on 28 August 1846 and was brought into force on 15 March 1847. England and Wales (with the exception of the City of London, which was outside the scope of the Act) were divided into sixty circuits, with a total of 491 courts within these circuits. The then Lord Chancellor, Lord Cottenham, wanted everyone to be within seven miles of a court, and the final scheme came close to that aim.One county court judge was appointed to each circuit, assisted by one or more registrars with some limited judicial powers, and would travel between the courts in his area as necessary, sitting in each court at least once a month. Few permanent courts were needed initially, given the infrequency of court hearings, and temporary accommodation such as a town hall would often be used where there was no existing courthouse for use.The judicial business of the county courts is now carried out by circuit judges (a term introduced by the Courts Act 1971) and district judges (as the post of registrar was renamed by section 74 of the Courts and Legal Services Act 1990). As at 1 April 2007, there are 639 circuit judges and 431 district judges.

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Rebecca 'Beki' Onslow (born Rebecca Barrington Onslow, 3 January 1975 in Swansea, Wales) nicknamed Boo Boo by her friends is a Welsh singer song writer dancer who is most famous as a lead singer and a member of the 1990s English Girlband Solid HarmoniE. Onslow was one of the original members of the group, arguably the founder of Solid HarmoniE. Solid HarmoniE was fairly successful in Europe and Asia - their album went gold, winning thousands of fans worldwide with their music. The group split in 1999. Onslow was born in Swansea and grew up in Llanelli, Wales. She has two elder brothers named Stuart and Avi. She went to the same school as Emma Bunton of the Spice Girls. Beki had an enormous interest in the world of showbiz from her very childhood. She was inspired by musical artists like Belinda Carlisle, Bananarama and Madonna. By the time she was nine she started modelling regularly for local TV and print ad campaigns, as well as acting at local theater. Onslow attended a remarkbly top College in London for the performing arts (with a full scholarship from Cameron Macintosh for musical theater), where she caught the attention of a top London agent, which led to a 1995 audition for a German-based British female vocal trio that eventually came to be known as Solid HarmoniE.

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Cardiff Castle
Credit: Ezioman

A partial view of the ceiling in the Cardiff Castle located in Cardiff.

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The Bristol Channel was always my guide, and I was always able to draw an imaginary line from my bed to our house over in Wales. It was a great comfort.
Roald Dahl, Speaking during the mid 1950s

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