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Portal:Wales

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The flag of Wales

Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmrɨ] ) 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. , 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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Aerial view of four carriage train, on single curved track, at station. Passengers wait to board. Lush wooded mountains make up the background on all sides. To the right, foreground, a walkway leads down to the platform.
The Ebbw Valley Railway (Welsh: Rheilffordd Cwm Ebwy) is a branch line of the Great Western Main Line in Wales. Arriva Trains Wales provide an hourly passenger service each way, between Ebbw Vale Parkway and Cardiff Central. The Great Western Railway operated a passenger service on the line from the 1850s between Ebbw Vale and Newport. The line became part of British Railways' Western Region in 1948, following the nationalisation of the railways. Passenger services ceased on the line in 1962 under the Beeching Axe, but the route continued to be used to carry freight to and from the Corus steelworks in Ebbw Vale until its closure in 2002.

Proposals to re-open the existing freight railway line to passenger services were first mooted in 1998. The Welsh Assembly Government announced their commitment to the project in 2002, as part of a package of measures to help the steel communities. Passenger services were restored to the line in February 2008, using Class 150 diesel multiple units. Predominantly single track, the Ebbw Valley Railway runs 18 miles (29 km) along the Ebbw River valley from Ebbw Vale, before joining the South Wales Main Line at Ebbw Junction, Newport. The line's stations and services are managed by Arriva Trains Wales.

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The ruins of an abbey with the abbey church in the centre ground and a wooded hill behind
Tintern Abbey
Credit: Saffron Blaze

Tintern Abbey is a former Cistercian abbey, now in ruins, situated in the village of Tintern in Monmouthshire, on the Welsh bank of the River Wye. Founded in 1131, it was only the second Cistercian foundation in Britain and the first in Wales. It inspired William Wordsworth's poem "Lines written a few miles above Tintern Abbey", Alfred, Lord Tennyson's "Tears, Idle Tears", Allen Ginsberg's "Wales Visitation" and more than one painting by J. M. W. Turner.

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Henry Morton Stanley in 1872
Dr. Livingstone, I presume?
Sir Henry Morton Stanley, spoken on 10 November 1871 in Ujiji near Lake Tanganyika in present-day Tanzania.

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Arthur Gould wearing the black and amber hooped shirt of Newport RFC
Arthur Joseph "Monkey" Gould (10 October 1864 – 2 January 1919) was a Welsh international rugby union centre and full back who was most associated as a club player with Newport Rugby Football Club. He won 27 caps for Wales, 18 as captain, and is considered the first superstar of Welsh rugby. Gould led Wales to the country's very first Home Nations Championship and Triple Crown titles in 1893; defining himself as a great player and captain in the match against England during the same tournament. Towards the end of his career Gould was at the centre of a controversy which saw Wales withdraw from international rugby for 12 months.

Gould was the most capped Welsh centre until Steve Fenwick of Bridgend beat the record at Lansdowne Road on 15 March 1980. He played 27 times for Wales, twice at full back and 25 at centre, ending his career against England on 9 January 1897. This last game was played in front of 17,000 supporters at Rodney Parade; Wales won 11–0. It was the 18th time Gould had captained Wales and this record stood until broken by Ieuan Evans in 1994.

A superb all round player and even-time sprinter with swerve, Gould could side-step and kick with either foot. He never ceased to practise to develop his fitness and skills. He was considered the outstanding player of his time.

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

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