Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

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. As of 2021^[update], it had a population of 3.2 million. 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. Its 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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Penmon is a promontory, parish and community on the south-east tip of Anglesey, North Wales, about three miles east of the town of Beaumaris. The name comes from the Welsh word "pen" (which can mean "head", "end" or "promontory") and "Môn", which is the Welsh word for Anglesey. It is the site of a historic monastery and associated 12th century church. Walls near the well next to the church may be part of the oldest remaining Christian building in Wales. Penmon also has an award-winning beach and the Anglesey Coastal Path follows its shores. Quarries in Penmon have provided stone for many important buildings and structures, including Birmingham Town Hall and the two bridges that cross the Menai Strait. The area is popular with locals and visitors alike for its monuments, tranquillity, bracing air and fine views of Snowdonia to the south across the Menai Strait.

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Credit: Lilo Lil

Mumbles Lighthouse (built 1794) is a lighthouse located in Mumbles, near Swansea.

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Did you know...?

... that David Davies was transported to Australia for his part in the Rebecca Riots, an uprising that saw the mob leaders cross-dressing as women?
... that Valle Crucis Abbey, built by Madog ap Gruffydd Maelor in 1201, is home to the only remaining monastic fishpond in Wales?
... that Brigadier Glyn Hughes, the officer who liberated Belsen concentration camp, once labelled rugby player John Taylor a Communist for opposing apartheid?
... that the Sunday Closing Act of 1881, which restricted the opening of public houses in Wales, was the first legislation for over three centuries to recognise that country as distinct from England?

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The only thing that will redeem mankind is co-operation.

— Bertrand Russell, Human Society in Ethics and Politics (1954)

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David Watts Morgan CBE DSO JP (18 December 1867 – 23 February 1933) was a Welsh trade unionist, a Labour politician, and a Member of Parliament (MP) from 1918 to 1933, described as "[straddling] the transition in south Wales miners' politics from Lib-Labism to socialism, but ... never fully representative of either".

Born in Skewen in 1867, Morgan began to work in coal mines from the age of eleven. He was elected unopposed to Glamorgan County Council in 1902, in which year he also joined the newly-founded South Wales Miners' Federation. He enlisted in 1914, and encouraged Rhondda miners to enlist in the army in 1914 following the outbreak of the First World War, for which he was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He initially served in the Welsh Regiment, before becoming a lieutenant-colonel in the Labour Corps. Morgan was awarded the Distinguished Service Order for bravery at the Battle of Cambrai in 1917, earning him the nickname Dai Alphabet in South Wales. In February 1918, he was selected as the Labour candidate for the newly formed Rhondda East constituency, and was returned again in the 1922, 1923 and 1931 general elections.

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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

The following are images from various Wales-related articles on Wikipedia.

Image 1Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 2Roman invasion of Wales. (from History of Wales)
Image 3Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 4Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 5Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog led multiple celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)
Image 6'The Welsh at Mametz Wood' painted by Christopher Williams, commissioned by Secretary of State for War at the time, David Lloyd George. (from History of Wales)
Image 7Portrait of William Morgan. (from History of Wales)
Image 8Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 9Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 10Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 11The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 12The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 13Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 14Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 15Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 16Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 17Island of Britain in AD 500. (from History of Wales)
Image 18Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 19Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (from History of Wales)
Image 20Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 21Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 22Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 23King Hywel Dda depicted in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 24Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 25Medieval kingdoms of Wales shown within the boundaries of the present day country of Wales and not inclusive of all (from History of Wales)

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This is a list of recognized content, updated weekly by JL-Bot (talk · contribs) (typically on Saturdays). There is no need to edit the list yourself. If an article is missing from the list, make sure it is tagged (e.g. {{WikiProject Wales}}) or categorized correctly and wait for the next update. See WP:RECOG for configuration options.