Portal:Wales

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The Wales Portal

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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St Mary's Church, Tal-y-llyn is a medieval church near Aberffraw in Anglesey, north Wales. It was originally a chapel of ease for the parish church of St Peulan's, Llanbeulan, but the village that it once served, Tal-y-llyn, no longer exists. It was declared a redundant church in the early 1990s, and has been in the care of the Friends of Friendless Churches since 1999. Services are held once per month during part of the year.

The date of the church is unknown, but the oldest parts could be from the 12th century. The chancel was rebuilt in the 16th century, and a side chapel added in the 17th century. The church furnishings, such as pews, pulpit and communion rails, were added in the 18th century, although some of the pews are modern replacements after vandalism. It is a Grade I listed building, a national designation given to buildings of "exceptional, usually national, interest", because it is "a very rare example of a virtually unrestored Medieval church of simple, rustic character".

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Credit: Donarreiskoffer

The Marloes peninsula on the Pembrokeshire coast, Wales

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Did you know...?

... that the Masonic Hall in Monmouth, Wales, located on Monk Street, houses the oldest surviving masonic lodge in Monmouthshire?
... that Whitecross Street is included on the 1610 map of Monmouth (pictured) drawn by cartographer John Speed?
... that a year after excavation of Neolithic and Roman artefacts at 33 Whitecross Street, archaeologists discovered evidence of Mesolithic human settlement in Monmouth?
... that boys from a Monmouth prep school housed in The Grange won the British under-11 chess championship in 2003?

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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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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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In the news

Wikinews Wales portal

General images

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

Image 1The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 2The Flag of Saint David (from Culture of Wales)
Image 3Caradog by Thomas Prydderch. Caradog led multiple celtic tribes against the Romans. (from History of Wales)
Image 4Red Dragon of Wales (from Culture of Wales)
Image 5Gravestone of King Cadfan ap Iago of Gwynedd (died c. 625) in Llangadwaladr church (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 7Market Day in Old Wales by Sydney Curnow Vosper (1910) (from Culture of Wales)
Image 8Owain Glyndŵr painting by AC Michael (from Culture of Wales)
Image 9Roman invasion of Wales. (from History of Wales)
Image 10Island of Britain in AD 500. (from History of Wales)
Image 11Facsimile of Part of Column 579 from the Red Book of Hergest (from Culture of Wales)
Image 12Senedd-Welsh Parliament, Cardiff Bay. (from History of Wales)
Image 13Crempog - Anglesey style (from Culture of Wales)
Image 14Medieval crwth instrument (from Culture of Wales)
Image 15Two of the furnaces of the Blaenavon Ironworks (from History of Wales)
Image 16Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa) Map. (from History of Wales)
Image 17Harlech Castle was one of a series built by Edward I to consolidate his conquest. (from History of Wales)
Image 18Owain Glyndŵr (from History of Wales)
Image 19Standard of Bleddyn ap Cynfyn, King of Powys 1063-1075. (from History of Wales)
Image 20Tom Jones performing with Janis Joplin in 1969 (from Culture of Wales)
Image 21Cawl, a Welsh dish of meat and vegetables (from Culture of Wales)
Image 22Big Pit, National Coal Museum. (from History of Wales)
Image 23King Hywel Dda depicted in a 13th-century manuscript (from History of Wales)
Image 24Portrait of William Morgan. (from History 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.