Portal:Wales/Intro

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Wales (Welsh: Cymru) is one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom. It has a population of 2,958,000.

Wales is located in the south-west of Great Britain and is bordered by England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south and the Irish Sea to the west and north.

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.

The capital of Wales, and its largest city since 1955, is Cardiff. 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.