WALES
........
CYMRU
“I Love English 7”
2004
Welcome to Wales
Croeso i Cymru
National motto
Cymru am Byth
("Wales for Ever")
Royal motto
 Y Ddraig Goch Ddyry Cychwyn
("The Red Dragon Leads the Way")
When did Wales come into
existence?
It's believed that Wales, as
an area of land, has been
inhabited since 250,000 BC
As a country, with Henry the
VIII’s Act of Union in 1536.
Llangammarch Wells
An ancient carving
Where is Wales?
On the west of the island called Great
Britain, Wales is a member of the United
Kingdom. It’s to the west of England.
What is the geography of Wales?
 Wales also includes the island of Anglesey,
which is separated from the mainland by the
narrow Menai Strait.
Wales is bounded on the
north by the Irish Sea, on the
east by the English counties,
on the south by Bristol
Channel, and on the west by
St. George’s Channel and
Cardigan Bay.
How big is Wales?
Wales is a small country.
Its area is about 21,000 square kilometres.
What is the capital city of
Wales?
Cardiff is the capital of Wales.
 It is located at the mouth of the River Taff.
Cardiff castle
It is the principal seaport and
industrial centre.
What are the biggest
towns?
The biggest towns are the capital city
Cardiff (315,000 people), Swansea and
Newport.
Swansea
Newport
Is Wales a mountainous
country?
Wales is a mountainous country with
green valleys and rapid rivers.
Some of its mountains are green and
covered with forests; others are bare
and wild.
The principal range is the Cambrian
Mountains, which extend north and south
through central Wales.
What is the highest
mountain?
 Snowdon with its 1,085
metres is the highest peak
in Wales.
 Snowdonia, the
area around
Snowdon, is the
largest of the three
national parks in
Wales.
What is the principal river ?
 The Dee River is the most important river.
 There are also numerous rivers in the south,
including the Usk, Wye, Towy, and Tywi.
River
Wye
River Towy
River Usk
Usk Bridge
River Dee
What sort of climate does Wales
have?
 The climate of Wales is mild and moist.
 It never reaches extremes of temperature.
 The average daily temperature in July is
15.6ºC, and in January it is 5.6ºC.
The warmest months are May, June, July
and August.
What are its natural resources?
 Coal is the most valuable mineral resource of
Wales.
 Falling demand for coal since 1940s has
resulted in the closure of many Welsh mines.
Rhondda Heritage Park
What is the population
of Wales?
The population of Wales is about 3
million.
Who are the Welsh?
The Welsh today are descended from
many people.
Celtic tribes from Europe came to
settle the whole of the British isles
around 500 - 100 BC .
Roman and Saxon invasions pushed the
original Britons into the land area of
Wales, where they became the Welsh
people.
What is their language?
•afon = river
•bach = small
•bont = bridge
Wales is a country with two
languages: Welsh and English.
Welsh is spoken by around
19% of the population.
Most of the Welsh-speakers
live in the north west of the
country.
•bryn = hill
•caer = fort
•dol = meadow
•glan = shore
•gwyn = white
•llan = holy
settlement
•llyn = lake
•mynydd =
mountain
•re = town
•ty = house
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrn
drobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
This Welsh town on the island of Anglesey is
only known due to the fact that it has a very
long name, and is the longest railway station
name in Britain, and probably the longest
domain name in the world.
The name translates as 'St Mary's church in
the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid
whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the
red cave'.
Where does the Welsh flag
come from?
The origins of the Red Dragon flag, or "y
Draig Goch" could date back to the
Roman period.
After the Romans left, the Red Dragon
remained as a key emblem of Wales.
The Tudors adopted the Red Dragon, and the
Welsh-born future Henry VII took to the battle of
Bosworth Field under the Red Dragon standard.
What are the emblems of
Wales?
The leek and the daffodil - both
emblems of Wales.
leek
daffodil
Who is the patron saint
of Wales?
 Saint David is the patron saint of Wales.
 In Welsh he is known as Dewi.
 David foundedmany churches
throughtout South Wales.
 St.David’s has become a special
place of pilgrimage.
St David's Cathedral
What is the national day of
Wales?
 St. David’s Day is the national day
of Wales.
 It is celebrated on
1 March.
Welsh dragon on the gates at
Plas Machynlleth
What do the three feathers
represent?
The Prince of
Wales’s Feathers
The badge of The
Prince of Wales has
been used in royal
heraldry since the 14th
century.
Who is the Prince of Wales?
In 1301 Edward I formally
created his son Prince of
Wales.
The title has passed by
tradition to the eldest
son of the reigning king
or queen since that time.
Charles, the Prince of
Wales, is the 21st holder of
the title.
The Prince was formally invested
at Caernarfon as The Prince of
Wales, on July 1, 1969 when he
was 20.
Prince William
Prince Harry
The Prince of Wales with his
sons, Prince William and Prince
Harry, at Balmoral in 1997.
Who is the Princess of Wales?
 In July 1981 Charles married Lady Diana
Frances Spencer.
 After highly publicized marital difficulties,
Charles and Diana separated in 1992 and
were legally divorced in 1996.
 Diana, Princess of Wales died on Sunday, 31
August 1997 following a car crash in Paris.
Diana, Queen of Hearts
1961 - 1997
Are there many castles in Wales?
 Wales is famous for its castles.
Caerphilly Castle
Conwy
Castle
Harlech Castle
Caernarfon Castle
Beaumaris Castle on the Island of
Anglesey
What is the Eisteddfod?
 Welsh culture and tradition is celebrated at a
festival called the Eisteddfod.
There are two important annual
eisteddfodau in Wales. The first is the National
Eisteddfod which is held in North and South
Wales in alternate years at the beginning of
August.
The International Eisteddfod takes
place in Llangollen where dancers,
singers and choirs from every part of
the world converge to take part in this
global festival of music. The Llangollen
Eisteddfod usually takes place in July."
Who is the most famous
Welsh poet ?
Dylan Thomas (1914- 1953) is Wales' bestknown and most celebrated writer, and one
of the world's most famous poets.
His writings have been recorded
countless times and inspired artists,
musicians and others across the globe.
What about Welsh music?
If there's one thing you can't stop a
Welshman from doing, it's singing.
Male Voice Choirs
Welsh-born King of
England who founded
the Tudor dynasty
Musical legend and the most
famous singer Wales has ever
produced.
Oscar-winning actor who
specialises in powerfully
complex characters
Children’s author
who sold more than
50 million books.
The most famous actor of
his generation
Oscar winning actress, singer
and dancer.
Tiger Tom the Twisting Vocalist.Sex Bomb.
Little Tommy Woodward from Treforest. In
his time hes tried his hand at styles
including pop, rock, country, big band,
dance and jazz, and hes still going strong
today.
What do the Welsh do
for leisure?
The most popular leisure activity here
is visiting the pub.
Next come sport, DIY and gardening which
rate highly amongst the Welsh.
Other favourite regular activities
include bingo, watching sports and
visiting the cinema.
What is the most popular sport ?
 Rugby is the most popular sport in Wales.
Rugby fans
At least Wales are still world
beaters when it comes to rugby
songs.
 Cricket and soccer are also popular.
Football
Cricket
What is laverbread?
Laverbread is a traditional Welsh delicacy
produced from the edible seaweed ´laver´
which grows on rocky shores west of
Swansea.
What is the Welsh rarebit ?
 It is a popular Welsh dish, which
consists of melted cheese and butter
served on toast.
Welsh rarebit, rabbit or
"Caws Pobi"
200g grated cheese
25g butter
1 tsp. Mustard powder
salt and pepper
65 ml ,1/3 cup brown ale or
milk
4 slices bread
Place all the ingredients in a heavy pan and grill until creamy. Toast
bread both sides and pour cheese mix over and grill until golden and
bubbling
What are lovespoons?
 The tradition of carving lovespoons goes back
to the 17th century.
 A young man carved a lovespoon to give to
his sweetheart as a token of his love and
affection.
 Traditionally lovespoons are carved from one
piece of wood and decorated with various
symbols. Ach symbol has a special meaning.
The earliest example (1677) can be
seen at the Museum of Welsh Life in
Cardiff.
What are the seven wonders
of Wales?
It is said that in the late 18th century
an anonymous scribe wrote the
following rhyme which first listed the
Seven Wonders of Wales...
Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham
steeple,
Snowdon's mountain without its
people,
Overton yew trees,
St Winefride's Well,
Llangollen Bridge and Gresford
bells
Llangollen Bridge
over the River Dee.
Pistyll Rhaeadr waterfall
It's the highest waterfall in
Wales & England (74 metres).
Wrexham steeple,
the 16th century tower of
St Giles Church.
Snowdon's
mountain
Overton yew trees
some of the 21 famous
yew trees at St Mary's
Church, Overton
St Winefride's Well
people have gone to
bathe in the
supposedly healing
waters since the 7th
century.
Gresford bells
of All Saints, Gresford's
parish church.
What is called the 8th
wonder of Wales?
It is the eighth wonder of Wales
that is the most wondrous of them
all, the survival of the Welsh
language in the face of almost
impossible odds.
There are 28 letters in the Welsh
alphabet.
What can Wales boast ?
 a greater variety of culture, history and scenic
beauty than virtually any other part of the British
Isles...
Llandeilo
Kennixton Farmhouse
It was the medieval
capital of Wales.
St. Mary’s Church
Mayors
House 1628
12 century
1610
 Bronze Age copper mines, Stone Age temples,
Roman ruins, 13th century castles, elegant Tudor houses,
romantic ruined abbeys ...
 breathtaking mountains and rugged coastline,
miles of sandy beaches, steam trains, woolen mills,
the Welsh mountain zoo ...
Tenby
Aberystwyth
Steam train
 Dylan Thomas, male voice choirs, Druids and of
course the oldest language in Europe.