About wales Wales situated on the western side of the United Kingdom. The eastern border of Wales adjoins with England and our western coast sits opposite the Republic of Ireland. Wales is nation within a nation. Whilst we enjoy nation status, we are part of the United Kingdom, along with Scotland, England and Northern Ireland. The Welsh flag is unique and instantly recognisable. It is believed to be one of the oldest national flags still in use. The red dragon depicted on our flag has been associated with Wales for centuries but its origin is unknown. The patron saint of Wales is St David, who lived in the sixth century. David was credited with founding many religious centres throughout Wales and the south-west of England, including Glastonbury. David also travelled to and was made Arch-Bishop of Jerusalem. He eventually settled back in his native Wales at Glyn Rhosyn, now called St Davids. A cathedral, which still stands, was later built at this place in St David’s honour. David was made a Catholic saint in 1120 and the Welsh celebrate him on March 1st each year.

Neath Falls

Wales has been invaded in turn by the Celts, Romans, Saxons, Vikings, Normans and the English. The violent climate of ancient Wales meant that invaders and defenders were forced to build hundred of castles and fortresses. Incredibly, 641 of these castles survive to this day. The most famous of these are Caernarfon Castle in North Wales, Caerphilly Castle, the largest, and Cardiff Castle, home in the nineteenth century to the Earl of Bute, owner of Cardiff docks and the richest man in the world at that time.

Cardiff Castle

The Years of Change During the years of the industrial revolution, a massive change took place which re-shaped Wales. Coal was discovered beneath the south Wales valleys and as mining expanded, so the population exploded. During the nineteenth century, Wales was the largest exporter of coal in the world. As well as mining, the ready availability of coal gave rise to the iron industry in Wales. The coal and iron industries needed ports to export from and this led to the formation of cities such as Newport, Swansea and our Capital City, Cardiff. The Welsh landscape is famed for its natural beauty and is punctuated with rolling, hilly terrain. This terrain is never more typical than at Tal-y-Coed, the site of EFAC 2009 where you will experience the Welsh brand of field archery in a spectacular setting.

Welsh Landscape

The Millennium Stadium by night

Wales Today Modern Wales is vibrant, multi-cultural country. The population is 2.9 million, with the majority of these living in the South Wales area. The major industries of Wales include manufacturing, agriculture, banking and tourism, the coal and steel industries having reduced in the first half of the twentieth century. Wales has its own language, Welsh which is spoke by approximately 30% of the population in the south of the country and 70% in north Wales. Welsh is one of the oldest languages in the world and is the only ancient British language still spoken today. English is also well-spoken in Wales, particularly in the south.

Wales has a great diversity of religion. The majority religion is Christian (72% of the population), with the largest denomination being Presbytarians, followed by the Anglican Church in Wales, and the Catholic Church. There are also a number of non-conformist Christian denominations. Amongst the other religions in Wales are Buddists, Hindus, Jews, Muslims and Sikhs. Wales is a proud sporting nation with a history of producing outstanding sports men and women. Our national sport is rugby and we have enjoyed many successes in this sport. The centre of Welsh sport is the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff. The stadium was built for the 1999 Rugby World Cup which was hosted in Wales. The site of the stadium is called Cardiff Arms Park and is the spiritual home of Welsh rugby.

Wales vs France 1999

The Millennium Centre, home of Welsh Opera

The Capital City, Cardiff Cardiff is not only our capital city but a cultural hotspot. Cardiff Castle lies at the centre of the city and this was the ‘town house’ of the world’s richest man, the Earl of Bute. The Bute family owned the docks at Cardiff and the massive growth of the coal industry in eighteenth and nineteenth centuries made them fantastically rich. In return, they invested in the building of Cardiff. The Bute family built the civic centre of Cardiff in the classical style and this complex included the Crown Court, City Hall and Cardiff University. Cardiff is also famed for its dockland area. Now redeveloped, the area is an interesting blend of old and new architecture. In this area you will see Cardiff’s iconic millennium centre, the Senedd (Government House), the Norwegian Church which was built by visiting sailors as well as modern restaurants, shops, galleries.

Government and Head of State
Wales, along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland belong to the United Kingdom and we have a federal government in London, led by the Rt Hon Gordon Brown MP.

Wales also has its own local government, based in Cardiff who are responsible for running affairs such as schools, health, education and policing. The Welsh government is led by Rhodri Morgan AM.

The head of state for Wales is Her Majesty, Queen Elizabeth II. Historically, Wales was a principality with its own prince rulers, but since joining together with England, it has become customary for the Prince of Wales to be the oldest son of the Queen or King. The current Prince of Wales is HRH Prince Charles.