Wales

Wales

Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...

is a country

Country

A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...

 that is part of

Countries of the United Kingdom

Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...

 the United Kingdom

United Kingdom

The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...

, bordered

Wales–England border

The Wales–England border, between two of the countries of the United Kingdom, extends for about from the Dee estuary, in the north, to the Severn estuary in the south....

 by England

England

England is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It shares land borders with Scotland to the north and Wales to the west; the Irish Sea is to the north west, the Celtic Sea to the south west, with the North Sea to the east and the English Channel to the south separating it from continental...

 to its east and the Atlantic Ocean

Atlantic Ocean

The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...

 and Irish Sea

Irish Sea

The Irish Sea separates the islands of Ireland and Great Britain. It is connected to the Celtic Sea in the south by St George's Channel, and to the Atlantic Ocean in the north by the North Channel. Anglesey is the largest island within the Irish Sea, followed by the Isle of Man...

 to its west. It has an estimated population of three million and is officially bilingual with the Welsh

Welsh language

Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...

 and English

English language

English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...

 languages having equal status. The Welsh language is an important element of Welsh culture

Culture of Wales

Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks and daffodils Wales has a distinctive culture including...

. Its decline has reversed over recent years, with Welsh speakers estimated to be around 20% of the population of Wales.

The following outline is provided as an overview of and topical guide to Wales:

General reference

• Pronunciation: ˈweɪlz
• Etymology of "Wales"
• Common English country name(s): Wales
  Wales
  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
  
  
• Official English country name(s): Wales
  Wales
  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
  
  
• Common endonym(s): Cymru 
• Official endonym(s): Cymru 
• Adjectival(s): Welsh
  Wales
  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
  
  
• Demonym(s): Welsh
  Wales
  Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain, bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km²...
  
  

Geography of Wales

Main article: Geography of Wales

Geography of Wales

Wales is a generally mountainous country on the western side of central southern Great Britain, between the Irish Sea to the north and the Bristol Channel to the south. It is part of the United Kingdom, and is bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean, St George's Channel and Irish...

• Wales is: a country
  Country
  A country is a region legally identified as a distinct entity in political geography. A country may be an independent sovereign state or one that is occupied by another state, as a non-sovereign or formerly sovereign political division, or a geographic region associated with a previously...
  
   that is part of
  Countries of the United Kingdom
  Countries of the United Kingdom is a term used to describe England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales. These four countries together form the sovereign state of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, which is also described as a country. The alternative terms, constituent...
  
   the United Kingdom
  United Kingdom
  The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
  
  .
• Location
  • Atlantic Ocean
    Atlantic Ocean
    The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
    
    
  • Northern Hemisphere
    Northern Hemisphere
    The Northern Hemisphere is the half of a planet that is north of its equator—the word hemisphere literally means “half sphere”. It is also that half of the celestial sphere north of the celestial equator...
    
    
  • Eurasia
    Eurasia
    Eurasia is a continent or supercontinent comprising the traditional continents of Europe and Asia ; covering about 52,990,000 km2 or about 10.6% of the Earth's surface located primarily in the eastern and northern hemispheres...
    
     (but not on the mainland
    Mainland
    Mainland is a name given to a large landmass in a region , or to the largest of a group of islands in an archipelago. Sometimes its residents are called "Mainlanders"...
    
    )
    • Europe
      Europe
      Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
      
      
      • Northern Europe
        Northern Europe
        Northern Europe is the northern part or region of Europe. Northern Europe typically refers to the seven countries in the northern part of the European subcontinent which includes Denmark, Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Finland and Sweden...
        
         and Western Europe
        Western Europe
        Western Europe is a loose term for the collection of countries in the western most region of the European continents, though this definition is context-dependent and carries cultural and political connotations. One definition describes Western Europe as a geographic entity—the region lying in the...
        
        
        • British Isles
          British Isles
          The British Isles are a group of islands off the northwest coast of continental Europe that include the islands of Great Britain and Ireland and over six thousand smaller isles. There are two sovereign states located on the islands: the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland and...
          
          
          • Great Britain
            Great Britain
            Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
            
             (the central southern part of the island's western side)
          • Several other islands of Wales, the largest being Anglesey
            Anglesey
            Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
            
            
  • Extreme points of Wales
    Extreme points of Wales
    -Wales:*Northernmost point – Middle Mouse, off Anglesey at *Northernmost settlement – Llanlleiana, Anglesey at *Southernmost point – Flat Holm, Cardiff, off Lavernock Point, Vale of Glamorgan at...
    
    
• Population of Wales
  Welsh people
  The Welsh people are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language.John Davies argues that the origin of the "Welsh nation" can be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman departure from Britain, although Brythonic Celtic languages seem to have...
  
  : 2,999,300 (2009 estimate)
• Area of Wales: 20779 km² (8,022.8 sq mi)
• Atlas of Wales

Environment of Wales

• Climate of Wales
• Ecology of Wales
  • Ecoregions in Wales
  • Renewable energy in Wales
• Geology of Wales
  Geology of Wales
  Wales is a peninsula in the south-west of the island of Great Britain. The entire area of Wales is about . It is about north-south and east-west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the west,...
  
  
• Protected areas of Wales
  Protected areas of Wales
  Many parts of Wales are protected areas, according to a number of designations. They include three national parks, and five Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty.-National parks:Wales is home to three national parks....
  
  
  • Biosphere reserves in Wales
  • National parks of Wales
• Wildlife of Wales
  • Flora of Wales
  • Fauna of Wales
    • Birds of Wales
    • Mammals of Wales

Natural geographic features of Wales

• Islands of Wales
• Lakes of Wales
• Mountains of Wales
  • Volcanoes in Wales
• Rivers of Wales
  • Waterfalls of Wales
• South Wales Valleys
  South Wales Valleys
  The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales, stretching from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east and from the Heads of the Valleys in the north to the lower-lying, pastoral country of the Vale of Glamorgan and the coastal plain...
  
  
• World Heritage Sites in Wales

Regions of Wales

Main article: Regions of Wales

• South West Wales
  South West Wales
  South West Wales is a region of Wales. A definition consisting of the unitary authorities of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire is used by a number of government agencies and private organisations including:*BBC...
  
  
• South Wales
  South Wales
  South Wales is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. The most densely populated region in the south-west of the United Kingdom, it is home to around 2.1 million people and includes the capital city of...
  
  
• Mid Wales
  Mid Wales
  Mid Wales is the name given to the central region of Wales. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the National Assembly for Wales covered the counties of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of Gwynedd that had previously been the district of Meirionydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC...
  
  
• North Wales
  North Wales
  North Wales is the northernmost unofficial region of Wales. It is bordered to the south by the counties of Ceredigion and Powys in Mid Wales and to the east by the counties of Shropshire in the West Midlands and Cheshire in North West England...
  
  
• West Wales
  West Wales
  West Wales is the western area of Wales.Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics....
  
  

Ecoregions of Wales

Main article: Ecoregions in Wales

Administrative divisions of Wales

Main article: Administrative divisions of Wales

• Counties of Wales
  Counties of Wales
  The counties of Wales may refer to:*Principal areas of Wales — see Local government in Wales*Preserved counties of Wales*Historic counties of Wales*Former administrative counties of Wales — see History of local government in WalesMaps:...
  
  
  • Cities of Wales
  • Towns in Wales
  • Communities of Wales
• Preserved counties of Wales
  Preserved counties of Wales
  The preserved counties of Wales are the current areas used in Wales for the ceremonial purposes of Lieutenancy and Shrievalty. They are based on the counties created by the Local Government Act 1972 and used for local government and other purposes between 1974 and 1996.-Usage:The Local Government ...
  
  
• Historic counties of Wales

Counties of Wales

• Blaenau Gwent
  Blaenau Gwent
  Blaenau Gwent is a county borough in South Wales, sharing its name with a parliamentary constituency. It borders the unitary authority areas of Monmouthshire and Torfaen to the east, Caerphilly to the west and Powys to the north. Its main towns are Abertillery, Brynmawr, Ebbw Vale and...
  
  
• Bridgend
  Bridgend
  Bridgend is a town in the Bridgend County Borough in Wales, west of the capital, Cardiff. The river crossed by the original bridge, which gave the town its name, is the River Ogmore but the River Ewenny also passes to the south of the town...
  
  
• Caerphilly
  Caerphilly
  Caerphilly is a town in the county borough of Caerphilly, south Wales, located at the southern end of the Rhymney Valley, with a population of approximately 31,000. It is a commuter town of Cardiff and Newport, which are located some 7.5 miles and 12 miles away, respectively...
  
  
• Cardiff
  Cardiff
  Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
  
  
• Carmarthenshire
  Carmarthenshire
  Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
  
  
• Ceredigion
  Ceredigion
  Ceredigion is a county and former kingdom in mid-west Wales. As Cardiganshire , it was created in 1282, and was reconstituted as a county under that name in 1996, reverting to Ceredigion a day later...
  
  
• Conwy
  Conwy
  Conwy is a walled market town and community in Conwy County Borough on the north coast of Wales. The town, which faces Deganwy across the River Conwy, formerly lay in Gwynedd and prior to that in Caernarfonshire. Conwy has a population of 14,208...
  
  
• Denbighshire
  Denbighshire
  Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
  
  
• Flintshire
  Flintshire
  Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
  
  
• Gwynedd
  Gwynedd
  Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
  
  
• Isle of Anglesey
• Merthyr Tydfil
  Merthyr Tydfil
  Merthyr Tydfil is a town in Wales, with a population of about 30,000. Although once the largest town in Wales, it is now ranked as the 15th largest urban area in Wales. It also gives its name to a county borough, which has a population of around 55,000. It is located in the historic county of...
  
  
• Monmouthshire
  Monmouthshire
  Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
  
  
• Neath Port Talbot
  Neath Port Talbot
  Neath Port Talbot is a county borough and one of the unitary authority areas of Wales. Neath Port Talbot is the 8th most populous county in Wales and the third most populous county borough....
  
  
• Newport
  Newport
  Newport is a city and unitary authority area in Wales. Standing on the banks of the River Usk, it is located about east of Cardiff and is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent...
  
  
• Pembrokeshire
  Pembrokeshire
  Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
  
  
• Powys
  Powys
  Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
  
  
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Swansea
  Swansea
  Swansea is a coastal city and county in Wales. Swansea is in the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan. Situated on the sandy South West Wales coast, the county area includes the Gower Peninsula and the Lliw uplands...
  
  
• Torfaen
  Torfaen
  Torfaen is a county borough in Wales within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It was originally formed in 1974 as a district of the county of Gwent and in 1996 it was reconstituted as a unitary authority.-Education:...
  
  
• Vale of Glamorgan
  Vale of Glamorgan
  The Vale of Glamorgan is a county borough in Wales; an exceptionally rich agricultural area, it lies in the southern part of Glamorgan, South Wales...
  
  
• Wrexham

Preserved counties of Wales

• Clwyd
  Clwyd
  Clwyd is a preserved county of Wales, situated in the north-east, bordering England with Cheshire to its east, Shropshire to the south-east, and the Welsh counties of Gwynedd to its immediate west and Powys to the south. It additionally shares a maritime border with the metropolitan county of...
  
  
• Dyfed
  Dyfed
  Dyfed is a preserved county of Wales. It was created on 1 April 1974 under the terms of the Local Government Act 1972, and covered approximately the same geographic extent as the ancient Principality of Deheubarth, although excluding the Gower Peninsula and the area west of the River Tawe...
  
  
• Gwent
  Gwent
  -Places:*Kingdom of Gwent, a post-Roman Welsh kingdom or principality which existed in various forms between about the 5th and 11th centuries, although the name continued in use later....
  
  
• Gwynedd
  Gwynedd
  Gwynedd is a county in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. Although the second biggest in terms of geographical area, it is also one of the most sparsely populated...
  
  
• Mid Glamorgan
  Mid Glamorgan
  Mid Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales. From 1974 until 1996, it was also an administrative county, with a county council.Mid Glamorgan was formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972...
  
  
• Powys
  Powys
  Powys is a local-government county and preserved county in Wales.-Geography:Powys covers the historic counties of Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, most of Brecknockshire , and a small part of Denbighshire — an area of 5,179 km², making it the largest county in Wales by land area.It is...
  
  
• South Glamorgan
  South Glamorgan
  South Glamorgan is a preserved county of Wales.It was originally formed in 1974 under the Local Government Act 1972, as a county council area...
  
  
• West Glamorgan
  West Glamorgan
  West Glamorgan is a preserved county and former administrative county of Wales, one of the divisions of the ancient county of Glamorgan.West Glamorgan was created on 1 April 1974, by the Local Government Act 1972 from the county borough of Swansea, the municipal boroughs of Neath and Port Talbot,...
  
  

Historic counties of Wales

• Anglesey
  Anglesey
  Anglesey , also known by its Welsh name Ynys Môn , is an island and, as Isle of Anglesey, a county off the north west coast of Wales...
  
  
• Brecknockshire
  Brecknockshire
  Brecknockshire , also known as the County of Brecknock, Breconshire, or the County of Brecon is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, and a former administrative county.-Geography:...
  
  
• Cardiganshire
• Caernarfonshire
  Caernarfonshire
  Caernarfonshire , historically spelled as Caernarvonshire or Carnarvonshire in English during its existence, was one of the thirteen historic counties, a vice-county and a former administrative county of Wales....
  
  
• Carmarthenshire
  Carmarthenshire
  Carmarthenshire is a unitary authority in the south west of Wales and one of thirteen historic counties. It is the 3rd largest in Wales. Its three largest towns are Llanelli, Carmarthen and Ammanford...
  
  
• Denbighshire
  Denbighshire
  Denbighshire is a county in north-east Wales. It is named after the historic county of Denbighshire, but has substantially different borders. Denbighshire has the distinction of being the oldest inhabited part of Wales. Pontnewydd Palaeolithic site has remains of Neanderthals from 225,000 years...
  
  
• Flintshire
  Flintshire
  Flintshire is a county in north-east Wales. It borders Denbighshire, Wrexham and the English county of Cheshire. It is named after the historic county of Flintshire, which had notably different borders...
  
  
• Glamorgan
  Glamorgan
  Glamorgan or Glamorganshire is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying boundaries known as Glywysing until taken over by the Normans as a lordship. Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three...
  
  
• Merionethshire
  Merionethshire
  Merionethshire is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, a vice county and a former administrative county.The administrative county of Merioneth, created under the Local Government Act 1888, was abolished under the Local Government Act 1972 on April 1, 1974...
  
  
• Monmouthshire
  Monmouthshire
  Monmouthshire is a county in south east Wales. The name derives from the historic county of Monmouthshire which covered a much larger area. The largest town is Abergavenny. There are many castles in Monmouthshire .-Historic county:...
  
  
• Montgomeryshire
  Montgomeryshire
  Montgomeryshire, also known as Maldwyn is one of thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. Montgomeryshire is still used as a vice-county for wildlife recording...
  
  
• Pembrokeshire
  Pembrokeshire
  Pembrokeshire is a county in the south west of Wales. It borders Carmarthenshire to the east and Ceredigion to the north east. The county town is Haverfordwest where Pembrokeshire County Council is headquartered....
  
  
• Radnorshire
  Radnorshire
  Radnorshire is one of thirteen historic and former administrative counties of Wales. It is represented by the Radnorshire area of Powys, which according to the 2001 census, had a population of 24,805...
  
  

Cities of Wales

• Capital of Wales: Cardiff
  Cardiff
  Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
  
  
• Cities of Wales

Government and politics of Wales

Main article: Government of Wales

Government of Wales

The Government of Wales, since 1998, composed of the Welsh National Assembly and the Welsh Assembly Government.But judicially it remains within part of the jurisdiction of England and Wales, although the Welsh National Assembly was given the rights to enact Wales-specific Measures, and, with the...

 and Politics of Wales

Politics of Wales

Politics in Wales forms a distinctive polity in the wider politics of the United Kingdom, with Wales as one of the four constituent countries of the United Kingdom....

• Form of government
  Form of government
  A form of government, or form of state governance, refers to the set of political institutions by which a government of a state is organized. Synonyms include "regime type" and "system of government".-Empirical and conceptual problems:...
  
  :
• Capital of Wales
  Capital of Wales
  The Capital of Wales is a de facto designation usually applied to Cardiff since 1955. In that year, the Minister for Welsh Affairs Gwilym Lloyd-George commented in a Parliamentary written answer that "no formal measures are necessary to give effect to this decision".Cardiff is also the current seat...
  
  : Cardiff
  Cardiff
  Cardiff is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales and the 10th largest city in the United Kingdom. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for...
  
  

• Elections in Wales
  Elections in Wales
  Wales has elections to four tiers of government: 22 unitary local authorities, the National Assembly for Wales, the United Kingdom Parliament and the European Parliament.-Local government:...
  
  
  • (specific elections)
• Political parties in Wales
• Welsh nationalism
  Welsh nationalism
  Welsh nationalism emphasises the distinctiveness of Welsh language, culture, and history, and calls for more self-determination for Wales, which may include more Devolved powers for the Welsh Assembly or full independence from the United Kingdom.-Conquest:...
  
  

Executive

• Head of government
  Head of government
  Head of government is the chief officer of the executive branch of a government, often presiding over a cabinet. In a parliamentary system, the head of government is often styled prime minister, chief minister, premier, etc...
  
  : First Minister of Wales
• Welsh Government
• Wales Office
  Wales Office
  The Wales Office / Swyddfa Cymru is a United Kingdom government department. It replaced the former Welsh Office, which had extensive responsibility for governing Wales prior to Welsh devolution in 1999....
  
   (Department of UK Government) – it is primarily responsible for carrying out the few functions remaining with the Secretary of State for Wales that have not been transferred already to the National Assembly for Wales; and for securing funds for Wales as part of the annual budgetary settlement.
  • Secretary of State for Wales
    Secretary of State for Wales
    The Secretary of State for Wales is the head of the Wales Office within the British cabinet. He or she is responsible for ensuring Welsh interests are taken into account by the government, representing the government within Wales and overseeing the passing of legislation which is only for Wales...
    
    

Law and order in Wales

• English law
  English law
  English law is the legal system of England and Wales, and is the basis of common law legal systems used in most Commonwealth countries and the United States except Louisiana...
  
   – the law currently in force in England and Wales.
• Contemporary Welsh Law
  Contemporary Welsh Law
  Contemporary Welsh Law is a term applied to the body of primary and secondary legislation generated by the National Assembly for Wales, according to devolved authority granted in the Government of Wales Act 2006. Each piece of Welsh legislation is known as an Act of the Assembly. The first Assembly...
  
  
• Human rights in Wales
  • LGBT rights in Wales
• Law enforcement in Wales
• Welsh law
  Welsh law
  Welsh law was the system of law practised in Wales before the 16th century. According to tradition it was first codified by Hywel Dda during the period between 942 and 950 when he was king of most of Wales; as such it is usually called Cyfraith Hywel, the Law of Hywel, in Welsh...
  
   (historical)

Military

Main article: Military of the United Kingdom

• Command
  • Commander-in-chief
    Commander-in-Chief
    A commander-in-chief is the commander of a nation's military forces or significant element of those forces. In the latter case, the force element may be defined as those forces within a particular region or those forces which are associated by function. As a practical term it refers to the military...
    
    :
    • Ministry of Defence of the United Kingdom
      Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
      The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
      
      
• Forces
  • British Army
    British Army
    The British Army is the land warfare branch of Her Majesty's Armed Forces in the United Kingdom. It came into being with the unification of the Kingdom of England and Scotland into the Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707. The new British Army incorporated Regiments that had already existed in England...
    
    
  • Royal Navy
    Royal Navy
    The Royal Navy is the naval warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Founded in the 16th century, it is the oldest service branch and is known as the Senior Service...
    
    
  • Royal Air Force
    Royal Air Force
    The Royal Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the British Armed Forces. Formed on 1 April 1918, it is the oldest independent air force in the world...
    
    
• Military history of the United Kingdom
  Military history of the United Kingdom
  The military history of the United Kingdom covers the period from the creation of the united Kingdom of Great Britain in 1707, with the political union of England and Scotland, to the present day....
  
  
• Military ranks of the United Kingdom

History of Wales

Main article: History of Wales

History of Wales

The history of Wales begins with the arrival of human beings in the region thousands of years ago. Neanderthals lived in what is now Wales, or Cymru in Welsh, at least 230,000 years ago, while Homo sapiens arrived by about 29,000 years ago...

, Timeline of the history of Wales, and Current events of Wales

• Economic history of Wales
• List of years in Wales
• Welsh law
  Welsh law
  Welsh law was the system of law practised in Wales before the 16th century. According to tradition it was first codified by Hywel Dda during the period between 942 and 950 when he was king of most of Wales; as such it is usually called Cyfraith Hywel, the Law of Hywel, in Welsh...
  
   (historical)

Culture of Wales

Main article: Culture of Wales

Culture of Wales

Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks and daffodils Wales has a distinctive culture including...

• Cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English
  Cultural relationship between the Welsh and the English
  The relationship between the Welsh and English within Great Britain is mostly characterised by tolerance, respect, and an intermixing of people and cultures. However, elements of mutual mistrust or dislike, and occasionally overt racism, also persist. Hatred or fear of the Welsh by the English or...
  
  
• Architecture of Wales
• Cuisine of Wales
• Ethnic minorities in Wales
• Festivals in Wales
• Languages of Wales
  Languages of Wales
  There are two main languages used in Wales: Welsh English and the Welsh language.J. Gwyn Griffiths has commented that "I can say with certainty that there were Cornish immigrants who spoke the language in the leadmine villages of North Cardiganshire, Mid-Wales, in the 1850s"....
  
  
  • Welsh English
    Welsh English
    Welsh English, Anglo-Welsh, or Wenglish refers to the dialects of English spoken in Wales by Welsh people. The dialects are significantly influenced by Welsh grammar and often include words derived from Welsh...
    
    
  • Welsh language
    Welsh language
    Welsh is a member of the Brythonic branch of the Celtic languages spoken natively in Wales, by some along the Welsh border in England, and in Y Wladfa...
    
    
    • History of the Welsh language
      History of the Welsh language
      The history of the Welsh language spans over 1400 years, encompassing the stages of the language known as Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh.-Origins:Welsh evolved from British, the Celtic language spoken by the ancient Britons...
      
      
    • Welsh placenames
      Welsh placenames
      The placenames of Wales derive in most cases from the Welsh language, but have also been influenced by linguistic contact with the Romans, Anglo-Saxons, Vikings, Anglo-Normans and modern English...
      
      
• Media in Wales
  Media in Wales
  The media in Wales provides services in both English and Welsh, and plays a role in modern Welsh culture. BBC Wales broadcasts since the 1930s have helped to promote a form of standardised spoken Welsh, and one historian has argued that the concept of Wales as a single national entity owes much to...
  
  
• National symbols of Wales
  National symbols of Wales
  The National symbols of Wales include a diversity of official and unofficial images and other symbols.-Flags:- Heraldry :-Other symbols:...
  
  
  • Coat of arms of Wales
    Coat of arms of Wales
    The current Royal Badge of Wales was approved in May 2008. It is based on the arms borne by Llywelyn the Great, the famous thirteenth-century Welsh prince , with the addition of the St...
    
    
  • Flag of Wales
    Flag of Wales
    The Flag of Wales consists of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist....
    
    
  • National anthem of Wales
• People of Wales
• Prostitution in Wales
• Public holidays in Wales
• World Heritage Sites in Wales

Art in Wales

• Art in Wales
• Cinema of Wales
  Cinema of Wales
  The Cinema of Wales comprises the art of film and creative movies made in Wales or by Welsh filmmakers abroad. Welsh cinema began in the late-19th century, led by Welsh-based director William Haggar...
  
  
• Welsh literature
  • Welsh-language literature
  • Welsh literature in English
• Music of Wales
  Music of Wales
  Wales has a strong and distinctive link with music. The country is traditionally referred to as "the land of song". This is a modern stereotype based on 19th century conceptions of Nonconformist choral music and 20th century male voice choirs, Eisteddfodau and arena singing, such as sporting...
  
  
• Television in Wales
• Theatre in Wales

Religion in Wales

• • Buddhism in Wales
    Buddhism in Wales
    Buddhism in Wales has a relatively short history, having only really established a presence in the country in the 20th Century. 5,407 people declared themselves Buddhist in the 2001 census, representing a number of Buddhist traditions. Tibetan Buddhism is particularly well represented with...
    
    
  • Christianity in Wales
    • Evangelical Movement of Wales
      Evangelical Movement of Wales
      The Evangelical Movement of Wales was born in the 1940s, it came to light as a counter move by reformed Christians to the liberal theology which was gaining influence in to the Protestant denominations of Wales during the 20th century....
      
      
  • Hinduism in Wales
    Hinduism in Wales
    Hinduism in Wales is of relatively recent provenance, with the bulk of Welsh Hindus having settled there in the second half of the 20th century. There are today around 5,000 Hindus in Wales.-Origins:...
    
    
  • Islam in Wales
    Islam in Wales
    Islam is the largest non-Christian faith in Wales, with 22,000 members recorded in the country at the 2001 Census. The earliest recorded connections between Wales and the ‘Muslim world’ dates back to the early 12th Century...
    
    
  • Judaism in Wales
    History of the Jews in Wales
    The history of the Jews in Wales starts with the establishment of Jewish communities in South Wales in the eighteenth century CE. In the thirteenth century, shortly after Wales was conquered by Edward I of England, he issued the 1290 Edict of Expulsion expelling the Jews from England, and executed...
    
    
  • Sikhism in Wales
    Sikhism in Wales
    The arrival of Sikhism in Wales is relatively recent and today there are around 2,000 Sikhs in the country, representing 0.1% of the population....
    
    

Sport in Wales

Main article: Sport in Wales

Sport in Wales

The most popular sports in Wales are rugby union and football. Like the other countries of the United Kingdom, Wales enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games, but competes as part of England in cricket...

• Boxing in Wales
  Boxing in Wales
  Boxing is a popular sport in Wales, and since the early 20th century Wales has produced a notable number of professional boxers including several World Champions...
  
  
• Cricket in Wales
  Cricket in Wales
  Cricket is a popular sport in Wales. With its roots beginning in the late 18th century, Cricket has been played throughout Wales ever since. Glamorgan County Cricket Club is Wales' only first-class team, and Welsh players are eligible to represent England as the team represents both England and Wales...
  
  
• Football in Wales
  Football in Wales
  Association football in Wales is governed by the Football Association of Wales , which was established in 1876. The FAW oversees the Wales national football team and the Welsh football league system....
  
  
• Rugby league in Wales
  Rugby league in Wales
  Rugby league is a sport played in Wales. The governing body of the game in Wales is the Wales Rugby League.There is a long but sporadic history of rugby league in Wales. Over the decades many hundreds of players have "gone north" to play for the leading English clubs...
  
  
• Rugby union in Wales
  Rugby union in Wales
  Rugby union is the national sport of Wales and is considered a large part of national culture. Rugby is thought to have reached Wales in the 1850s, with the national body, the Welsh Rugby Union being formed in 1881...
  
  

Economy and infrastructure of Wales

Main article: Economy of Wales

Economy of Wales

The Economy of Wales. In 2010, according to ONS provisional data, headline gross value added in Wales was £44,517m, making the Welsh economy the tenth largest of the UK's twelve regions ahead of only Northern Ireland and the North East of England...

• Economic rank (by nominal GDP):

• Agriculture in Wales
• Banking in Wales
• Communications in Wales
  • Internet in Wales
• Companies of Wales
• Currency
  Currency
  In economics, currency refers to a generally accepted medium of exchange. These are usually the coins and banknotes of a particular government, which comprise the physical aspects of a nation's money supply...
  
   of Wales: Pound Sterling
  Pound sterling
  The pound sterling , commonly called the pound, is the official currency of the United Kingdom, its Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories of South Georgia and the South Sandwich Islands, British Antarctic Territory and Tristan da Cunha. It is subdivided into 100 pence...
  
  
• Economic history of Wales
• Energy in Wales
  • Energy policy of Wales
  • Oil industry in Wales
• Health care in Wales
• Mining in Wales
  Mining in Wales
  Mining in Wales provided a significant source of income to the economy of Wales throughout the nineteenth century and early twentieth century....
  
  
• United Kingdom Stock Exchange
• Tourism in Wales
  Tourism in Wales
  Wales is an emerging tourist destination, with 8,078,900 visitors to National Trust and Welsh Tourist Board destinations in 2002. The industry has been estimated to have an annual turnover of £3.5 billion....
  
  
• Transport in Wales
  Transport in Wales
  This article is about means of transport within Wales. The geography of Wales has been a key influence on the development of its transport system, with the main settlements lying on the coasts of North and South Wales, while Mid Wales is lightly populated...
  
  
  • Airports in Wales
  • Rail transport in Wales
  • Roads in Wales
• Water supply and sanitation in Wales

Education in Wales

Main article: Education in Wales

Education in Wales

Education in Wales differs in certain respects from education elsewhere in the United Kingdom. For example, a significant number of students all over Wales are educated either wholly or largely through the medium of Welsh: in 2008/09, 22 per cent of classes in maintained primary schools used Welsh...

• Primary Education in Wales
  Primary Education in Wales
  Primary Education in Wales has a similar structure to Primary Education in England, but teaching of the Welsh language is compulsory and it is used as the medium of instruction in many schools...
  
  
• Secondary Education in Wales
  Secondary Education in Wales
  Secondary Education in Wales covers the period between the ages of 11 and 16. In this period a child's education is divided into two main stages of the National Curriculum: Key Stages 3 and 4.-Stages:Key Stage 3 includes years 7,8, and 9...
  
  

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