Wales for ever

WALES FoR

eVER

CYMRU AM BYTH

Wales is one of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

It is bordered by:

- north: the Irish Sea

- south: the Bristol Channel

- east: England

- west: St. George´s Channel

Country Facts:

Motto: Cymru am byth (Wales for ever).

National day: 1st of March

Flag: the red dragon

Area: 20, 779 sq km

Population: 3,004,600

Capital city: Cardiff

Currency: sterling pound

Official languages: English and Welsh

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WELSH FLAG

• The red dragon is probably the oldest symbol of Wales.

• If you go to Wales, you can see red dragons everywhere: on signs, in souvenir shops, in flags, in shields, …

PATRON SAINT• Saint David is the patron saint of Wales.

The 1st of March, St David’s Day, is Wales’ national day.

It’s celebrated by Welsh people all over the world.

On this day people wear leeks or daffodils, traditional Welsh emblems.

CURRENCYThe currency is the pound sterling, as in the rest of

the UK.

CAPITAL CITY• The Welsh capital city is Cardiff.

Cardiff is one of the flattest cities in Britain.

It has got more hours of sunlight than any other city in Britain.

Cardiff has been the capital of Wales since 1955.

In fact, it’s the youngest capital in Europe.

Cardiff Castle is a popular tourist attraction. It’s also a place where many rock concerts and other performances

take place.

OTHER MAIN CITIES

Swansea has a beautiful bay and a large marina. It is the second largest city in Wales.

A statue of Dylan Thomas, a famous Welsh author who lived in Swansea.

Swansea

Newport

Newport is a cathedral and a university city in south east Wales. It´s the third largest city in the country.

Anglesey is an island separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. You can cross over one of its two bridges. There is a ferry port on the island from which you can sail to Dublin.

Anglesey

How do you pronounce the name of this town?

Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch

Wales has got the town with the longest name in the world.

WALES HAS GOT:• 3 national parks• 3 million people• 11 million sheep (there are more sheep than humans)• 750 miles of coastline• 43 blue flag beaches

Snowdonia National Park• Snowdon is the highest mountain in Wales

and is in the second largest National Park, after the Lake District.

Brecon Beacons National Park

The Brecon Beacons National Park is a place of rivers and mountains with all sorts of outdoor activities.

Pembrokeshire National Park

Pembrokeshire National Park is on the coast.Fishguard is a major ferry link between Pembrokeshire and

Rosslare in Ireland. It has a new high-speed catamaran. A lot of wild life can be found in the sea.

In Wales you can find high mountains, picturesque lakes,

long sandy beaches, rivers,

bays and waterfalls,

high sand dunes

and the deepest cave in Britain.

Snowdon is the highest peak in Wales (1085 m - 3560 ft)

Welsh ancestors were the Celts.They were warriors, farmers and traders.

The Welsh are very proud of their Celtic origin.

They keep alive their traditions and still speak Welsh, their ancient Celtic language.

A BIT OF HISTORY

There are over 400 castles in Wales! Some of them are in ruins, but many are still standing and are some of the most famous and well-preserved castles in Britain.

There are 2 official languages in Wales: English and Welsh.

Everybody in Wales can speak English, but for about 20% of the population, the mother tongue is Welsh.

OFFICIAL LANGUAGES

Welsh is the oldest living language in Europe.

The letters K, Q, V and Z do not appear in the Welsh alphabet.

All children learn Welsh at school.

Nearly all signs are written in both Welsh and English.

WELSH

Principality

Wales has got a Royal Prince: the Prince of Wales.

Wales is a principality. This means that it´s ruled by a prince.

Traditionally the Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the English monarch.

The present Prince of Wales is Prince Charles who is expected to become the next British King.

SPORTThe Welsh are crazy about rugby, their national sport. Golf is another popular sport and they like football too.

CURIOSITIES

Wales inspired Lewis Carroll to write “Alice in Wonderland”.

Harry Potter, Robin Hood and Snow White and the Huntsman were filmed here.

FAMOUS WELSH ACTORS

RICHARD BURTON

CATHERINE ZETA JONES

ANTHONY HOPKINS

OTHER FAMOUS WELSH

ROALD DAHL, writer

GEORGE EVEREST, explorer.The highest peak in the world was named beacuse of him.

TOM JONES, singerGARETH BALE, footballer

Since the 12th century there are special competitions to find the best poets, writers and musicians in the country.

Wales has always been known as a country of poetry and music.

CULTURE

The most important eisteddfod is the National Eisteddfod of Wales. It’s the largest cultural festival of its kind in Europe, and a very important event in the Welsh calendar.

It takes place every August and lasts for 8 days.

EISTEDDFOD

A favorite souvenir for the tourists is a Welsh love spoon.They are made of wood and are very beautifully carved.

In the past, young men carved a spoon to give to his sweetheart as a sign of his love.

LOVE SPOONS

Traditionally, the spoons were carved from one piece of wood and they had a number of symbols such as:

- hearts (for love)

- bells (for the hoped-for wedding)

- a horseshoe (for luck)

- a dragon (for protection)

Today, love spoons are often given in weddings, birthdays and Christmas as gifts.

WISHING WELLSThere are lots of wishing wells all over Wales.

Traditionally, people throw a coin and make a wish.

MAKE A WISH AND THROW YOUR COIN INTO THE WELL

I wish to ....

I wish for ...

I wish for + NOUN

I wish to + VERB