Portal:Wales: Difference between revisions

Introduction

Wales (Welsh: Cymru [ˈkəmrɨ] ^ⓘ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. Located on the island of Great Britain, it is bordered by the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, and the Celtic Sea to the south-west. As of 2021, it had a population of 3.2 million. It has a total area of 21,218 square kilometres (8,192 sq mi) and over 2,700 kilometres (1,680 mi) of coastline. It is largely mountainous with its higher peaks in the north and central areas, including Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable, maritime climate. Its capital and largest city is Cardiff.

A distinct Welsh culture emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales was briefly united under Gruffudd ap Llywelyn in 1055. After over 200 years of war, the conquest of Wales was completed by King Edward I of England in 1283, though Owain Glyndŵr led the Welsh Revolt against English rule in the early 15th century, and briefly re-established an independent Welsh state with its own national parliament (Welsh: senedd). In the 16th century the whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the late 19th and early 20th century by David Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century: a nationalist party, Plaid Cymru, was formed in 1925, and the Welsh Language Society in 1962. A governing system of Welsh devolution is employed in Wales, of which the most major step was the formation of the Senedd (Welsh Parliament, formerly the National Assembly for Wales) in 1998, responsible for a range of devolved policy matters. (Full article...)

Selected general articles

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Did you know...

... that Catherine, Princess of Wales, is a keen amateur photographer and the patron of the Royal Photographic Society, and has taken many official photographs of her children?
... that the jury of matrons who assessed whether Ann Davis was pregnant after she was sentenced to death were the first civilian jurors for a criminal trial in New South Wales?
... that Australia-born rugby union player Jason Jones-Hughes was the subject of a protracted legal battle over his international eligibility after Wales called him up for the 1999 Rugby World Cup?
... that the box cover of the board game John Company shows Georgiana, Duchess of Devonshire, and George, Prince of Wales, gambling at hazard?
... that in a village in Wales, hares were traditionally nicknamed "St Monacella's lambs"?
... that the Cross of Wales, leading the procession at the coronation of Charles III and Camilla, features two relics of the True Cross gifted to the King by Pope Francis?

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Get involved

For editor resources and to collaborate with other editors on improving Wikipedia's Wales-related articles, see WikiProject Wales.

Selected images

Image 1First Minister Mark Drakeford meets with First Minister of Scotland Humza Yousaf in Edinburgh, 2023 (from Wales)
Image 2Welsh poetry from the 13th-century Black Book of Carmarthen. (from Wales)
Image 3A number of BBC productions, such as Doctor Who and Torchwood, have been filmed in Wales. (from Wales)
Image 4A Red kite, considered one of the national symbols of Wales and voted the nation's favourite bird (from Wales)
Image 5Welsh dancer at the Senedd building (from Wales)
Image 6Dowlais Ironworks (1840) by George Childs (1798–1875) (from Wales)
Image 7The proportion of respondents in the 2011 census who said they could speak Welsh (from Wales)
Image 8The National Library of Wales, Aberystwyth (from Wales)
Image 9Singer Shirley Bassey (from Wales)
Image 10Rail network of Wales, 2021 (from Wales)
Image 11St. David's Cathedral, Pembrokeshire (from Wales)
Image 12Hywel Dda enthroned (from Wales)
Image 13The Senedd building, designed by Richard Rogers, opened on St David's Day 2006. (from Wales)
Image 14Cawl, a traditional meat and vegetable dish from Wales. (from Wales)
Image 15Bilingual road sign in Welsh and English (from Wales)
Image 16The red dragon, a popular symbol in Wales. (from Wales)
Image 17The Old Court House, Ruthin, Denbighshire, built 1401, following Owain Glyndŵr's attack on the town
Image 18Snowdon (Welsh: Yr Wyddfa) Gwynedd, the highest mountain in Wales (from Wales)
Image 19Catherine Zeta-Jones, born in Swansea (from Wales)
Image 20Relief map of Wales:
Topography above 600 feet (180 m)
National Parks
(from Wales)
Image 21The Bard, 1774, by Thomas Jones (1742–1803). (from Wales)
Image 22University Hospital of Wales, Cardiff (from Wales)
Image 23Illustration of a Welsh judge from the Laws of Hywel Dda (from Wales)
Image 24Caradog (depicted by Thomas Prydderch), leader of the north Wales Celtic tribe the Ordovices. (from Wales)
Image 25Singer Tom Jones (from Wales)
Image 26A profile of the economy of Wales in 2012 (from Wales)
Image 27Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (from Wales)
Image 28St. David's Building, Lampeter campus, University of Wales, Trinity Saint David (Prifysgol Cymru, Y Drindod Dewi Sant). Founded in 1822, it is the oldest degree-awarding institution in Wales. (from Wales)

In the news

26 February 2026 – 2026 Gorton and Denton by-election: Green Party candidate Hannah Spencer wins the constituency of Gorton and Denton in Greater Manchester, England, in the party's first by-election win. (The New York Times) (The Washington Post)
9 February 2026 – Australia–Israel relations, Gaza war protests in Australia: Protests against Israeli president Isaac Herzog's state visit, following the 2025 Bondi Beach shooting, are held in cities across Australia. In Sydney, protests occurred amid a ban by the state government on hate speech grounds, resulting in police making 27 arrests and deploying pepper spray. (ABC News Australia)
6 February 2026 – Ipswich serial murders: English serial killer Steven Wright, who killed five women in 2006, receives another life sentence after he admitted to murdering a 17-year-old girl in 1999. (Reuters via CTV News)
24 January 2026 – Shark attacks in Australia: A 12-year-old boy dies from wounds caused by a bull shark attack off the coast of Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. Four others have been injured in a series of attacks linked to unusually high rainfall. (The Guardian)
22 January 2026 – 2026 Lake Cargelligo shootings: Three people are killed and another is critically injured in shooting spree against two vehicles in Lake Cargelligo, New South Wales, Australia. The shooter is at large. (The Guardian) (BBC News)

Selected biographies

Image 1

Jenkins in 2017

Sir Karl William Pamp Jenkins, , HonFLSW (born 17 February 1944) is a Welsh multi-instrumentalist and composer. His best known works include the song "Adiemus" (1995, from the Adiemus album series), Palladio (1995), The Armed Man (2000), his Requiem (2005) and his Stabat Mater (2008).

Jenkins was educated in music at Cardiff University and the Royal Academy of Music, and he is a fellow and an associate of the latter. He joined the jazz-rock band Soft Machine in 1972 and became the group's lead songwriter in 1974. He continued to work with Soft Machine until 1984, but has not been involved with any incarnation of the group since. He has composed music for advertising campaigns and has won the industry prize twice. (Full article...)
Image 2

A fanciful illustration of Trahaearn ap Caradog from the Historie of Cambria (1584)

Trahaearn ap Caradog (1044–1081) was a King of Gwynedd. Trahaearn was a son of Caradog ap Gwyn, ruler of Arwystli (in the south of present-day Montgomeryshire, Wales), a small state, on the south-western border between Gwynedd and Powys. He was born in 1044 in Arwystli, and died in 1081 in Mynydd Carn in Pembrokeshire, at the Battle of Mynydd Carn. (Full article...)
Image 3
Sir Harry Donald Secombe (8 September 1921 – 11 April 2001) was a Welsh actor, comedian, singer and television presenter. Secombe was a member of the British radio comedy programme The Goon Show (1951–1960), playing many characters, most notably Neddie Seagoon. An accomplished tenor, he also appeared in musicals and films – notably as Mr Bumble in Oliver! (1968) – and, in his later years, was a presenter of television shows incorporating hymns and other devotional songs. (Full article...)
Image 4

Banks in 2013

Jeff Banks PPCSD (born Jeffrey Tatham-Banks, 17 March 1943) is a Welsh fashion designer of men's and women's clothing, jewellery, and home furnishings. Born in Ebbw Vale, Wales, Banks co-founded the fashion chain Warehouse in the late 1970s. He later created and presented the television programme The Clothes Show, broadcast on BBC One from 1986 to 2000. (Full article...)
Image 5
Victor Erle Nash-Williams (21 August 1897 – 15 December 1955) was a noted Welsh archaeologist.

On the death of his father, Albert Henry Williams, his mother, Maude Rosetta (née Nash) Williams, formally adopted the surname "Nash-Williams". Educated at the Lewis School, Pengam, and at the University College in Cardiff, Victor Erle Nash-Williams was appointed Keeper at the National Museum of Wales in succession to Cyril Fox. His work involved the excavation of a Roman villa at Llantwit Major, catalogues of the inscribed and sculptured stones at Caerleon and at Caerwent, a book on Roman Wales, The Roman Frontier in Wales (1954) and his magnum opus, The Early Christian Monuments of Wales (Cardiff, 1950). He was editor of Archaeologia Cambrensis from 1950 to 1955. (Full article...)
Image 6
Kevin Bowring (9 May 1954 – 10 October 2024) was a Welsh rugby union player and coach. Bowring attended Neath Grammar School for Boys. A flanker, he played for London Welsh and captained the team. He also represented the Barbarians and Middlesex County. (Full article...)
Image 7

Griffiths in 2011

Barri Griffiths (born 13 January 1982) is a Welsh stunt performer, actor, and former professional wrestler. He is best known for his time with WWE, where he performed under the ring name Mason Ryan from 2009 to 2014. He joined Cirque du Soleil in 2016.

Griffiths played as a centre back for Porthmadog FC, but a knee injury curtailed his career. He appeared as Goliath on Gladiators in 2009. He began training to be a professional wrestler in 2006, and competed around Europe for the next three years. In 2009, he signed a contract with WWE, debuting in Florida Championship Wrestling (FCW) and becoming a one-time FCW Florida Heavyweight Champion. He made his main roster debut in 2011 and joined The New Nexus. In 2013, he started working on WWE's NXT brand until his release the following year. (Full article...)
Image 8
Joseph Erskine (26 January 1934 – 18 February 1990) was a professional boxer from the Butetown district of Cardiff, Wales. He was an Amateur Boxing Association Champion, Inter-Services Champion, and British Army Champion in 1953. He began fighting as a professional in 1954 and was trained by Archie Rule and Freddie Elvin. He held the British heavyweight title from August 1956 to June 1958. In all, he won 45 of his 54 professional bouts, losing 8, with one drawn. His best wins were against George Chuvalo, Henry Cooper, Dick Richardson, Uli Ritter, Jack Bodell, Johnny Williams, Joe Bygraves, and Willie Pastrano.

Erskine was a small heavyweight who outmaneuvered rather than overpowered his opponents. Angelo Dundee who saw his prospect Pastrano defeated by Erskine said he was surprised by his skill – further remarking that if Erskine had been just a bit bigger he could have been a world beater. (Full article...)
Image 9
David Charles Giles (born 21 September 1956) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. During his career he attained 12 caps for Wales, scoring on two occasions. (Full article...)
Image 10

Hughes as manager of Stoke City in 2015

Leslie Mark Hughes (born 1 November 1963) is a Welsh football manager and former player who is the head coach of National League club Carlisle United.

During his playing career he usually operated as a forward or midfielder. He had two spells at Manchester United, and also played for Barcelona and Bayern Munich, as well as the English clubs Chelsea, Southampton, Everton and finally Blackburn Rovers. He made 72 appearances for Wales scoring 16 goals. He won a host of winners' medals during his playing career, including two Premier League titles, four FA Cups, three League Cups and two UEFA Cup Winners' Cups. He also collected an FA Cup runners-up medal and a League Cup runners-up medal. Hughes was the first player to win the PFA Players' Player of the Year award twice, in 1989 and 1991, as well as having been the only person to have scored in the FA Community Shield, League Cup final, and FA Cup final in the same season (1993–94). He retired from playing in 2002. (Full article...)
Image 11

Davies, c. 1880s

David Davies (18 December 1818 – 20 July 1890) was a Welsh industrialist and Liberal politician who sat in the House of Commons between 1874 and 1886. Davies was often known as David Davies Llandinam (from the place of his birth, Llandinam in Montgomeryshire). He is best remembered today for founding Barry Docks. (Full article...)
Image 12

Jones in 2024

Gethin Clifford Jones (born 12 February 1978) is a Welsh television presenter. He was an active rugby union player while at Manchester Metropolitan University and, after graduation, he began his television career on Welsh language channel S4C as a presenter of children's programmes such as Popty, Mas Draw and the flagship children's entertainment show Uned 5 (Unit 5, 2002–2005).

In 2005, Jones became the 31st presenter of BBC children's programme Blue Peter. In 2020, he began presenting the BBC1 five-mornings-a-week magazine show Morning Live, broadcast from studios in Manchester. After a trial run ending in December 2020, the success of the programme has seen it commissioned as an all-year-round part of the BBC1 schedule. (Full article...)
Image 13

Mysterious

Geoff Lewis (21 December 1935 – 26 August 2025) was a Welsh jockey. (Full article...)
Image 14

Dalton in 1987

Timothy Leonard Dalton Leggett (/ˈdɔːltən/; born 21 March 1946) is a British actor. He gained international prominence as the fourth actor to portray fictional secret agent James Bond in the Eon Productions film series, starring in The Living Daylights (1987) and Licence to Kill (1989).

Beginning his career on stage, he made his film debut as Philip II of France in the 1968 historical drama The Lion in Winter. He took roles in the period films Wuthering Heights (1970), Cromwell (1970), and Mary, Queen of Scots (1971). Dalton also appeared in the films Flash Gordon (1980), The Rocketeer (1991), Looney Tunes: Back in Action (2003), Hot Fuzz (2007) and The Tourist (2010). (Full article...)
Image 15
Julian Winn (Winny) from Abergavenny, Wales (born 23 September 1972) is a former Welsh competitive cyclist who was formerly directeur sportif at the UCI Continental cycling team Endura Racing. He represented Wales in the 1998 Commonwealth Games at Kuala Lumpur and at the 2002 Commonwealth Games in Manchester. He was appointed Welsh Cycling coach in 2005. In 2008, he was GB road race team manager at the Beijing Olympics, overseeing the victory of Welsh compatriot Nicole Cooke. Since the folding of Team Endura Winn has been Director Sportif at Saint Piran cycling team and a Director of Sugar Loaf Road, which organises bike riding weekends in the Black Mountains. (Full article...)
Image 16
Sion Emrys Bebb (born 3 October 1968) is a Welsh professional golfer. (Full article...)
Image 17
Arthur Richard Lever (25 March 1920 – 20 August 2004), nicknamed "Buller", was a Welsh professional footballer and Wales international. (Full article...)
Image 18
Jason Perry (born 2 April 1970) is a Welsh former professional footballer and Wales international. A centre-half, he was highly regarded by supporters for his strong tackling and uncompromising style. He attained one cap for Wales in 1994. (Full article...)
Image 19
Frank William Whitcombe (29 May 1913 – 17 January 1958), also known by the nickname of "The Big Man", was a Welsh rugby union, and professional rugby league footballer who played in the 1930s and 1940s. He played rugby union (RU) for Cardiff RFC, London Welsh RFC, Aldershot Services and Army Rugby Union, as a prop, and representative level rugby league (RL) for Great Britain, Rugby League XIII, and Wales, and at club level for Broughton Rangers and Bradford Northern, as a prop. (Full article...)
Image 20

Foreign Legion live in 1986

Jeff Enoch lead guitar replaced Peter Giles

Foreign Legion is a punk band from South Wales. (Full article...)