Wales

Map of the Wales Area

Wales is a country which is part of the United Kingdom and borders with the east of England. It has the Atlantic Ocean and the Irish Sea to the west and a population of an estimated 3 million (source: link) with a density of 361 people per square mile. It is a bilingual country with Welsh being the native tongue but English being spoken by the majority of the populace. The capital and the largest city is Cardiff (with a population of 317500 (source: "The Film, TV and Multimedia Sector in Cardiff" (PDF). Economic Development Division, Cardiff County Council (2003-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-01-17.)) and the country was unified in 1056. The county spans an area of 8022 square miles and it uses the Pound Sterling as its currency.

The country was originally one of the 6 Celtic nations although a distinct national identity developed in the 5th century after the Roman's withdrew from the UK (source: Davies, John, A History of Wales, Penguin, 1994, Welsh Origins pg 54, ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8). There was a long time of English occupation of the country after the Edwardian Conquest in the 13th century. The country still has direct links with the UK legal system and has foreign policies in line with the European Union. Two thirds of the population of the country reside in South Wales and there is another concentration of inhabitants in North Wales. The rest of the country is predominately rural and sparely populated.

Wales is famed for its divergent and spectacular landscape (source: UK Travel Destinations, www.map-of-uk.com, Accessed May 4, 2008) and therefore tourism has flourished. Some areas of the country have been heavily industrialised since the Industrial Revolution. Mining has been a large part of the industry with coal, iron, lead, silver and gold being extensively excavated. Over 80% of the land in the county is used for agriculture (source: link) however very little of it is arable land and therefore it is mostly permanent grass pasture. The combination of the decline of heavy manufacturing and the replacement of the service industries has caused the unemployment of Wales's unemployment to be higher then the UK average (source: link).

Wales became the first country in the world to be awarded Fairtrade Status in June 2008. The most popular sports are Rugby and football and Wales has major representation in the Rugby World Cup, the FIFA World Cup and the Common Wealth Games. The main festival in Wales is one for music and poetry and is called the National Eisteddfod. It is an annual festival that is held in a different town or city each year. The country is sometimes referred to as the "land of song" (source: "Wales: Cultural life: Music, literature and film". Britannica (Online). (2006).) and many famous bands have emerged from Wales. Some of these bands include: the Stereophonics, The Automatic and Feeder.