Wales

Wales is a land of geographical contrasts – mountains, rivers, lakes and coast, all that you can find in Wales…

Basic facts

Wales

Wales is a part of United Kingdom. It borders with England on east and Atlantic ocean and Irish sea on west.

There are roughly three million people living in Wales.

Capital of Wales is Cardiff, with over 317,000 people. Cardiff is also the biggest city in Wales.

People in Wales speak two languages:

Welsh

Welsh (or Cymraeg in Welsh) is indigenous language. Indigenous means that this language is orgiginal language that was used for centuries in this country. Only 750,000 people speak Welsh language now.

English

English is language that is currently most widely used.

You will find signs written in both languages in Wales.

Heralrdy of Wales

Heraldry is set of symbols used by the group of people. When we talk about heraldry of a country, we often mean:

Flag
Coat of Arms
Anthem

Sometimes other symbos are popular, such as: colour, animal or flower.

Welsh flag

: Flag of Wales

Welsh flag has two equal stripes: white on the top and green at the bottom, and large red dragon.

This seems to have originated from Roman times and can be found in documents going back as far as 800 A.D.

Welsh coat of arms

Welsh Coat of Arms

Before England conquested Wales the country was ruled but many princes and kings.

Each of them had their own coat of arms. The largest kingdom in Wales that fell was Gwynedd.

And so the coat of arms of Kingdom of Gwyneddhas are used today.

Symbol of Wales – daffodil

Symbol of Wales - daffodil

National symbol of Wales is daffodil. Daffodil is traditionally worn on St. David’s Day. St. David is patron saint of Wales.

Alternatively leek is also recognised as national symbol of Wales. It is thought that Welsh soldiers used to wear leeks in the battles with Saxons, so they can distinguish friends with foes.

National Anthem

National anthem of Wales is Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau. This thanslates as “Land of My Fathers”.

Lyrics of Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (in Welsh and one of the available translations to English):

Welsh

English

Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi,
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion, enwogion o fri;
Ei gwrol ryfelwyr, gwladgarwyr tra mâd,
Dros ryddid collasant eu gwaed. Gwlad, gwlad, pleidiol wyf i’m gwlad.
Tra môr yn fur i’r bur hoff bau,
O bydded i’r hen iaith barhau.

Hen Gymru fynyddig, paradwys y bardd,
Pob dyffryn, pob clogwyn, i’m golwg sydd hardd;
Trwy deimlad gwladgarol, mor swynol yw si
Ei nentydd, afonydd, i mi.

Os treisiodd y gelyn fy ngwlad tan ei droed,
Mae hen iaith y Cymry mor fyw ag erioed,
Ni luddiwyd yr awen gan erchyll law brad,
Na thelyn berseiniol fy ngwlad.

The land of my fathers is dear unto me,
Old land where the minstrels are honoured and free:
Its warring defenders, so gallant and brave,
For freedom their life’s blood they gave Land!,Land!,True I am to my land!
While seas secure,
this land so pure,
o may our old language endure.

O land of the mountains, the bard’s paradise,
Whose precipice, valleys lone as the skies,
Green murmuring forest, far echoing flood
Fire the fancy and quicken the blood

For tho’ the fierce foeman has ravaged your realm,
The old speech of Wales he cannot o’erwhelm,
Our passionate poets to silence command
Or banish the harp from your strand.