Wales

 Motto: Cymru am byth English: Wales forever

 Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau English: Land of My Fathers

Some basic facts:


 * Like we all know Wales (Welsh: Cymru) is in north-west Europe and is on the western side of Great Britain, bordered by the Bristol Channel to the south, St George’s Channel in the west and the Irish Sea to the north. Apart from the zoning in North-, Mid- and South Wales it is subdivided into 22 so called unitary authorities according to the Welsh administration law. Among those parts it is again differentiated between 3 “Cities ” (Newport, Cardiff, Swansea), 10 “County Boroughs” and 9 “Counties ”.


 * In that country, where approximately three million people live, both languages English and Welsh are recognized as official languages and have an equal status. The Welsh speaking inhabitants make up 20% of its population.


 * In 1955 Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) was appointed the capital city of Wales.With over 317,500 residents it is the most populated city in this area. In the past it was one of the most important coal ports int the world. The majority of Welsh people lives in South Wales, another big part is concentrated in eastern North Wales.


 * The national game of Wales is rugby. Although football for tradition has been the more popular sport, rugby is seen as an expression for Welsh consiousness and identity.
 * The Prince of Wales' heraldic badge is also a symbol for Wales; it is known as The Prince of Wales' feathers too because it consists of a coron with three white feathers on it and a ribbon which says "Ich dien" - the German motto, meaning "I serve". That symbol is often used by any kind of a Welsh representative team like the rugby union or Welsh regiments among the British Army.


 * Many famous celebrities like Tom Jones, Catherine Zeta Jones and Anthony Hopkins have a Welsh origin.

 St David's Day (Dydd Gwyl Dewi Sant): 

March 1st is celebrated in Wales as St. David's Day. This is the most important day in the Welsh calendar and a day for Welsh people to celebrate their culture and identity. St David (Welsh: Dewi Sant) was a Celtic monk, abbot and bishop, who lived in the sixth century. He spread the Christian belief across Wales. St David's Day is celebrated with the wearing of daffodils or leeks. Both plants are traditionally regarded as national emblems. There are many explanations of how the leek came to be adopted as the national emblem of Wales. One is that St David advised the Welsh, on the eve of battle with the Saxons, to wear leeks in their caps to distinguish friend from foe.

Economy:

Wales is a land of small farms. Sheep farming is predominant in the mountains and moorlands, dairy and mixed farming around the coast. In the past coal, copper, iron, lead, and gold have been mined in Wales, and slate has been quarried. Nowadays those old heavy industries have declined to such an extent that even coal mining has almost ceased in Wales. Today the unemployment rate is higher than the average for Britain, but in the last years the value of the science and technology sectors has been increasing, so this may change.

Food:

Although dairy and beef cattle have increased over the last few years, sheep farming is still much more common and therefore lamb is the meat which is mainly associated with the Welsh cuisine. Welsh food is predominantly made from local ingredients. Seafood is very often used as far as Welsh cooking is concerned, especially near the coasts where fishing has a strong tradition and fisheries are common. Some traditional Welsh dishes are laverbread (made from seaweed), bara brith (fruit bread), cawl cennin (leek soup), Welsh cakes, Welsh Rarebit, and Welsh lamb. A type of shellfish, cockles, is often served with breakfast.