The land of songs

Wales is a beautiful country,
Wales is a wonderful land.
Visit the daffodil valleys,
Come and enjoy them!

Anthem: Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau (Land of my Fathers )
Motto: Cymru am byth (Wales forever)
Capital: Cardiff
Other major towns: Swansea, Newport, Wrexham
Official Languages: Welsh, English
Government: Welsh Government
Area: 20,780km2
Population: 3,006,430
Population density: 145 persons per square kilometer
Patron Saint: St David
Currency: Pound Sterling (£)
Facts about Wales

The national flag of Wales is the Red Dragon. No one knows for sure how the red dragon came to become a symbol of Wales. Its origin is now lost in history and myths. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959.
Flag

The National Symbol of Wales
Wales has got two national symbols.
These are the daffodil and the leek.
They are both connected to the Patron Saint of Wales.
Today each year on St. David's Day the leek is worn in the cap badges of every soldier in every Welsh regiment.
But outside the army, many other Welsh people have substituted the leek by the daffodil, perhaps because it looks more attractive and certainly smells a lot better.
The daffodil is also associated with St. David's Day, due to the fact that it breaks into blossom on that day. Interesting to note that one of the many Welsh names for a daffodil is "Cenhinen Bedr" which means "Peter's leek".

St. David is the patron saint of Wales.
He was a monk who lived on bread, water, herbs and leeks and died on March 1, 589 A. D.
March 1st,St.David’s Day is
now Wales’s national day.

Cardiff is the capital and largest city of Wales. The Welsh name of the city is Caerdydd. It is situated near the mouth of the Taff River. It has a population of approximately 320,000. It is an important industrial city and a port.

Wales is a country that is a part of the United Kingdom (UK).
Constitutionally, the UK is a parliamentary monarchy. In the House of Commons - the lower house of the UK government - Wales is represented by 40 Member of Parliament (of 646) from Welsh constituencies.
Government
The head of the UK is the British monarch, Queen Elizabeth II.

Within a circular riband vert fimbriated or bearing the motto "Pleidiol Wyf I'm Gwlad" (I am true to my country) in letters the same and ensigned with a representation of the Crown proper, an escutcheon quarterly and gules four lions passant guardant counterchanged armed and langued azure, encircled by a wreath alternating of leek, thistle, clover, leek and rose.
Royal Badge of Wales

In 1301 Edward I of England made his eldest son Prince of Wales. This tradition has been kept until present day and in 1969 such a ceremony took place again. The Queen made her eldest son, Charles, Prince of Wales at Caernarfon castle.

Wales is a part of the United Kingdom and is located in a wide peninsula in the western portion of the island of Great Britain.
Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in all other directions: the Irish Sea to the north and west, St George's Channel and the Celtic Sea to the southwest and the Bristol Channel to the south.
Geography

Landscapes
Wales is a generally mountainous country on the western side of central southern Great Britain. The highest mountain is Snowdon (1085 m.)
The Dee River, with its headwaters in Bala Lake, the largest natural lake in Wales, flows through northern Wales into England.
Numerous smaller rivers cover the south, including the Usk, Wye, Teifi, and Towy.

There are three National Parks in Wales, they are protected by law. The most famous of the parks is Snowdonia in the north west.

It has a changeable, maritime climate and is one of the wettest countries in Europe. Welsh weather is often cloudy, wet and windy, with warm summers and mild winters.

The coasts and surrounding islands are home to colonies of gannets, Manx shearwater, puffins, kittiwakes, shags and razorbills.

The Red Kite a national symbol of Welsh wildlife.

The Welsh call their country Cymru, and themselves they call Cymry, a word which has the same root as “comrader” (friend or comrade)

Wales has two official languages: English and Welsh
For about 20% of the population, the mother tongue is Welsh.
Interesting to know:
Road signs in Wales are generally in both English and Welsh.
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogosh.
This is the longest place-name in the UK and, probably, in the whole world.

The national costume of Welsh women is a red cloak, a long skirt, an apron and a high black hat. The Welsh men don’t have a national costume.

The Welsh people are fond of folk music, singing, poetry and drama.
Every year an international festival called Eisteddfod is held in Wales. It is a festival of Welsh culture. People come from all over the world to recite poetry, sing and dance in this colourful competition.

Traditions
A favourite souvenir for the tourists is a Welsh love spoon.
They are made of wood and are very beautifully carved.
Originally, they were made by young men as a love token for their sweethearts. There are many different designs demonstrating the skill and love. Traditionally, the spoons were carved from one piece of wood and had a number of symbols such as hearts(for love), bells (for the hoped –for wedding), a horseshoe (for luck), a dragon (for protection).

Some traditional dishes include Wales rarebit, Welsh lamb, laverbread, leek stew, bara brith (speckled bread), Teisen lap (fruit cake) and the famous Welsh cakes.
If you ever go to Wales, don’t forget to try some of the delicious traditional dishes of Wales.

Sport
Welsh population enjoy their traditional sports like football and rugby…
…but also love taking part in some more unusual activities such as the World Bog Snorkeling Championships held annually in mid Wales.

Bibliography
www.wales.com
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wales
www.lonelyplanet.com/wales/
www.britannia.com/celtic/wales/
www.cymraeg.ru/gwybodaeth.html
www.krugosvet.ru/enc/Earth_sciences/geografiya/UELS.html