wales

The Welsh National Anthem
Hen Wlad fy Nhadau
(Land of my Fathers)

Welsh version
Cymraeg
Mae hen wlad fy nhadau yn annwyl i mi
Gwlad beirdd a chantorion enwogion o fri
Ei gwrol ryfelwr, gwlad garwyr tra mad
Tros ryddid collasant eu gwaed.

Gwlad Gwlad,
Pleidiol wyf i'm gwlad,
Tra m�r yn fur i'r bur hoff bau
O bydded i'r hen iaith barhau

English version

Land of my Fathers, O land of the free,
A land of poets and minstrels, famed men.
Her brave warriors, patriots much blessed,
It was for freedom that they lost their blood.

Wales! Wales!,
I am devoted to my country.
So long as the sea is a wall to this fair beautiful
land, May the ancient language remain.

English is the day to day language for most Welsh people. Due to the efforts of many dedicated people the Welsh language still flourishes (and there is a Welsh language TV channel). The 1991 census gave a figure of 18.5 per cent Welsh speakers.

The land area is just over 8,000 square miles and Wales measures 160 miles long by 60 miles wide. Wales has extensive tracts of high plateaux with mountain ranges deeply dissected by river valleys radiating from the centre of the upland area. The lowland area is confined mainly to the relatively narrow coastal belts and the valley floors. Snowdon is the highest mountain at 3,650 feet. The coastline is almost 750 miles long (1,200 Km.)

Wales is a land of small farms. Sheep farming is predominant in the mountains and moorlands, dairy and mixed farming around the coast. The old heavy industries which once made the port of Cardiff (the capital city) the busiest in the world have declined to such an extent that even coal mining has almost ceased in Wales. British governments have attracted English and multi-national companies to Wales with generous incentives but unemployment is still higher than the average for Britain. Recent years have seen a strong growth in the science and technology sectors, however, so this may change.

March 1st is celebrated in Wales as St. David's Day. This is the most important day in the Welsh calendar and the day on which expatriates around the world remember their roots. It is a day for Welsh people to celebrate their culture and identity. St. David was an early crusader for Christianity in Wales and is supposed to have died on March 1st, 589. His remains were buried at what is now the Cathedral of St. David's in Pembrokeshire, west Wales.