10 facts about Wales
How much do you know about Wales? Wales is a small country that borders the west of England with a population of just 3.13 million people. Along with England, Scotland and Northern Ireland, it makes up the United Kingdom. It’s known for its rugged coastline, dramatic mountains, and rich history, but did you know these top ten facts?
Wales is a bilingual country
Wales has two official languages: English and Welsh. The Welsh language is one of the oldest languages spoken in Europe today dating back over 1000 years! But did you know this about the language…?
Here are some facts about the Welsh language:
There are 29 letters in the Welsh alphabet, including 23 consonants and six vowels, compared to the English alphabet which has 26 letters made up of 21 consonants and five vowels.
There are feminine and masculine nouns - very much like our European neighbours and Spain.
Some words are the same between Welsh and English including cardigan, selfie and smart. Who knew?
The letters K, Q, V, X and Z do not feature in the Welsh language, however are sometimes found in borrowed and in technical words. Sorry to anyone called, ‘Zack’.
Wales is home to the longest place name in the UK
Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is a village located on the island of Anglesey in North-West Wales. In 2002, ‘Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.co.uk’ was given the title of the longest domain name in world by the Guinness Book of Records. Talk about a tongue twister!
Coming in at an incredible 58 letters long, the name literally translates to ‘Saint Mary’s Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave’ – not exactly catchy, but it would make a really strong !
There's more castles per square mile than any other country
This is a crazy stat! Did you know there are over 600 castles in Wales which makes it the perfect place to visit for all the history buffs out there.
The unique history of the country means the landscape is littered with Iron Age hill forts, Roman ruins and castles from Medieval Welsh princes and English kings.
Notable castles include Beaumaris Castle and Conwy Castle. Conwy is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and is considered by many to be the most magnificent medieval fortress in Europe.
Wales is rugby-mad
Thought by many to be the national sport of Wales, rugby, specifically Rugby Union, is a sport closely linked to the Welsh identity.
When rugby first became popular as a sport in the late 19th century, it was quickly embraced by the Welsh people - it gave the small nation a chance to be the best in the world.
Notable Welsh rugby victories include winning the Six Nations Championship 28 times and a current ranking of the 11th best nation in the world (England is 5th, Scotland 6th, and Ireland 2nd).
Wales is home to Britain's smallest city
St Davids, located in Pembrokeshire on the south-west coast of Wales, is the smallest city in the UK.
With a population of just over 1300 people, it’s more comparable in size to your average UK village. However, it’s classed as a city due to St Davids Cathedral, an important historical and religious site that is thought to be the resting place of Saint David, the patron saint of Wales.
Today St Davids is a popular tourist destination thanks to its beaches and coastal walks.
There are more sheep than people in Wales
According to 2016 statistics, sheep outnumber human beings in Wales at a ratio of three sheep to every one person! Ewe have got to be joking!
Annual census figures show there are currently more than 10 million sheep in Wales, compared to just over three million people. Despite these sky-high figures, this isn’t even the peak of Wales’ sheep population – in the late 1990s figures rose to around 12 million! Baa-eautiful!
Wales has some serious competition from New Zealand, which puts up even more impressive numbers, where the fluffy farm animals outnumber people five to one.
There’s an entire Welsh-speaking community living in Argentina
Yes, you read that right! The area called ‘Welsh Patagonia’ is part of the Chubut Valley region, in the south of the country, colonised by Welsh settlers in 1862. Out of a population of 150,000, roughly 20,000 are of Welsh descent.
Traditional Welsh chapels, windmills and tea houses that sell bara brith (a traditional form of Welsh fruit cake) occupy the land in this remote corner of Argentinian Patagonia.
Approximately 5000 locals continue to speak the Welsh language and there are still many towns and villages that have Welsh names, the main ones being Trelew, Trevelin, and Gaiman. That begs the question if there is a small town of Argentines in Wales? I wonder…
The UK’s deepest cave can be found in Wales
Tucked away in the Upper Swansea Valley lies the deepest cave in the UK. Ogof Ffynnon Ddu (meaning Cave of the Black Spring in English) is some 59km long and 274 meters deep – that's three times the height of Big Ben!
The cave is closed to the general public, but many experienced cavers venture into its depths. At the heart of the cave system lies the 'streamway' - an underground fast flowing section of water.
The walls of the cave are jet black – spooky!
Wales has two national emblems – the leek and the daffodil
The leek is so well established as a sign of Welsh identity that wearing one to signify you come from Wales is noted as an ‘ancient tradition’ in William Shakespeare’s Henry V, which was first performed in the 16th century!
But why the leek? It’s claimed that the 7th century king of Gwynedd, Cadwaladr, ordered his army to strap a leek to their armour to help easily distinguish them from the enemy in the chaos of battle.
A highly recognisable flower due to its bright yellow petals, the daffodil is considered the national flower of Wales.
It is unsure how the daffodil became synonymous with Welsh identity but its rise was likely aided by the flower’s Welsh name: cenhinen Bedr, which literally translates as ‘Peter’s leek’.
The iconic Welsh flag isn’t as old as you might think!
The centrepiece of the national flag, the ddraig goch (the red dragon) symbolises the fearlessness of the Welsh nation.
The current design was adopted in 1959. The first official Welsh flag was created in 1953 for the Queen's coronation. It comprised a small red dragon, surrounded by a circle of Welsh words Y Ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn (the red dragon gives impetus).
It’s one of only three countries flags to feature a dragon, the others being Bhutan and Malta.
Where can I learn more about Wales?
Did those 10 facts about Wales make you keen to learn more? There is more to the Welsh landscape than deep caves and sheep fields. Explore more Welsh geography with BBC Bitesize.
Key Stage 1 - ages 5-7 - Geography of Wales