Wales Culture, food, and diets[]
Most people in the United States associate Wales with Prince Charles; or with other famous sorts in the news. Other stereotypes include pit boots, singing, sheep and pointy hats. But Wales is a country as ancient as the Celtic nations that surround it. I hope you enjoy my bit of Wales...
Wales is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Wales has a land area of just over 8,000 square miles, and is 60 miles wide and 160 miles long. There are extensive mountain ranges that are mixed with river valleys coming from the center of the upland. Mount Snowdon is the highest mountain at 3,650 feet. The coastline of Wales is actually 750 miles long.
Wales has a turbulent history - neighboring England was occupied by the Romans for 400 years, but the Welsh eluded this domination. Their history of invasion has left Wales with more castles per square mile than any other country in Western Europe.
English is spoken for the most part by the Welsh, although there are efforts to see that the Welsh language is still used. However, the percentage of Welsh-speaking people in Wales is only at 20%. "Cymraeg" is the Welsh language, and it derives from the Celts. However, it has a distinct Indo-European structure (with verbs coming at the beginning of sentences, with a lot of emphatic repetitions).
The population of Wales (as of 2005) numbers three million. The background of the Welsh flag displays the national colors of green and white. These colors were worn in battle during the Middle Ages by Welsh soldiers. The symbol of the leek (also green and white) was pinned to the military uniforms. It is said that during a battle between the Welsh and the Saxons, they fought in a field of leeks. The Welsh consider the dragon as their national symbol, but they also recognize the leek and the daffodil.
More about Welsh Culture[]
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