Gales, En Inglés

English Work

Index
1.-Origen
2.-Localitation and Geography
3.-Demography
4.- Basic Economy
5.- Political life
6.- National Identity
7.-Independence day
8.-Religious beliefs
9.-Literature
10.-Performance Art
11.- Architecture
12.- Food
13.- Sport
14.- Climate
15.- Symbolism
16.-Celebrations
17.- Knowledge of the Welsh language
18.-Welsh celebrities

1.-Origen
The Britons, aCeltic tribe who first settled in the area that is now Wales, had already begun to identify themselves as a distinct culture in the sixth century AD The word "Cymry" referring to the country for the first time in a poem dating from 633. In 700 AD, the British referred to themselves as Cymry, the country and language as Cymru Cymraeg.
The words "Wales" and "Welsh" is of Saxon origin and were usedby the invading Germanic tribe to denote people who spoke a different language. The sense of Welsh identity has endured despite invasions, absorption in Britain, mass immigration and, more recently, the arrival of the Welsh nonresidents, since from the colonization process of English culture was established spare the established colonies.

2.-Location and Geography.

Wales is a part of theUnited Kingdom and is located in a wide peninsula in the western portion of the island of Great Britain. The island of Anglesey is also considered a part of Wales and is separated from the mainland by the Menai Strait. Wales is surrounded by water on three sides: to the north, the Irish Sea; to the south, the Bristol Channel; and to the west, Saint George's Channel and Cardigan Bay. The Englishcounties of Cheshire, Shops hire, Hereford, Worcester, and Gloucestershire border Wales on the east. Wales covers an area of 8,020 square miles and extends 137 miles from its most distant points and varies between 36 and 96 miles in width. The capital, Cardiff, is located in the southeast on the Severn Estuary and is also the most important seaport and shipbuilding center. Wales is very mountainousand has a rocky, irregular coastline with numerous bays, the largest of which is Cardigan Bay to the west. The Cambrian Mountains, the most significant range, run north-south through central Wales. Other mountain ranges include the Brecon Beacons to the southeast and Snow don in the northwest, which reaches an elevation of 3,560 feet and is the highest mountain in Wales and England. The DeeRiver, 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.

Maps of Gales
3.-Demography

According to the 2001 census Wales has a population of 2,903,085 in habitants (1,403,782 men and1,499,309 women). According to his birth place the 75.39%is from Wales,England 20.32%, 0.84%of Scotland, Ireland0.71%. Among the minorities include Chinese (0.40% of the population) and India (0.28%).

4.-Basic Economy.
Mining, especially of coal, has been the chief economic activity of Wales since the seventeenth century and is still very important to the economy and one of the leading sources of employment. The largest coalfields are in the southeast and todayproduce about 10 percent of Great Britain's total coal production. Iron, steel, limestone, and slate production are also important industries.Although heavy industry has played a significant role in the Welsh economy and greatly affected Welsh society in the nineteenth century, the country remains largely agricultural with almost 80 percent of the land used for agricultural activities. The raisingof livestock, particularly cattle and sheep, is more important than crop farming. The principal crops are barley, oats, potatoes, and hay. Fishing, centered on the Bristol Channel, is another important commercial activity. The economy is integrated with the rest of Great Britain and as such Wales is no longer exclusively dependent on its own production. Although agriculture accounts for much of...