Wales Facts: Capital Cardiff, Population 341K, Pound Sterling Currency
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3. Facts About Wales
• The capital of Wales is Cardiff (where we are
from).
• The population is 341,054 people.
• We use the Pound Sterling (£) not the euro!
• We have a day dedicated to our Patron Saint,
St David, we call this St Davids day
• Our government is separate from the English
government system, and our First minister is
Carwyn Jones AM
5. The Welsh Flag
Our national flag - The Red Dragon (or in Welsh
Y Ddraig Goch) - was granted official status in
1959, but the dragon itself has been associated
with Wales for centuries. Some say it’s the
oldest national flag still in use, and that it was
used by King Arthur and other ancient Celtic
leaders.
6. The Welsh Language
• We all speak English in Wales but the Welsh
language (Cymraeg) is thriving. It’s spoken
fluently by over half a million people in
Wales that’s over 20% of the population.
• The Celtic language is closely related to
Cornish and Breton and is one of Europe’s
oldest living languages! The Welsh spoken
today is directly descended from the
language of the Sixth Century.
7. • The Welsh people are keen to keep the
language alive so Welsh is now a compulsory
subject for all pupils up to the age of 16 in
Wales. Welsh medium schools are also
increasingly popular.
• We have a Welsh language television
channel, S4C, and a Welsh language radio
station, BBC Radio Cymru.
8. Castles
We've got over 600 castles in Wales. That's
more castles per square mile than any other
country in the world. We've looked after the
remains of our past. All over Wales you can
visit ancient castles where famous battles were
fought amongst the Celts, the Romans, the
Saxons and the Vikings
9. Caerphilly Castle
• This is the largest Castle in South Wales and
one of the largest castles in Europe.
• It has a leaning tower which out leans the
Leaning tower of Pisa.
• It is the only castle in Wales to still have a
moat(how cool is that!!).
10. Cardiff Castle
• It’s situated slap bang in the middle of the
capital, Cardiff Castle is one of Wales’s
biggest tourist attractions
• It’s an impressive example of a fortress, first
established by the Normans in 1106.
• However you do need a Castle Key to enter.
11. Welsh Life
• We have an entire museum dedicated to how
we used to live in Wales, it’s called St Fagans.
• Wales is famously known for it
Welsh Cakes, Bara Bryth and
Lava Bread.
• Our national dress is now only
worn by children to celebrate
St David's Day.
12. Rugby
• Wales is famous for it’s rugby and Welsh
people are passionate about their teams!
• We have won the Grand Slam 11 times, most
recently earlier this year.
• Welsh rugby players play for teams all over
Europe.