How is wales unique

For more information, read our guide to currency in Wales. Wales is a polite, friendly and patriotic country. Its people are welcoming and they uphold most of the etiquette practices that the rest of the UK follows, such as queuing and saying 'please' or 'thank you'.

Some restaurants add an optional service charge to the bill, but if you do not want to pay it you can ask for it to be removed. You can post letters and parcels at branches of the Post Office. Some newsagents sell books of stamps for posting things within the UK, while Post Office branches sell individual stamps and international stamps. Find your nearest Post Office branch online.

Most shops open 9 am to 5 pm Monday to Saturday, with many opening later. Some supermarkets open 24 hours a day from Monday morning until Saturday evening. Many shops have Sunday opening from 10 am to 4 pm or 11 am to 5 pm. Smaller shops can open outside of these hours. Exploring the outdoors is fantastic fun, but please read up on the risks and make sure you are prepared. Find safety advice for exploring Wales' National Parks and safety tips for staying safe on the Welsh coast , on the Visit Wales website.

Visit AdventureSmart. In an emergency call and ask for the service you require: fire, police, ambulance or the coast guard. It can be cheaper to buy a SIM card locally if your phone is unlocked. For more information see the Visit Britain page travelling with a mobile phone.

You should be able to access roaming data check with your provider. Check information on the UK Government website. In the UK drinking water must meet strict standards. See the Discover Water quality page for more information. You have to be over 18 buy alcohol.

If you look under 25 you may be asked for ID. This site uses animations - these may cause issues for some people and can be turned off. Oherwydd y sefyllfa parhaol i ymwneud a coronafeirws, mae'n bosib na fydd busnesau a digyddiadau yn gweithredu fel y disgwylir. Gwna dy addewid i Gymru. Home Info. Welcome to Wales, a country like no other. Introduction to Wales Wales is a country with distinctive traditions, heritage and culture.

Key facts and figures. The regions are made up of the following local authorities. A brief history of Wales. Cardiff on a rugby match day. Scenes from our National Eisteddfod. When is the best time to visit? For the first time in its history, Wales had a democratic institution of national self-government.

Yet, in the referendum that led to its creation, only a quarter of the electorate voted in favour, while half of people chose not to vote at all. The reality was that, although a mundane sense of Welsh identity was very powerful, the political implications of this were narrow.

This raises questions about the nature of Welsh identity in the past. From the medieval age onwards, there is clear evidence of a commitment to Wales amongst the literate classes, but how deep this went amongst the mass of people is a different matter. Many people lived difficult lives and were probably consumed more by daily challenges than questions of nationality. However, the survival of Welsh identity was never down to the elite alone.

There is evidence of a popular pride in the Welsh language, although this did not mean that people did not also want to speak English.

History itself was also important to the survival of Wales because it provided tales of times when the Welsh were self-governing or rose up against their chains of servitude. This overlaid internal divisions and offered the Welsh a sense of being more than just a region or culture.

This history and patriotism were inscribed into the landscape through place- names, legends , and the emotions inspired by mountains, hills and even individual streets. A sense of what it meant to be Welsh was brought alive in sport, literature and fireside stories.

The projects of the middle classes might have given voice to a sense of national identity, but their invented traditions worked because they gave form to something much wider, if more abstract. But no matter how much people have cared about Wales, the political, cultural and economic framework within which modern Wales existed was British and dominated by England. After medieval colonialism faded, there was little direct oppression of the Welsh because they were Welsh.

Their language was looked down upon, patronised and condemned, but this never translated into policies designed to actually stop people speaking or feeling Welsh. Indeed, there were times in the 20th century when the British state, in supporting Welsh in public life and education, seemed more progressive in attitudes towards the language than many Welsh people.

When Welsh was made a compulsory subject in schools at the end of the s, it was not because of a widespread public demand. This should not be interpreted as external largesse. Since Wales was part of the British state, some of the officials and representatives of the latter were Welsh. Moreover, there was pressure placed upon the state by a small but effective protest movement to recognise the Welsh language and Welsh identity.

From hiking in Snowdonia National Park to stunning waterfalls like Aber Falls , there are just so many incredible things to do in Wales. There are some really fun facts about Wales that will really surprise you too. For example, did you know that Mount Everest was named after a Welshman? What about Jack Daniels initially came from Wales? Then read on! Wales officially has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world.

Caerphilly is the largest castle in Wales and is the second largest in Europe behind Windsor Castle. I mean, just look at it picture above! The Welsh village of Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the second longest place name in the world.

Tysilio near the Red Cave. He was the surveyor who initially mapped Mount Everest and named the mountain after himself. This is without a doubt one of my favourite Welsh facts. Snowdon or Yr Wyddfa , is the highest peak in Wales at 1,m 3, ft. With a total of , Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in the world! Rugby is the national sport in Wales and the national team play their home games at the Millennium Stadium in Cardiff.

Welsh cakes are traditional in Wales. Made from flour, sultanas, raisins, and possibly currants, as well as spices such as cinnamon and nutmeg, they are rather like a kind of flat scone and are served hot or cold, dusted with caster sugar.

It makes an impressive five billion coins a year! Prince Charles is the current Prince of Wales. The title can only be given to the eldest son of a British sovereign king or queen , in other words the person who will succeed to the throne of Great Britain. Prince Charles was given the title in when he was just ten years old. One of the oldest traditions in Wales, the Mari Lwyd is a midwinter "good luck" tradition that takes place any time between December and January.

The Mari Lwyd moves around Welsh villages from door to door and tries to "bite" innocent people, challening them to a Welsh poetry competition called the pwnco!

Get crafting for St David's Day and make a daffodil magnet, a dragon collage and sock puppet and a lovespoon. Escape the clutches of the Beast of Bont in an online game. Make your own Welsh dragon , or colour in a Welsh flag.

BBC songs and games for Welsh learners aged between 5 and 7. Practise Welsh language skills with Penigamp, a KS2 game for children whose second language is Welsh. Learn a few Welsh words and phrases with a free online Welsh language course. Learn to pronounce Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch correctly!

Make a paper 3D daffodil or some Welsh pompom sheep. An eisteddfod is a festival of music, literature and performance in Wales; the National Eisteddfod takes place every year. Can you spot the difference between Welsh myths and Welsh truths? Take an online quiz to find out! Watch animated Welsh myths you can listen to the stories in English or Welsh!