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Wales - RationalWiki
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clear:right; border: 2px solid silver; margin: 0 0 .5em .5em; width: 200px;"> <div style="background-color: #e7ece6; font-size: 15px; text-align: center; padding: .3em;"><b>Wales</b> <b></b></div> <center><a href="/wiki/File:Flag_of_Wales.svg" class="image"><img alt="Flag of Wales.svg" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_of_Wales.svg/195px-Flag_of_Wales.svg.png" decoding="async" width="195" height="117" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_of_Wales.svg/293px-Flag_of_Wales.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Flag_of_Wales.svg/390px-Flag_of_Wales.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="800" data-file-height="480" /></a></center> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>Demographics</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_population" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by population" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by population">Population</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>5,439,842 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by GDP (nominal)" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by GDP (nominal)">GDP (million)</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>85,400 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_GDP_(nominal)_per_capita" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by GDP (nominal) per capita">GDP p/cap.</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>36,468 </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_life_expectancy" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by life expectancy" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by life expectancy">Life expectancy</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>81.30 (UK) </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_Human_Development_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:List of countries by Human Development Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: List of countries by Human Development Index">Development Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>0.940 (UK) </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>Government</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Democracy_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Democracy Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Democracy Index">Democracy Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>8.28 (UK) </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_Perceptions_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Corruption Perceptions Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Corruption Perceptions Index">Corruption Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>71 (UK) </td></tr></tbody></table> <table style="width: 200px;"> <tbody><tr> <th colspan="2" style="text-align: center; background-color: #e8e7f2;"><b>More</b> </th></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Education_Index" class="extiw" title="wp:Education Index" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Education Index">Education Index</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>0.948 (UK) </td></tr> <tr> <td><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Importance_of_religion_by_country" class="extiw" title="wp:Importance of religion by country" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Importance of religion by country">Religiosity</span></a>:<sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> </td> <td>27 (UK) </td></tr></tbody></table> </div> <p><b>Wales</b><sup id="cite_ref-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-1">[note 1]</a></sup> is the smallest country on the island of <a href="/wiki/Great_Britain" title="Great Britain">Great Britain</a> (assuming you don't count Cornwall) and is one of the four countries of the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a>. It is populated by <a href="/wiki/Sheep" title="Sheep">sheep</a>, growers of daffodils, corgis, leeks, undead singing horses, and Doctor Who (who lives in Cardiff). No whales live in Wales, as that would be silly. </p><p>It is wet. </p> <div id="toc" class="toc" role="navigation" aria-labelledby="mw-toc-heading"><input type="checkbox" role="button" id="toctogglecheckbox" class="toctogglecheckbox" style="display:none" /><div class="toctitle" lang="en" dir="ltr"><h2 id="mw-toc-heading">Contents</h2><span class="toctogglespan"><label class="toctogglelabel" for="toctogglecheckbox"></label></span></div> <ul> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-1"><a href="#Wales_in_the_United_Kingdom"><span class="tocnumber">1</span> <span class="toctext">Wales in the United Kingdom</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-2"><a href="#Government"><span class="tocnumber">2</span> <span class="toctext">Government</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-3"><a href="#Weather"><span class="tocnumber">3</span> <span class="toctext">Weather</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-4"><a href="#Religion"><span class="tocnumber">4</span> <span class="toctext">Religion</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-5"><a href="#The_language"><span class="tocnumber">5</span> <span class="toctext">The language</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-6"><a href="#Politics"><span class="tocnumber">6</span> <span class="toctext">Politics</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-7"><a href="#Terrorism"><span class="tocnumber">7</span> <span class="toctext">Terrorism</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-8"><a href="#Gweler_hefyd"><span class="tocnumber">8</span> <span class="toctext">Gweler hefyd</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-9"><a href="#Nodiau"><span class="tocnumber">9</span> <span class="toctext">Nodiau</span></a></li> <li class="toclevel-1 tocsection-10"><a href="#Cyfeiriadau"><span class="tocnumber">10</span> <span class="toctext">Cyfeiriadau</span></a></li> </ul> </div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Wales_in_the_United_Kingdom">Wales in the United Kingdom</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Wales in the United Kingdom">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Wales is one of the five <a href="/wiki/Celtic" title="Celtic">Celtic</a> nations located in the <a href="/wiki/British_Isles" title="British Isles">British Isles</a>.<sup id="cite_ref-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-2">[note 2]</a></sup> Wales was annexed to become part of England with the Laws of Wales acts in the 16th century and has since been part of England's legal system, apart from the matters now devolved to Wales with the new Welsh Assembly. Wales became recognised as a country following the Acts of Union in 1707, which unified England, Scotland and Wales into the United Kingdom of Great Britain. </p><p>The word "Wales" derives from the Old English <i>Wealys</i>, meaning "foreigner", whereas the local name <i>Cymru</i> (pronounced “come-ree”) means "brothers". That sums up the relationship between the two countries. The Welsh language is a constant source of bemusement to people in London, who find it hard to believe that it still exists and doesn't use their spelling system. Some English people genuinely believe that the Welsh only use their language when they are around, especially in public houses.<sup id="cite_ref-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-3">[1]</a></sup> </p><p>According to Jan Morris in <i>the Spectator</i>, "Mocking the Welsh is the last permitted bigotry"<sup id="cite_ref-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-4">[2]</a></sup> (but again, similar claims have been made about many other groups<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5">[3]</a></sup>). The English expression "to Welsh on" or "Welch on" someone (thankfully used less often now) means "to cheat" them by not paying up.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6">[4]</a></sup> A famous English rhyme also states, "Taffy was a Welshman, Taffy was a thief;/ Taffy came to my house and stole a piece of beef". Anti-Welsh prejudice is virulent in the British media and dates from hundreds of years ago to the present day. For example, English wit and car driver Jeremy Clarkson says: "It's entirely unfair that some people are born fat or ugly or dyslexic or disabled or ginger or small or Welsh. Life, I'm afraid, is tragic." Another wit who refers to himself as A. N. Wilson wrote in the <i>Evening Standard</i> in 1993 that "The Welsh have never made any significant contribution to any branch of knowledge, culture or entertainment.<sup id="cite_ref-7" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-7">[note 3]</a></sup> They have no architecture, no gastronomic tradition, no literature worthy of the name". Since the English are descended from the Anglo-Saxons of Germany, who invaded Britain in the 5th century AD and drove the native Britons into the west, that would make the Welsh the native Britons and the English prejudice very ironic. </p><p>Ever since the Welsh Tudor dynasty took the throne of England in 1485, all English monarchs have descended from the Welshman King Henry VII. Despite so many of them marrying Germans. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Government">Government</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: Government">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Within the parliament of the United Kingdom, Wales is represented by 40 MPs from their 40 voting constituencies, making them the second-smallest represented UK nation behind Northern Ireland. After a referendum in 1997 asking about the devolution of power to Wales, an Assembly for Wales was created the following year, with its powers extended following the Government of Wales Act in 2006. In 2020, the Assembly was renamed the Welsh Parliament, or in Welsh, <i>Senedd Cyrmu</i>, which leads to the informal bilingual name of the <i>Senedd</i> ("SEN-neth"). The Senedd contains 60 members elected on five-year terms (it used to be on four-year terms. However, this was changed so that the Senedd elections wouldn't take place the same year as the British General Election of 2015). The Senedd then elects a First Minister <i>(Prif Weinidog Cymru)</i>, who selects ministers to form a Welsh Government. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Weather">Weather</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Weather">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Despite the permanent waterlogged state, Welsh persons are almost exclusively non-swimmers (the descendants of the ones who <i>could</i> swim are now known as Irish and live in <a href="/wiki/Ireland" title="Ireland">Ireland</a>, where they went in prehistoric times to escape the stigma of being Welsh). There were, at one time, lots of mines which produced Queen Victoria's favourite coal. There are now <s>Eistedfods</s>Eisteddfods, rugby, <i>Doctor Who</i> and male voice choirs. The native Welsh people were accustomed to burning cottages to keep warm, but this practice has ceased owing to the increasing shortage of raw material. </p> <div class="thumb tright"><div class="thumbinner" style="width:202px;"><a href="/wiki/File:Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg" class="image"><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg/250px-Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg" decoding="async" width="200" height="253" class="thumbimage" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg/330px-Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/16/Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg/500px-Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1212" data-file-height="1536" /></a> <div class="thumbcaption"><div class="magnify"><a href="/wiki/File:Charlotte_Church_by_Law_Keven.jpg" class="internal" title="Enlarge"></a></div>This is the sort of thing that comes from Wales. (<i>n.b.</i>: not a sheep.)</div></div></div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Religion">Religion</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Religion">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>The main religions are Christianity and rugby union. The former is often practised in small non-Conformist chapels. <i><a href="/wiki/Fun:Monty_Python#Life_of_Brian_.281979.29" title="Fun:Monty Python">The Life of Brian</a></i> was banned in Aberystwyth (West Wales) but re-released there when one of the film's stars (the one who played Judith) became mayor. The citizenry also got to see her naked in it, next to Graham Chapman. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="The_language">The language</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: The language">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>One of the few words which have migrated into English common parlance from Welsh is "Eisteddfod". By Welsh standards, that's relatively easy to pronounce and spell. This should give you some idea of what Welsh is like. </p><p>The Welsh language uses the same script as the English language, but don't let that fool you: it actually uses its own alphabet. For example, Ch, Dd, Ff, Ng, Ll, Rh and Th are their own letters (in the Spanish tradition of smashing two letters together and proclaiming them a single letter), and the letters K, Q, V and Z are entirely gone.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8">[5]</a></sup> The Welsh language consistently uses Y as a vowel (as opposed to English's "A, E, I, O, U, and <i>sometimes</i> Y") and W to represent a vowel sound instead of a consonant sound. 78% of Welsh jokes are about English speakers attempting to pronounce Welsh phrases. Although Welsh is written fairly phonetically, unlike English, once you get the gist. The spelling system of the English language is <a href="/wiki/English_spelling_reform" title="English spelling reform">even more illogical</a> than that of Welsh. </p><p>Welsh and English have equal statuses as the official language of Wales. While English is more common in everyday conversation, over 20% of the population is fluent in Welsh, and Welsh is taught as a compulsory subject in primary schools. Welsh was <a href="/wiki/Linguistic_discrimination" title="Linguistic discrimination">eradicated from many parts of Wales by bullying and corporal punishment.</a> The "Acts of Union" between England and Wales also banned it, which was inconvenient since, at the time, over 90% spoke nothing else. A great deal of its survival is due to the victory of the Welsh church in an old ecclesiastical dispute over their demand to translate the Bible into Welsh as the English had already done for English, which made English a great deal less necessary for many years to come. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Politics">Politics</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Politics">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Wales is traditionally a strong area for the <a href="/wiki/Labour_Party" title="Labour Party">Labour Party</a>, especially in its former heavy-industrial regions. In 1997 and 2001, the <a href="/wiki/Conservative_Party_(UK)" title="Conservative Party (UK)">Conservative Party</a> won no Welsh seats in the Westminster parliament. In 2009, however, the Tories won the largest share of the Welsh vote in the European Parliament elections, the first time any party other than Labour had topped any Welsh poll since the <a href="/wiki/First_World_War" class="mw-redirect" title="First World War">First World War</a>. In 2014 the <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom_Independence_Party" class="mw-redirect" title="United Kingdom Independence Party">United Kingdom Independence Party</a>, widely considered an English nationalist party, came within fewer than 5,000 votes of beating Labour. The nationalist party, <a href="/wiki/Plaid_Cymru" title="Plaid Cymru">Plaid Cymru</a>, has never made a significant electoral breakthrough outside the areas where Welsh is most commonly spoken (generally in the country's west). This would suggest that a secessionist movement à la the <a href="/wiki/Scottish_National_Party" title="Scottish National Party">SNP</a> in <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a> would unlikely win mass support. Polls have, however, shown a higher percentage of the Welsh electorate than in England to be worried about the effects of Scottish independence. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Terrorism">Terrorism</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Terrorism">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <p>Despite the lack of popular support for independence, there has been a certain amount of extreme nationalism spilling over into terrorism. In the 1960s, this included <a href="/wiki/Mudiad_Amddiffyn_Cymru" title="Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru">Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru</a> (Movement for the Defence of Wales) and <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Wales_Army" class="extiw" title="wp:Free Wales Army" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Free Wales Army">Free Wales Army</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> (Byddin Rhyddid Cymru), both groups taking particular offence at the 1969 investiture of Charles III when he was Prince of Wales, a traditional title for the eldest son of the <a href="/wiki/British_monarchy" class="mw-redirect" title="British monarchy">British monarch</a>. Free Wales Army had a particular knack for publicity, claiming links with other nationalist terrorists such as the <a href="/wiki/IRA" class="mw-redirect" title="IRA">IRA</a> and promising atrocities such as <a href="/wiki/Suicide_bomber" class="mw-redirect" title="Suicide bomber">suicide-bombing</a> dogs.<sup id="cite_ref-9" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-9">[6]</a></sup> Eventually, some members were found guilty of public order offences and jailed. </p><p><a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Meibion_Glynd%C5%B5r" class="extiw" title="wp:Meibion Glyndŵr" rel="nofollow"><span style="color:#477979 !important;" title="Wikipedia: Meibion Glyndŵr">Meibion Glyndŵr</span></a><sup><img alt="" src="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/12px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png" decoding="async" width="12" height="12" srcset="https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/18px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 1.5x, https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5a/Wikipedia%27s_W.svg/24px-Wikipedia%27s_W.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="128" data-file-height="128" /></sup> (Sons of Glyndŵr) focused on the destruction of English holiday homes with a large campaign in 1979 that hit over 200 cars, caravans, and houses; most cases were never solved.<sup id="cite_ref-10" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-10">[7]</a></sup> Their activities seemed to cease in 1993 with the jailing of member Sion Aubrey Roberts for a letter-bombing campaign. One Plaid Cymru member suggested they were provocateurs working for the British government to discredit the Welsh independence movement,<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11">[8]</a></sup> but such things are said about many extreme nationalists. </p> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Gweler_hefyd">Gweler hefyd</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Gweler hefyd">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div style="clear: right; float:right; border:solid #ff8500 1px; margin: 1px 0; width:250px; padding:2px; background:#ffff80;"> <table cellspacing="0"> <tbody><tr> <td style="width:45px;height:45px;text-align:center"><span class="plainlinks"><a href="/wiki/File:Icon_fun.svg" class="image"><img alt="Icon fun.svg" src="/w/images/thumb/5/5c/Icon_fun.svg/50px-Icon_fun.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="50" srcset="/w/images/thumb/5/5c/Icon_fun.svg/75px-Icon_fun.svg.png 1.5x, /w/images/thumb/5/5c/Icon_fun.svg/100px-Icon_fun.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="200" data-file-height="200" /></a></span> </td> <td style="font-size:9pt;padding:4pt;line-height:1.25em;color:red;">For those of you in the mood, <a href="/wiki/RationalWiki" title="RationalWiki">RationalWiki</a> has a <i>fun</i> article about <a href="/wiki/Fun:Wales" title="Fun:Wales"><i>Wales</i></a>. </td></tr></tbody></table></div> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/England" title="England">England</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Northern_Ireland" title="Northern Ireland">Northern Ireland</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Welsh_Indians" title="Welsh Indians">Welsh Indians</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Sheep" title="Sheep">Sheep</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Australia" title="Australia">Australia</a> (not in the British Isles, but boy does it have sheep! It's also the home of New South Wales, but we're not sure where New North Wales is.)</li> <li><a href="/wiki/New_Zealand" title="New Zealand">New Zealand</a> (also not in the British Isles, but it's close to Australia and also has a lot of sheep)</li></ul> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Nodiau">Nodiau</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Nodiau">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="font-size:90%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-1">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">Not <b>the Principality of Wales</b>. Williams, Owen. "Wales isn't a 'principality' - sorry!". <a href="/wiki/BBC" title="BBC">BBC</a> Wales. <a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/1fa3ef03-d94a-3a3c-a22f-093c74467401">http://www.bbc.co.uk/blogs/wales/entries/1fa3ef03-d94a-3a3c-a22f-093c74467401</a>. Created 24/07/2014. Accessed 28/01/2015.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-2">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"> The others being <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Ireland" title="Ireland">Ireland</a>, the <a href="/wiki/Isle_of_Man" title="Isle of Man">Isle of Man</a>, and Cornwall. The last is Brittany in <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-7">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">A lie easily refuted by the works of Robert Recorde, Dylan Thomas, and Catatonia.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <h2><span class="mw-headline" id="Cyfeiriadau">Cyfeiriadau</span><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wales&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Cyfeiriadau">edit</a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></h2> <div class="references-small" style="-moz-column-count:2; -webkit-column-count:2; column-count:2; font-size:80%;"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-3">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://web.archive.org/web/20121111142844/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/voices/pages/pubwelsh.shtml">http://web.archive.org/web/20121111142844/http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/northwest/sites/voices/pages/pubwelsh.shtml</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-4">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/5200003/mocking-the-welsh-is-the-last-permitted-bigotry/">http://www.spectator.co.uk/features/5200003/mocking-the-welsh-is-the-last-permitted-bigotry/</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-5">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4023">http://languagelog.ldc.upenn.edu/nll/?p=4023</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-6">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external free" href="http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/welch">http://dictionary.reference.com/browse/welch</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-8">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.omniglot.com/writing/welsh.htm">Welsh</a>, Omniglot, accessed 23 Mar 2016</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-9">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text">See the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia" title="Wikipedia">Wikipedia</a> article on <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_Wales_Army" class="extiw" title="wp:Free Wales Army" rel="nofollow">Free Wales Army</a>.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-10">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/2004/mar/11/helencarter">Police take fresh look at Sons of Glyndwr</a>, Helen Carter, <i>The Guardian</i>, 11 Mar 2004</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><a href="#cite_ref-11">↑</a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/4084013.stm">MP's theory over cottage burnings</a>, BBC News, 10 Dec 2004. This was Elfyn Llwyd, a 23-year MP, once-leader of Plaid in Westminster, and a man whose name sounds like an anime series.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div role="navigation" aria-labelledby="Nations_of_the_world-navigationbox" class="toccolours" style="clear:both; margin:0.5em 3.5%; text-align:center;"> <div style="margin:0.15em; padding:0.1em; background:#ccccff; font-weight:bold;"><span id="Nations_of_the_world-navigationbox"><a href="/wiki/Nation" title="Nation">Nations</a> of the world</span> </div> <div class="hlist" style="font-size: 90%; margin: 0.15em 1.425em;"><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Africa" title="Africa"><b>Africa</b></a>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Algeria" title="Algeria">Algeria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Democratic_Republic_of_the_Congo" title="Democratic Republic of the Congo">Democratic Republic of the Congo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Eritrea" title="Eritrea">Eritrea</a> — <a href="/wiki/ESwatini" title="ESwatini">eSwatini</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ethiopia" title="Ethiopia">Ethiopia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Guinea" title="Guinea">Guinea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kenya" title="Kenya">Kenya</a> — <a href="/wiki/Liberia" title="Liberia">Liberia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Libya" title="Libya">Libya</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mali" title="Mali">Mali</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nigeria" title="Nigeria">Nigeria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Somalia" title="Somalia">Somalia</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Africa" title="South Africa">South Africa</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sudan" title="Sudan">Sudan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Togo" title="Togo">Togo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uganda" title="Uganda">Uganda</a> — <a href="/wiki/Zimbabwe" title="Zimbabwe">Zimbabwe</a> <p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Asia" title="Asia"><b>Asia</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Afghanistan" title="Afghanistan">Afghanistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Armenia" title="Armenia">Armenia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Azerbaijan" title="Azerbaijan">Azerbaijan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bahrain" title="Bahrain">Bahrain</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bangladesh" title="Bangladesh">Bangladesh</a> — <a href="/wiki/Brunei" title="Brunei">Brunei</a> — <a href="/wiki/Burma" title="Burma">Burma</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cambodia" title="Cambodia">Cambodia</a> — <a href="/wiki/China" title="China">China</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cyprus" title="Cyprus">Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Egypt" title="Egypt">Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Georgia_(country)" title="Georgia (country)">Georgia</a> — <a href="/wiki/India" title="India">India</a> — <a href="/wiki/Indonesia" title="Indonesia">Indonesia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iran" title="Iran">Iran</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iraq" title="Iraq">Iraq</a> — <a href="/wiki/Israel" title="Israel">Israel</a> — <a href="/wiki/Japan" title="Japan">Japan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Jordan" title="Jordan">Jordan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kazakhstan" title="Kazakhstan">Kazakhstan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kuwait" title="Kuwait">Kuwait</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kyrgyzstan" title="Kyrgyzstan">Kyrgyzstan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Laos" title="Laos">Laos</a> — <a href="/wiki/Lebanon" title="Lebanon">Lebanon</a> — <a href="/wiki/Malaysia" title="Malaysia">Malaysia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Maldives" title="Maldives">Maldives</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mongolia" title="Mongolia">Mongolia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nepal" title="Nepal">Nepal</a> — <a href="/wiki/North_Korea" title="North Korea">North Korea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Oman" title="Oman">Oman</a> — <a href="/wiki/Pakistan" title="Pakistan">Pakistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Palestine" title="Palestine">Palestine</a> — <a href="/wiki/Philippines" title="Philippines">Philippines</a> — <a href="/wiki/Qatar" title="Qatar">Qatar</a> — <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Saudi_Arabia" title="Saudi Arabia">Saudi Arabia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Singapore" title="Singapore">Singapore</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Korea" title="South Korea">South Korea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Syria" title="Syria">Syria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Tajikistan" title="Tajikistan">Tajikistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Thailand" title="Thailand">Thailand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Timor-Leste" title="Timor-Leste">Timor-Leste</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey">Turkey</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkmenistan" title="Turkmenistan">Turkmenistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_Arab_Emirates" title="United Arab Emirates">United Arab Emirates</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uzbekistan" title="Uzbekistan">Uzbekistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Vietnam" title="Vietnam">Vietnam</a> — <a href="/wiki/Yemen" title="Yemen">Yemen</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Europe" title="Europe"><b>Europe</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Albania" title="Albania">Albania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Austria" title="Austria">Austria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Belarus" title="Belarus">Belarus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Belgium" title="Belgium">Belgium</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bosnia_and_Herzegovina" title="Bosnia and Herzegovina">Bosnia and Herzegovina</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bulgaria" title="Bulgaria">Bulgaria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Channel_Islands" title="Channel Islands">Channel Islands</a> — <a href="/wiki/Croatia" title="Croatia">Croatia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cyprus" title="Cyprus">Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Czechia" title="Czechia">Czechia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Denmark</a> — <a href="/wiki/Estonia" title="Estonia">Estonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Finland" title="Finland">Finland</a> — <a href="/wiki/France" title="France">France</a> — <a href="/wiki/Germany" title="Germany">Germany</a> — <a href="/wiki/Greece" title="Greece">Greece</a> — <a href="/wiki/Hungary" title="Hungary">Hungary</a> — <a href="/wiki/Iceland" title="Iceland">Iceland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ireland" title="Ireland">Ireland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Isle_of_Man" title="Isle of Man">Isle of Man</a> — <a href="/wiki/Italy" title="Italy">Italy</a> — <a href="/wiki/Latvia" title="Latvia">Latvia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Lithuania" title="Lithuania">Lithuania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Moldova" title="Moldova">Moldova</a> — <a href="/wiki/Netherlands" title="Netherlands">Netherlands</a> — <a href="/wiki/North_Macedonia" title="North Macedonia">North Macedonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Norway" title="Norway">Norway</a> — <a href="/wiki/Poland" title="Poland">Poland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Portugal" title="Portugal">Portugal</a> — <a href="/wiki/Romania" title="Romania">Romania</a> — <a href="/wiki/Russia" title="Russia">Russia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Serbia" title="Serbia">Serbia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Slovenia" title="Slovenia">Slovenia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Spain" title="Spain">Spain</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sweden" title="Sweden">Sweden</a> — <a href="/wiki/Switzerland" title="Switzerland">Switzerland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Turkey" title="Turkey">Turkey</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ukraine" title="Ukraine">Ukraine</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_Kingdom" title="United Kingdom">United Kingdom</a> (<a href="/wiki/England" title="England">England</a>, <a href="/wiki/Northern_Ireland" title="Northern Ireland">Northern Ireland</a>, <a href="/wiki/Scotland" title="Scotland">Scotland</a>, <a class="mw-selflink selflink">Wales</a>) — <a href="/wiki/Vatican_City" title="Vatican City">Vatican City</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/North_America" title="North America"><b>North America</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Canada" title="Canada">Canada</a> — <a href="/wiki/Costa_Rica" title="Costa Rica">Costa Rica</a> — <a href="/wiki/Cuba" title="Cuba">Cuba</a> — <a href="/wiki/El_Salvador" title="El Salvador">El Salvador</a> — <a href="/wiki/Grenada" title="Grenada">Grenada</a> — <a href="/wiki/Haiti" title="Haiti">Haiti</a> — <a href="/wiki/Jamaica" title="Jamaica">Jamaica</a> — <a href="/wiki/Mexico" title="Mexico">Mexico</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nicaragua" title="Nicaragua">Nicaragua</a> — <a href="/wiki/Panama" title="Panama">Panama</a> — <a href="/wiki/United_States" title="United States">United States</a> (<a href="/wiki/Puerto_Rico" class="mw-redirect" title="Puerto Rico">Puerto Rico</a>) <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/Oceania" title="Oceania"><b>Oceania</b></a>:</big></span> <a href="/wiki/Australia" title="Australia">Australia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kiribati" title="Kiribati">Kiribati</a> — <a href="/wiki/Nauru" title="Nauru">Nauru</a> — <a href="/wiki/New_Zealand" title="New Zealand">New Zealand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Papua_New_Guinea" title="Papua New Guinea">Papua New Guinea</a> — <a href="/wiki/Pitcairn_Islands" title="Pitcairn Islands">Pitcairn Islands</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><a href="/wiki/South_America" title="South America"><b>South America</b></a>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Argentina" title="Argentina">Argentina</a> — <a href="/wiki/Bolivia" title="Bolivia">Bolivia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Brazil" title="Brazil">Brazil</a> — <a href="/wiki/Chile" title="Chile">Chile</a> (<a href="/wiki/Rapa_Nui" title="Rapa Nui">Rapa Nui</a>) — <a href="/wiki/Colombia" title="Colombia">Colombia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Ecuador" title="Ecuador">Ecuador</a> — <a href="/wiki/Falkland_Islands" title="Falkland Islands">Falkland Islands</a> (<a href="/wiki/Falkland_Islands" title="Falkland Islands"><small>Malvinas</small></a>)— <a href="/wiki/Paraguay" title="Paraguay">Paraguay</a> — <a href="/wiki/Peru" title="Peru">Peru</a> — <a href="/wiki/Uruguay" title="Uruguay">Uruguay</a> — <a href="/wiki/Venezuela" title="Venezuela">Venezuela</a> <br /> </p><p><span style="float:left;"><big><b>Separatist or disputed</b>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Abkhazia" title="Abkhazia">Abkhazia</a> —<a href="/wiki/Catalonia" title="Catalonia">Catalonia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Greenland" title="Greenland">Greenland</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kashmir" title="Kashmir">Kashmir</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kosovo" title="Kosovo">Kosovo</a> — <a href="/wiki/Kurdistan" title="Kurdistan">Kurdistan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Micronation" title="Micronation">Micronation</a> — <a href="/wiki/Northern_Cyprus" title="Northern Cyprus">Northern Cyprus</a> — <a href="/wiki/Sealand" class="mw-redirect" title="Sealand">Sealand</a> — <a href="/wiki/Somaliland" title="Somaliland">Somaliland</a> — <a href="/wiki/South_Ossetia" title="South Ossetia">South Ossetia</a> — <a href="/wiki/Taiwan" title="Taiwan">Taiwan</a> — <a href="/wiki/Tibet" title="Tibet">Tibet</a> — <a href="/wiki/Transnistria" title="Transnistria">Transnistria</a> — <a href="/wiki/Western_Sahara" title="Western Sahara">Western Sahara</a> </p> <span style="float:left;"><big><b>Historical</b>:</big></span><a href="/wiki/Ancient_Egypt" title="Ancient Egypt">Ancient Egypt</a> — <a href="/wiki/Belgian_Congo" title="Belgian Congo">Belgian Congo</a> — <a href="/wiki/British_Empire" title="British Empire">British Empire</a> — <a href="/wiki/Confederate_States_of_America" title="Confederate States of America">Confederate States of America</a> — <a href="/wiki/East_Germany" title="East Germany">East Germany</a> — <a 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