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This article is about Welsh people who are considered to be an ethnic group and a nation. For information about residents of Wales see Demography of Wales

Welsh people

Top row, left to right: David Lloyd George, Tom Jones, William Jones. See also 2001 Census Controversy Demographics of Wales as at the 2001 UK Census Population 2903085 Male 1403782 Female 1499303 David Lloyd George 1st Earl Lloyd George of Dwyfor OM, PC (17 January 1863 &ndash 26 March 1945 was a British Statesman and the only Sir Thomas John Woodward, (born 7 June 1940 known by his stage name Tom Jones, is a Welsh pop music singer particularly noted for his powerful voice William Jones (1675 &ndash 3 July 1749) was a Welsh Mathematician, born in the village of Llanfihangel Tre'r Beirdd, on the Bottom row, left to right: Alfred Russell Wallace, George Everest, Catherine Zeta Jones. Alfred Russel Wallace OM, FRS (8 January 1823 &ndash 7 November 1913 was an British naturalist, Explorer, Geographer Colonel Sir George Everest ( 4 July, 1790 &ndash 1 December, 1866) was a Welsh surveyor, Geographer and Catherine Zeta-Jones ( "zeeta" born September 25, 1969) is a Welsh actress, presently based in the United States

For Notable Welsh people see:
List of Welsh people
Category:Welsh people
100 Welsh Heroes
Total population

About 14 million
Regions with significant populations
Flag of the United Kingdom United Kingdom:   est. List of Welsh people is a list of notable Welsh people alphabetically within categories The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom, the UK or Britain,is a Sovereign state located 3,500,000[1]
Flag of Wales Wales: 3 million[2]
Flag of Scotland Scotland: 16, 623[3]
Flag of England England: 609,711[4]

Flag of the United States United States: 1,753,794 (2000 Census[5] )

Flag of Canada Canada:    440,965[6]
Flag of New Zealand New Zealand:    9,966[7]
Flag of Australia Australia: 84,246 (2001 Census[8])
Flag of Argentina Argentina:20,000[9]
Languages
Welsh, English
Religions
Christianity[10], secular

Welsh people, (Welsh Cymreig, Cymro (Welshman), Cymraes (Welsh women)) are an ethnic group and nation associated with Wales and the Welsh language. Scotland ( Gaelic: Alba) is a Country in northwest Europethat occupies the northern third of the island of Great Britain. England is a Country which is part of the United Kingdom. Its inhabitants account for more than 83% of the total UK population whilst its mainland The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic A nation is a Human Cultural and Social Community. In as much as most members never meet each other yet feel a common bond it may be considered Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic Authors Dr. John Davies and Gwyn A. John Davies (born 1938 is a Welsh historian and a television and radio broadcaster Williams argue the origin of the "Welsh nation" could be traced to the late 4th and early 5th centuries, following the Roman withdrawal from Britain. The Roman departure from Britain was completed by 410. The Archaeological records of the final decades of Roman rule show undeniable signs of decay [11] According to a 2001 Labour Force survey, 87 per cent of respondents born in Wales claimed Welsh ethnicity. [12]

Contents

History

See also: History of Wales
Further information: Genetic history of the British Isles

During their time in Britain, the ancient Romans encountered tribes in present-day Wales that they called the Ordovices, the Demetae, the Silures and the Deceangli. The country of Wales, or Cymru in Welsh has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29000 years though continuous human habitation Population research using DNA is initiating research into the genetic history of the British Isles Roman Britain refers to those parts of the island of Great Britain controlled by the Roman Empire between AD 43 and 410 Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The Ordovices were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Islands before the Roman invasion of Britain. The Demetae were a Celtic people of Iron Age Britain who inhabited modern Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire in south-west Wales The Silures were a powerful and warlike Tribe of ancient Britain, occupying approximately the counties of Monmouthshire, Breconshire and The Deceangli or Deceangi were one of the Celtic tribes living in the British Isles prior to the Roman invasion of Britain. [13] Speaking Brythonic, a Celtic language, these tribes are traditionally thought to have arrived in Britain from the mainland parts of Europe over the preceding centuries. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic" a branch of the greater Indo-European Language family. However, some archaeologists argue that there is no evidence for large-scale Iron Age migrations into Great Britain. In Britain and Ireland the Iron Age lasted from about the 7th century BC until the Roman conquest and until the 5th century in non- Romanised [14] The claim has also been made that Indo-European languages may have been introduced to the British Isles as early as the early Neolithic (or even earlier), with Goidelic and Brythonic languages developing indigenously. The British Isles (Irish variously Na hOileáin Bhriotanacha, Oileáin Iarthair Eorpa, Éire agus an Bhreatain Mhór; Ellanyn Goaldagh Eileanan The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Goidelic languages, (also sometimes called particularly in colloquial situations the Gaelic languages or collectively Gaelic) historically formed a Dialect The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being [14][15] Current genetic research supports the idea that people living in the British Isles are likely mainly descended from the indigenous European Paleolithic (Old Stone Age hunter gatherers) population (about 80%), with a smaller Neolithic (New Stone Age farmers) input (about 20%). The term Paleolithic (or Palaeolithic) (from Greek παλαιός palaios, " Old " and λίθος Lithos, "stone" A hunter-gatherer society is one whose primary subsistence method involves the direct procurement of edible plants and animals from the wild Foraging and Hunting The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos Agriculture refers to the production of goods through the growing of plants and fungi and the raising of domesticated Animals The study of agriculture [16] Paleolithic Europeans seem to have been a homogeneous population, possibly due to a population bottleneck (or near-extinction event) on the Iberian peninsula, where a small human population is thought to have survived the glaciation, and expanded into Europe during the Mesolithic. A population bottleneck (or genetic bottleneck) is an Evolutionary event in which a significant percentage of a population or species is killed or otherwise prevented The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra The Mesolithic or Middle Stone Age was a period in the development of human technology in between the Paleolithic or Old Stone Age and the Neolithic or New Stone Age The assumed genetic imprint of Neolithic incomers is seen as a cline, with stronger Neolithic representation in the east of Europe and stronger Paleolithic representation in the west of Europe. [17][16] Most in Wales today regard themselves as Celtic, claiming a heritage back to the Iron Age tribes, which themselves, based on modern genetic analysis, would appear to have had a predominantly Paleolithic and Neolithic indigenous ancestry. Modern Celts are those peoples who are speakers of Celtic languages, or who consider themselves or have been considered by others to participate in a Celtic culture When the Roman legions departed Britain around 400, a Romano-British culture remained in the areas the Romans had settled, and the pre-Roman cultures in others. The Roman departure from Britain was completed by 410. The Archaeological records of the final decades of Roman rule show undeniable signs of decay Events By Place Western Roman Empire Italy is first invaded by Alaric (probable date Romano-British culture is that of the Romanized Britons under the Roman Empire and later the Western Roman Empire, and of those exposed to Roman culture in the years [18]

In two recently published books, Blood of the Isles, by Brian Sykes and The Origins of the British, by Stephen Oppenheimer, both authors state that according to genetic evidence, most Welsh people and most Britons descend from the Iberian Peninsula, as a result of different migrations that took place during the Mesolithic and the Neolithic eras, and which laid the foundations for the present-day populations in the British Isles, indicating an ancient relationship among the populations of Atlantic Europe. Bryan Sykes is Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Oxford and a Fellow of Wolfson College. Stephen Oppenheimer (born 1947 a British physician a member of Green College Oxford and an honorary fellow of Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine, performs and The Iberian Peninsula, or Iberia, is located in the extreme southwest of Europe, and includes modern day Spain, Portugal, Andorra }} Atlantic Europe is a geographical and anthropological term for the western portion of Europe which borders the Atlantic Ocean. [3][4][5] According to Stephen Oppenheimer 96% of lineages in Llangefni in north Wales derive from Iberia. Llangefni is the County town Notable residents John Elias, preacher lived in the town 1830&ndash1841 Christmas Evans Genetic research on the Y-chromosome has shown that the Welsh, like the Irish are genetically very similar to the Basques of Northern Spain and South Western France although the Welsh do contain more Neolithic input than both the Irish and the Basques. The Basques (Euskaldunak are a people who inhabit a region spanning over parts of north-central Spain and southwestern France. The Neolithic (from Greek νεολιθικός — neolithikos from νέος neos, "new" + λίθος lithos The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate [6][7]Genetic marker R1b averages from 83-89% amongst the Welsh. In Human genetics, Haplogroup R1b is the most frequent Y-chromosome Haplogroup in Western Europe [8][9] [10]

The people in what is now Wales continued to speak Brythonic languages with additions from Latin, as did some other Celts in areas of Great Britain. The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. See also Kingdom of Great Britain Great Britain (Breatainn Mhòr Prydain Fawr Breten Veur Graet Breetain is the larger of the two main islands The surviving poem Y Gododdin is in early Welsh and refers to the Brythonic kingdom of Gododdin with a capital at Din Eidyn (Edinburgh) and extending from the area of Stirling to the Tyne. Y Gododdin (pronounced /ə gɔ'dɔðɪn/ is a medieval Welsh poem consisting of a series of elegies to the men of the Brythonic kingdom of The Brythonic languages (or Brittonic languages or British languages) form one of the two branches of the Insular Celtic language family the other being The Gododdin (goˈdoðin were a Brythonic people of north-eastern Britain (modern north-east England and south-east Scotland) in the sub-Roman Edinburgh ( ˈɛdɪnb(ərə Dùn Èideann) is the Capital of Scotland and is its second largest city after Glasgow. Stirling ( Gaelic: Sruighlea, Scots: Stirlin) is a city and former ancient Burgh in Scotland, and is at [19] John Davies places the change from Brythonic to Welsh between 400 and 700. Events By Place Western Roman Empire Italy is first invaded by Alaric (probable date Events By Place North America The Mount Edziza volcanic complex erupts in northern British Columbia, Canada. [20] Offa's Dyke was erected in the mid-8th century, forming a barrier between Wales and Mercia. Offa's Dyke (Clawdd Offa is a massive linear earthwork, roughly following some of the current border between England and Wales. The 8th century is the period from 701 to 800 in accordance with the Julian calendar in the Christian / Common Era. Mercia (ˈmɝsiə was one of the kingdoms of the Anglo-Saxon Heptarchy. [21]

The process whereby the indigenous population of 'Wales' came to think of themselves as Welsh is not clear. There is plenty of evidence of the use of the term Brythoniaid (Britons); by contrast, the earliest use of the word Kymry (referring not to the people but to the land—and possibly to northern Britain in addition to modern day territory of Wales) is found in a poem dated to about 633. Events By Place Europe Oswald of Bernicia becomes Bretwalda. Osric becomes king of Deira. The name of the region in northern England now known as Cumbria is believed to be derived from the same root. Boundaries and divisions Cumbria is neighboured by Northumberland, County Durham, North Yorkshire, Lancashire, and the Lieutenancy [22] Only gradually did Cymru (the land) and Cymry (the people) come to supplant Brython. Although the Welsh language was certainly used at the time, Gwyn A. Williams argues that even at the time of the erection of Offa's Dyke, the people to its west saw themselves as Roman, citing the number of Latin inscriptions still being made into the 8th century. [23] However, it is unclear whether such inscriptions reveal a general or normative use of Latin as a marker of identity or its selective use by the early Christian Church. A Christian is a person who adheres to Christianity, a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings of Jesus of Nazareth

The word Cymry is believed to be derived from the Brythonic combrogi, meaning fellow-countrymen,[24] and thus Cymru carries a sense of "land of fellow-countrymen", "our country"- and, of course, notions of fraternity. The name "Wales", however, comes from a Germanic walha meaning "stranger" or "foreigner". The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. Walh (singular or Walha (plural ( is an ancient Germanic word meaning "foreigner" or "stranger" ( Welsh) or "roman"

There are two words in modern Welsh for the English and this reflects the idea held by some that the modern English derive from various Germanic tribes (although there is little evidence for the extinction of the pre-Germanic inhabitants of England, and the idea ignores both the Scandinavian settlers in England and the Roman and Norman-French influences on English language, culture and identity): Saeson (singular: Sais), meaning originally Saxon; and: Eingl, denoting:-Angles,; meaning Englishmen in modern Welsh. The English people (from the adjective in Englisc) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to England who predominantly speak English A Viking is one of the Norse ( Scandinavian Explorers Warriors Merchants, and pirates who raided and colonized wide areas The Welsh word for the English language is Saesneg, while the Welsh word for England is Lloegr.

There was immigration to Wales after the Norman Conquest, several Normans encouraged immigration to their new lands; the Landsker Line dividing the Pembrokeshire "Englishry" and "Welshry" is still detectable today. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. The Landsker Line is a term commonly used for the boundary between the Welsh -speaking and English-speaking areas in southwest Wales. Geography Pembrokeshire is a maritime County, bordered by the sea on three sides by Ceredigion (Cardiganshire to the northeast and by [25] The terms Englishry and Welshry are used similarly about Gower.

The population of Wales increased from 587,128 in 1801 to 1,162,139 in 1851 and had reached 2,420,921 by 1911. [26] Part of this increase can be attributed to the demographic transition seen in most industrialising countries during the Industrial Revolution, as death-rates dropped and birth-rates remained steady. The Demographic transition model (DTM is a model used to explain the process of shift from high Birth rates and high Death rates to low birth rates and low death rates The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the However, there was also a large-scale migration of people into Wales during the industrial revolution. The English were the most numerous group, but there were also considerable numbers of Irish and smaller numbers of many other ethnic groups. [27][28] For example, some Italians migrated to South Wales[11]. Italian Welsh are citizens of Wales whose ancestry wholly or partly originates in Italy. Wales received other immigration from various parts of the British Commonwealth of Nations in the 20th century, and African-Caribbean and Asian communities add to the ethno-cultural mix, particularly in urban Wales. See also British African-Caribbean community, Caribbean British Black British is a term which has had different meanings and uses as a racial and political British Asians are British citizens who are immigrants or descendants of immigrants from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka Recently, parts of Wales have seen an increased number of immigrants from recent EU accession countries such as Poland. Enlargement of the European Union is the process of expanding the European Union (EU through the accession of new member states. Poland (Polska officially the Republic of Poland

21st century identity

2001 Census Controversy

The 2001 census revealed that one-third of the population of Wales described themselves as of British ethnicity, with respondents having to write in whether or not they were Welsh. A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 British people, or Britons, are the native inhabitants of Great Britain and their descendants or citizens of the United Kingdom, of the [29] Controversy surrounding the method of determining ethnicity began as early as 2000, when it was revealed that respondents in Scotland and Northern Ireland would be able to check a box describing themselves as of Scottish or of Irish ethnicity, an option not available for Welsh or English respondents. The Scots people ( Scots Gaelic: Albannaich) are a Nation and an Ethnic group indigenous to Scotland. The Irish people ( Irish: Muintir na hÉireann, na hÉireannaigh, na Gaeil) are a Western European Ethnic group who originate [30][31] Prior to the Census, Plaid Cymru backed a petition calling for the inclusion of a Welsh tick-box and for the National Assembly to have primary law-making powers and its own National Statistics Office. [30]

With an absence of a Welsh tick-box, the only other tick-box available was 'white-British,' 'Irish', or 'other'. [30] The Scottish parliament insisted that a Scottish ethnicity tick-box be included in the census in Scotland, and with this inclusion as many as 88. 11% claimed Scottish ethnicity. [32] Critics expected a higher proportion of respondants describing themselves as of Welsh ethnicity, similar to Scottish results, had a Welsh tickbox been made available. Additional criticism was leveled at the timing of the census, which was taken in the middle of the Foot and Mouth crisis of 2001, a fact organizers said did not impact the results. The outbreak of Foot-and-mouth disease in the United Kingdom in the spring and summer of 2001 caused a crisis in British Agriculture and [33] However, the Foot and Mouth crisis did delay UK General Elections, the first time since the Second World War any event postponed an election. Results |} Total votes cast 26368204 All parties with more than 500 votes shown World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including

In the census, as many as 14 per cent of the population took the 'extra step' to write in that they were of Welsh ethnicity. [34] Of these, Gwynedd recorded the highest percentage of those identifying as of Welsh ethnicity (at 27%), followed by Carmarthenshire (23 per cent), Ceredigion (22 per cent) and the Isle of Anglesey (19 per cent). [34] For respondants between 16 and 74 years of age, those claiming Welsh ethnicity were predominatly in professional and managerial occupations. [34]

Surveys

In the 2001 Labour Force survey, 87 per cent of respondents born in Wales claimed Welsh ethnicity. [12] Of those born in Wales, respondents in the local authority areas of Gwynedd, Ceredigion, Carmarthenshire, and Merthyr Tydfil each returned results of between 91 and 93 per cent claiming Welsh ethnicity. [12] Neath Port Talbot, Bridgend, Rhondda Cynon Taff, returned results 88-91 per cent of Wales-born respondents claiming Welsh ethnicity. [12] Powys, Anglesey, Denbighshire, Caerphilly, and the Vale of Glamorgan returned results of 86-88 per cent of respondents born in Wales claiming Welsh ethnicity. [12] Pembrokeshire, Swansea, Cardiff, Newport, Torfaen, Blaenau Gwent, Conwy, Flintshire, and Wrexham returned results of 78-86 per cent of those born in Wales claiming Welsh ethnicity. [12] Out of the total population of Wales, when taking into account those not born in Wales, the number claiming Welsh ethnicity drops to 60 per cent, representing 40% born outside of Wales. [12]

Culture

See also: Culture of Wales

Language

Main article: Welsh language

see also History of the Welsh language

Percentage of Welsh speakers by principal area
Percentage of Welsh speakers by principal area

According to the 2001 (two thousand and one) census the number of Welsh speakers in Wales increased for the first time in 100 years, with 20. Wales has a distinctive Culture including its own language, customs Holidays and Music. Welsh ( cy Cymraeg or cy y Gymraeg, kəmˈrɑːɨɡ and {{IPA|[ə ɡəmˈrɑːɨɡ]}}, is a member of the Brythonic branch of Celtic The history of the Welsh language spans over 1400 years encompassing the stages of the language known as Old Welsh, Middle Welsh, and Modern Welsh. For Local government purposes Wales is divided into 22 Unitary authorities, which are responsible for the provision of all local government services including education 5% in a population of over 2. 9 million claiming fluency in Welsh, or one in five. [29] The issue of locals being priced out of the local housing market is common to many rural communities throughout Britain, but in Wales the added dimension of language further complicated the issue, as many new residents did not learn the Welsh language. [35]

A Plaid Cymru taskforce headed by David Wigley recommended land should be allocated for affordable local housing, and called for grants for locals to buy houses, and recommended council tax on holiday homes should double. [36]

However, the same census shows that 25 percent of residents were born outside Wales. The number of Welsh speakers in other places in Britain is uncertain, but numbers are high in the main cities and there are speakers along the Welsh-English border.

Even among the Welsh speakers, very few people speak only Welsh, with nearly all being bilingual in English. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States However, a large number of Welsh speakers are more comfortable expressing themselves in Welsh than in English and vice versa, usually depending on the area spoken. Many prefer to speak English in South Wales or the urbanised areas and Welsh in the North or in rural areas. A speaker's choice of language can vary according to the subject domain (known in linguistics as code-switching). Code-switching is a term in Linguistics referring to using more than one language or variety in conversation

Thanks to the work of the Mudiad Ysgolion Meithrin (Welsh Nursery School Movement), recent census data reveals a reversal in decades of linguistic decline: there are now more Welsh speakers under five years of age than over 60. A nursery school is a school for children between the ages of three and five staffed by qualified teachers and other professionals who encourage and supervise educational play rather than For many young people in Wales, the acquisition of Welsh is a gateway to better careers and increased cultural opportunity: Wales's third greatest revenue earner is media products and Cardiff boasts a world-class animation industry.

Although Welsh is a minority language, and thus threatened by the dominance of English, support for the language grew during the second half of the 20th century, along with the rise of Welsh nationalism in the form of groups such as the political party Plaid Cymru and Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (Welsh Language Society). A minority language is a Language spoken by a Minority of the Population of a country The twentieth century of the Common Era began on Welsh nationalism is a political and cultural movement that emerged during the nineteenth century A political party is a Political organization that seeks to attain and maintain political power within Government, usually by participating in electoral Plaid Cymru (plaɪd ˈkəmri The Party of Wales often referred to simply as Plaid) is a Political party in Wales. Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (The Welsh Language Society often abbreviated to Cymdeithas or Cymdeithas yr Iaith) is a Pressure group in The language is used in the bilingual Welsh Assembly and entered on its records, with English translation. The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru is a devolved assembly with power to make legislation in Wales. Technically it is not supposed to be used in the British Parliament as it is referred to as a "foreign language" and is effectively banned as disruptive behaviour, but several Speakers (most notably George Thomas, 1st Viscount Tonypandy, himself born in Wales, close by Tonypandy) spoke Welsh in longer English-language speeches. The Parliament of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland is the supreme legislative body in the United Kingdom and British overseas territories The term speaker is a title often given to the presiding officer of a legislative body Thomas George Thomas 1st Viscount Tonypandy PC ( 29 January 1909 &ndash 22 September 1997) was a British Labour Tonypandy is a Town in the County borough of Rhondda Cynon Taff, within the historic county boundaries of Glamorgan, Wales

Welsh as a first language is largely concentrated in the less urban north and west of Wales, principally Gwynedd, inland Denbighshire, northern and south-western Powys, Ynys Môn, Carmarthenshire, North Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion, and parts of western Glamorgan, although first-language and other fluent speakers can be found throughout Wales. A first language (also mother tongue, native language, arterial language, or L1) is the language a human being learns from birth History Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the Roman period until the 13th Century when it was conquered and subjugated by England Formation The present principal area was formed on April 1, 1996, under the Local Government (Wales Act 1994, from various parts of the county This article is about the county of Wales For the ancient kingdom see Kingdom of Powys. History There are numerous Megalithic monuments and Menhirs present on Anglesey testifying to the presence of mankind in prehistory Geography The county is bounded to the north by Ceredigion, to the east by Powys, Neath Port Talbot and Swansea, to the south by the Geography Pembrokeshire is a maritime County, bordered by the sea on three sides by Ceredigion (Cardiganshire to the northeast and by Geography List of places in CeredigionCeredigion is a coastal county bordered by Cardigan Bay to the west Gwynedd to the north Powys to the east Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Morgannwg is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. However, Cardiff is now home to an urban Welsh speaking population (both from other parts of Wales and from the growing Welsh medium schools of Cardiff itself) due to the centralisation and concentration of national resources and organisations in the capital.

The Welsh language is an important part of Welsh identity, but not an essential part. Welsh people actively distinguish between 'Cymry Cymraeg' (Welsh-speaking Welsh), Cymry di-Gymraeg (non Welsh speaking Welsh) and Saeson (English). Parts of the culture are however strongly connected to the language - notably the Eisteddfodic tradition, poetry and aspects of folk music and dance. However, Wales has a strong tradition of poetry in the English language.

Religion

Most Welsh people of faith are affiliated with the Church in Wales or other Christian denominations such as the Presbyterian Church of Wales or Catholicism, although there is even a Russian Orthodox chapel in the semi-rural town of Blaenau Ffestiniog. The Church in Wales (Yr Eglwys yng Nghymru is a member Church of the Anglican Communion, consisting of six Dioceses in Wales. Denominationalism|List of Christian denominations|Church (disambiguation A Christian denomination is an identifiable religious body under a common name structure and doctrine within The Presbyterian Church of Wales (Eglwys Bresbyteraidd Cymru also known as The Calvinistic Methodist Church (cy ''Yr Eglwys Fethodistaidd Galfinaidd'' is a denomination As a Christian Ecclesiastical term Catholic —from the Greek adjective, meaning "general" or "universal"—is described See also Eastern Orthodox Church Structure and organization The Slavic Orthodox Church is organized in a hierarchical structure Blaenau Ffestiniog is a small Town in Gwynedd, north-west Wales. In particular, Wales has a long tradition of nonconformism and Methodism. Nonconformism is the refusal to conform to common standards conventions rules customs traditions norms or laws Methodism is a movement within Protestant Christianity represented by a number of denominations and organizations Other religions Welsh people may be affiliated with include Buddhism, Hinduism, Judaism, Islam, and Sikhism, with most non-Christian people in Wales found in Cardiff. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. Sikhism ( IPA: or; ਸਿੱਖੀ sikkhī, IPA:) founded on the teachings of Nanak and nine successive gurus in fifteenth century Cardiff ( 'kɑːdɪf) is the Capital and the largest city and county in Wales.

The 2001 Census showed that slightly less than 10% of the Welsh population are regular church- or chapel-goers (a slightly smaller proportion than in England or Scotland), although about 70% of the population see themselves as some form of Christian. A census is the procedure of acquiring information about every member of a given population Judaism has quite a long history in Wales, with a community recorded in Swansea from around 1730. Judaism (from the Greek Ioudaïsmos, derived from the Hebrew יהודה Yehudah, " Judah " in Hebrew יַהֲדוּת Yahedut In August 1911, during a period of public order and industrial disputes, Jewish shops across the South Wales coalfield were damaged by mobs. Since that time the Jewish population of that area, which reached a peak of 4000 - 5000 in 1913, has declined with only Cardiff retaining a sizeable Jewish population, of about 2000 in the 2001 Census. The largest non-Christian faith in Wales is Islam, with about 22,000 members in 2001 served by about 40 mosques, following the first mosque established in Cardiff in 1860. For other meanings including people named 'Islam' see Islam (disambiguation. A college for training clerics has been established at Llanybydder in west Wales. Islam arrived in Wales in the mid-nineteenth century, and it is thought that Cardiff's Yemeni community is Britain's oldest Muslim community, established when the city was one of the world's largest coal-exporting ports. Hinduism and Buddhism each have about 5000 adherents in Wales, with the rural county of Ceredigion being the centre of Welsh Buddhism. Hinduism is a religious tradition that originated in the Indian subcontinent. Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices Geography List of places in CeredigionCeredigion is a coastal county bordered by Cardigan Bay to the west Gwynedd to the north Powys to the east Govinda's temple & restaurant, ran by the Hare Krishna's in Swansea is a focal point for many Welsh Hindus. Govinda and Gopāla are Names of Krishna, referring to his youthful occupation as a Cowherd. The Hare Krishna Mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra" is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well Swansea ( Abertawe "mouth of the Tawe " is a city and county in Wales. There are about 2000 Sikhs in Wales, with the first purpose-built gurdwara opened in the Riverside area of Cardiff in 1989. Sikh (English or; ਸਿੱਖ sikkh, IPA) is the title and name given to an adherent of Sikhism. In 2001 some 7000 people classified themselves as following "other religions" including a reconstructed form of Druidism, which was the pre-Christian religion of Wales (not to be confused with the Druids of the Gorsedd at the National Eisteddfod of Wales). A druid was a member of the priestly and learned class in the ancient Celtic societies gorsedd (ˈgɔrsɛð plural gorseddau, is a community of Bards The word means "throne" in Welsh. See also An eisteddfod (aɪˈstɛðvəd Welsh ə(iˈstɛðvɔd plural eisteddfodau or eisteddfods) is a Welsh Festival Approximately one sixth of the population, some 500,000 people, profess no religious faith whatsoever.

The sabbatarian temperance movement was also historically strong among the Welsh, the sale of alcohol being prohibited on Sundays in Wales by the Sunday Closing Act of 1881 - the first legislation specifically issued for Wales since the Middle Ages. See also Prohibition, Teetotalism The Temperance Movement attempted to reduce the amount of Alcohol consumed within a community or society in From the early 1960s, local council areas were permitted to hold referendums every seven years to determine whether they should be "wet" or "dry" on Sundays: most of the industrialised areas in the east and south went "wet" immediately, and by the 1980s the last district, Dwyfor in the northwest, went wet, since then there have been no more Sunday-closing referendums.

Symbols

The Welsh flag depicting y Ddraig Goch
The Welsh flag depicting y Ddraig Goch

The Welsh flag depicts the Welsh dragon (called Y Ddraig Goch, "the red dragon"), one of the most widely recognized Welsh national symbols and the national animal of Wales. The National flag of Wales is Y Ddraig Goch ( The Red Dragon) consisting of a Red dragon passant on a Green This is a list of national animals: National Sub-national United Kingdom Romania Australia United States It appears in the early legends of Merlin, and from them is taken to be the battle standard under which the Pendragons, Uther and Arthur rallied their troops. The Multi-Element Radio Linked Interferometer Network ( MERLIN) is an Interferometer array of Radio telescopes spread across England and the King Arthur is a legendary British leader who according to medieval histories and romances, led the defence of Britain against the Saxon invaders This symbol is said to derive from a tale of the Red Dragon of Wales defeating the White Dragon of England.

Wales also has use of another flag, the flag of Saint David. Flag of St David is normally a gold cross on a black field although it appears in many forms including a black cross on a gold field or with an engrailed cross Although unofficially a national flag it is flown across the country every year to mark Saint David's Day and in 2002 was incorporated into Cardiff City Football Club's logo. Saint David's Day ( Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi) is the feast day of Saint David, the Patron saint of Wales, and falls on See also 2002 (disambiguation Year 2002 ( MMII) was a Common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. Cardiff City Football Club (Clwb Pêl-droed Dinas Caerdydd is a football team based in Cardiff, Wales.

The flag of St David
The flag of St David

The leek is another national symbol and is worn every year on Saint David's Day. The leek, Allium ampeloprasum var porrum (L also sometimes known as Allium porrum, is a vegetable which belongs along with the Onion and Saint David's Day ( Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi) is the feast day of Saint David, the Patron saint of Wales, and falls on According to legend, St. David (the patron saint of Wales) ordered his troops to identify themselves by wearing the plant on their helmets during a battle against the Saxons. Saint David ( c. 500–589 ('Dewi Sant' was a church official later regarded as a Saint and as the Patron saint of Wales. The patron saint of a particular group of people is a Saint who would protect and 'love' the group and its members A helmet is a form of Protective gear worn on the head to protect it from injuries a variation of the hat The Saxons or Saxon people were a Confederation of Old Germanic tribes. The daffodil is the national flower, symbolizing chivalry and respect in the language of flowers. This article is about symbols of nations Many countries it can be used for is Chantal Chivalric order Chivalry is a term related to the Medieval institution of Knighthood. Respect is esteem for or a sense of the worth or excellence of a person a personal quality or ability or something considered as a manifestation of a personal quality or ability The language of flowers, sometimes called floriography, was a Victorian-era means of Communication in which various Flowers and floral arrangements The Narcissus obvallaris species only grows in the Tenby area of Wales

Welsh emigration

Migration from Wales to the rest of Britain has been occurring throughout its history. Tenby ( Welsh language: Dinbych-y-Pysgod "little town of the fishes or little fortress of the fish" is a walled Seaside Town in Pembrokeshire Particularly during the Industrial Revolution hundreds of thousands of Welsh people migrated internally to the big cities of England and Scotland or to work in the coal mines of the north of England. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the As a result, much of the British population today have ancestry from Wales. The same can be said for the English, Scottish and Irish workers who migrated to Welsh cities such as Merthyr Tydfil or ports such as Pembroke in the Industrial Revolution. Merthyr Tydfil today Government The current Borough boundaries date back to 1974 when the former county borough of Merthyr Tydfil expanded slightly to cover Pembroke (Penfro is the traditional County town of Pembrokeshire in west Wales. The Industrial Revolution was a period in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when major changes in agriculture manufacturing and transportation had a profound effect on the As a result, some English, Irish and Scottish have Welsh surnames ("Evans", "Jenkins" "Owen" etc. ) and some Welsh have English, Scottish and Irish surnames - as a result, it is relatively rare in South Wales or English-speaking areas to find a person with exclusively Welsh ancestry.

Some thousands of Welsh settlers moved to other parts of Europe, but the number was sparse and concentrated to certain areas. During the late 19th and early 20th centuries, a small wave of contract miners from Wales arrived into Northern France, and the centre of Welsh-French populations are in coal mining towns of the French department Pas-de-Calais. This article is about the country For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic France topics. Pas-de-Calais is a department in northern France. Its name is the French language equivalent of the Strait of Dover, which it borders Welsh settlers from Wales (and later Patagonian Welsh) arrived in Newfoundland, Canada in the early 1900s, many had founded towns in the province's Labrador coast region. Newfoundland and Labrador (ˈnuːfɨn(dlənd ən(d ˈlæbrəˌdɔr (Terre-Neuve-et-Labrador is a province of Canada, the tenth and latest to join the Confederation Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Modern Labrador Just like its island neighbour Newfoundland early settlement in Labrador was tied to the sea as demonstrated by the Montagnais, Innu and

Internationally Welsh people have emigrated, in relatively small numbers (in proportion to population Irish emigration to the United States of America (USA) may have been 26 times greater than Welsh emigration),[37] to many countries, including the USA (in particular, Pennsylvania), Canada and Patagonia. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the The Commonwealth of Pennsylvania ( often colloquially referred to as PA (its abbreviation by natives and Northeasterners is a state located in the Northeastern Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page Llao LLaojpg|thumb|250px| Lake Nahuel Huapi, near Bariloche, Argentina [38][39][40] Malad City in Idaho, which began as a Welsh Mormon Settlement, lays claim to having more people of Welsh descent per capita than anywhere outside of Wales itself. For the Mumbai, India Suburb see Malad (Mumbai suburb. Malad City (also commonly known as Malad) is the County seat The State of Idaho ( is a state in the Pacific Northwest region of the United States of America. TalkMormon#Latter Day Saint vs Latter-day Saint --> Mormon [41] Malad's local High School is known as the "Malad Dragons" and flies the Welsh Flag as its school colours. The National flag of Wales is Y Ddraig Goch ( The Red Dragon) consisting of a Red dragon passant on a Green [42] Welsh people have also settled as far as New Zealand and Australia. New Zealand is an Island country in the south-western Pacific Ocean comprising two main landmasses (the North Island and the South Island For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. [43][37]

Around 1. 75 million Americans report themselves to have Welsh ancestry, as did a further 467,000 in Canada's 2006 census. The Canada 2006 Census was a detailed enumeration of the Canadian population [5][6] This compares with 2. 9 million people living in Wales (as of the 2001 census). A nationwide Census, commonly known as Census 2001, was conducted in the United Kingdom on Sunday 29 April 2001 [2]

There is no known evidence which would objectively support the legend that the Mandan, a Native American tribe of the central United States, are Welsh emigrants who reached North America under Prince Madog in 1170. The Mandan are a Native American tribe that historically lived along the banks of the Missouri River and two of its tributaries—the Heart and Native Americans in the United States are the indigenous peoples from the regions of North America now encompassed by the continental United States The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Madoc (Standard Welsh: Madog) ab Owain Gwynedd was according to folklore a Welsh prince who discovered America in 1170 over three [44]

See also

External links

References

  1. ^ Not Available UK Census 2001 collected data on country of birth but not on self-selected ancestry or ethnic origin as with the US, Australian and Canadian censuses.
  2. ^ a b Estimated from population of Wales from 2001 census (2,903,085 Census 2001 Wales) with 89% of the population identifying as Welsh in 2001 (Devolution, Public Attitudes and National Identity)
  3. ^ City of Aberdeen: Census Stats and Facts.
  4. ^ Welsh people in England.
  5. ^ a b U.S. Census Bureau 2000 Census Fact Sheet.
  6. ^ a b [1] In the Canadian census of 2006, 27,115 people identified themselves as belonging only to the Welsh ethnic group, while an additional 413,855 included Welsh as one of multiple ethnic groups they claimed to belong to.
  7. ^ The 2001 New Zealand census reports 3,342 people stating they belong to the Welsh ethnic group. The 1996 census, which used a slightly different question[2], reported 9,966 people belonging to the Welsh ethnic group.
  8. ^ Government of Australia- ausstats.abs.gov.au.
  9. ^ BBC: Y Wladfa - The Welsh in Patagonia
  10. ^ Sacred Destinations Travel Guide.
  11. ^ John Davies (historian)Davies, John, A History of Wales, Penguin, 1994, Welshorigions pg 54, ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8]]
  12. ^ a b c d e f g UK ONS Welsh National Identity published 8 January 2004, extracted 7 April 2008
  13. ^ Cunliffe, B. John Davies (born 1938 is a Welsh historian and a television and radio broadcaster Iron Age communities in Britainpp. 115-118
  14. ^ a b Iron Age Britain by Barry Cunliffe. Sir Barrington Windsor Cunliffe CBE (b) known as Barry Cunliffe, was Professor of European Archaeology at the University of Oxford from 1972 Batsford. ISBN 0-7134-8839-5.
  15. ^ Britain BC: Life in Britain and Ireland Before the Romans by Francis Pryor, pp. Francis Pryor is a British archaeologist who is famous for his role in the discovery of Flag Fen, a Bronze Age archeological site near 121-122. Harper Perennial. ISBN 0-00-712693-X.
  16. ^ a b Estimating the Impact of Prehistoric Admixture on the Genome of Europeans by Isabelle Dupanloup, Giorgio Bertorelle, Lounès Chikhi and Guido Barbujani (2004). Molecular Biology and Evolution: 21(7):1361-1372. Retrieved 10 July 2006.
  17. ^ del Giorgio, J. F. 2006. The Oldest Europeans. A. J. Place, ISBN 980-6898-00-1
  18. ^ What happened after the fall of the Roman Empire?: BBC Wales-History. Retrieved 3 October 2006.
  19. ^ Jarman, A. O. H. 1988. Y Gododdin: Britain's earliest heroic poem p. xviii
  20. ^ Davies, John, A History of Wales, published 1990 by Penguin, ISBN 0-14-014581-8
  21. ^ Davies, J. John Davies (born 1938 is a Welsh historian and a television and radio broadcaster A history of Wales pp. 65-6
  22. ^ Williams, Ifor. 1972. The beginnings of Welsh poetry University of Wales Press. p. 71
  23. ^ Williams, Gwyn A. , The Welsh in their History, published 1982 by Croom Helm, ISBN 0-7099-3651-6
  24. ^ Davies, John, A History of Wales, published 1990 by Penguin, ISBN 0-14-014581-8
  25. ^ The Flemish colonists in Wales: BBC website. John Davies (born 1938 is a Welsh historian and a television and radio broadcaster Retrieved 17 August 2006.
  26. ^ 200 years of the Census in...WALES Office for National Statistics
  27. ^ Industrial Revolution BBC The Story of the Welsh
  28. ^ Population therhondda. The Office for National Statistics (ONS is the executive office of the UK Statistics Authority, a non-ministerial department which reports directly co. uk. Retrieved 9 May 2006
  29. ^ a b Census shows Welsh language rise Friday, 14 February, 2003 extracted 12-04-07
  30. ^ a b c Census equality backed by Plaid 23 September, 2000 extracted 12-04-07
  31. ^ Census results 'defy tick-box row' 30 September, 2002 extracted 12-04-07
  32. ^ Scottish Parliament's Review of Census Ethnicity Classifications Consultation: June 2005 extrated April 7, 2008
  33. ^ Census shows Welsh language rise Friday, 14 February, 2003 extracted 12-04-07
  34. ^ a b c NSO Artical: 'Welsh' on Census form published 8 January 2004, extracted 7 April 2008
  35. ^ UK: Wales Plaid calls for second home controls, BBC Wales, November 17, 1999
  36. ^ Plaid plan 'protects' rural areas, BBC Wales, 19 June, 2001
  37. ^ a b Nineteenth Century Arrivals in Australia: University of Wales, Lampeter website. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  38. ^ Welsh in Pennsylvania by Matthew S. Magda (1986), Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. From Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  39. ^ WELSH: Multicultural Canada. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  40. ^ South America - Patagonia: BBC - Wales History. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  41. ^ Tiny US town's big Welsh heritage: BBC News, 20 July 2005. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  42. ^ WELSH HISTORY, The Welsh in North America, Utah: Welsh Society of Central Ohio. Retrieved 3 August 2006.
  43. ^ Welsh immigration from [Te Ara, The Encyclopedia of New Zealand]. Retrieved 3 August 2003.
  44. ^ Adams, Cecil (2006). Straight Dope: Was there an Indian tribe descended from Welsh explorers to America?.

Further reading

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