$Unique_ID{bob00492} $Pretitle{} $Title{United Kingdom Wales} $Subtitle{} $Author{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Affiliation{Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC} $Subject{wales welsh areas england national cent country per services valleys see pictures see figures } $Date{1990} $Log{See Map of Wales*0049201.scf } Title: United Kingdom Book: Britain and its People: An Outline Author: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Affiliation: Embassy of the United Kingdom, Washington DC Date: 1990 Wales [See Map of Wales: Major conversvation and recreational areas. Courtesy Embassy of the United Kingdom, New York.] Wales is a country of hills and mountains with extensive tracts of high plateau and shorter stretches of mountain ranges deeply dissected by river valleys. The highest mountains are in Snowdonia in the north west; the highest peak is Snowdon (1,085 m, 3,560 ft). The lower-lying ground is largely confined to the relatively narrow coastal belt and the lower parts of the river valleys. The main areas of settlement are in the southern valleys and coastal areas, where two-thirds of the population live. The chief urban centres are Cardiff, Swansea, Newport and Wrexham. Wales is a principality; Prince Charles, the heir to the throne, was invested by the Queen with the title of Prince of Wales at Caernarfon Castle in 1969, when he was 20. The country has its own Welsh language, spoken (according to the 1981 census) by 19 per cent of the population, chiefly in the rural north and west. The Welsh name of the country is Cymru. Measures adopted since the 1960s have helped to revive the use of the language, which is of Celtic origin and closely resembles Breton, spoken in Brittany in France. They include recognising the equal validity of Welsh with English in law courts, the encouragement of bilingual education in schools, and the extended use of Welsh for official purposes and in broadcasting. Welsh-language television programmes are transmitted in Wales by Sianel 4 Cymru (Channel 4 Wales). A Welsh Language Board was established in 1988 to advise on matters relating to the Welsh language. There is no established church in Wales, the Anglican church having been disestablished in 1920 following decades of pressure from adherents of the more evangelical Methodist and Baptist persuasions. Methodism in particular spread rapidly in Wales in the eighteenth century, assuming the nature of a popular movement among Welsh speakers and finding strong support later in industrial communities. Government The country returns 38 Members of Parliament and there are special arrangements for the discussion of Welsh affairs. For the last 60 years the industrial communities of Wales have tended to support the Labour Party in elections, ensuring a Labour majority in Wales. Wales has 25 Labour Members of Parliament, 7 Conservative, 3 Plaid Cymru (Welsh Nationalist) and 3 Social and Liberal Democrat. Substantial administrative autonomy is centred on the Secretary of State for Wales, who is a member of the Cabinet and has wide-ranging responsibilities relating to the economy, welfare services and the provision of amenities. The headquarters of the administration is the Welsh Office in Cardiff, which also has an office in London. In 1979 proposals for the establishment of an elected Welsh assembly in Cardiff to take over policymaking and executive powers from central government were rejected in a referendum held in Wales. Local government is exercised through a system of elected authorities similar to that in England, and the legal system is identical with the English one. The Economy The south Wales coalfield was developed during the latter part of the industrial revolution in the middle of the nineteenth century, creating populous urban centres which drew labour from the rural areas and from England and Ireland. However, the economy was narrowly based, mainly on coal, iron, steel and tinplate, and contracted sharply during the 1920s and 1930s, resulting in severe employment problems and substantial emigration. Notable features of the past three decades have been the continuing contraction of coalmining and iron and steel production (although Wales still accounts for about one-third of Britain's steel production), the advent of a more diverse range of manufacturing industries and the growth of service industries. Wales is developing as an important centre for electronics in Britain and several new high-technology businesses in electronics and related industries have been established. Inward investment by overseas companies (especially Japanese and United States high-technology concerns) has been considerable, and there are over 260 overseas-owned or associated firms in Wales, employing about 51,000 people and accounting for around one in five jobs in the manufacturing sector. In 1988, for example, Ford Motor of the United States announced investment of over 600 million Pounds to expand its engine plant at Bridgend, Mid Glamorgan, which is expected to create up to 4,000 jobs. The financial and business services sector is expanding rapidly, as companies such as Rothschild's, the Trustee Savings Bank and the National Provident Institution have relocated major parts of their operation in Wales, providing support for industrial development. South Wales remains the principal industrial area, but new industries and firms have been introduced in north-east Wales, around Wrexham and Deeside, and light industry has also been attracted to the towns in the rural areas in mid-and north Wales. An important refinery complex has developed around Milford Haven, one of Britain's major oil ports. A development corporation was set up in 1987 to stimulate the regeneration of the Cardiff Bay area, and in 1988 the Government announced a programme designed to improve economic, environmental and social conditions in the south Wales valleys. Regional aid in the valleys since the programme began has covered projects involving 7,500 new jobs and private investment of about 180 million Pounds. The Welsh Development Agency is investing about 66 million Pounds in factory building, and it is expected that a total of 1,100 hectares (2,800 acres) of derelict land in the valleys will be cleared. More than 1,000 companies based in Wales have made use of business reviews and consultants' advisory services under the Government's Enterprise Wales initiative, launched in 1988. Agriculture occupies about 80 per cent of the land area, the main activities being sheep and cattle rearing in the hill regions and dairy farming in the lowlands. Wales accounts for about 11 per cent of forest area in Britain and over 20 per cent of Forestry Commission timber production. Wales produces about 6 per cent of Britain's deep-mined coal and 10 per cent of opencast production, including all of its anthracite. The biggest pumped-storage power station in Europe is at Dinorwig, while there are nuclear power stations at Wylfa and Trawsfynydd. Wales exports about half of its water supply to England. Good communications exist in the south, with motorway links across the Severn Bridge to southern England and the Midlands, and high-speed rail services to a number of destinations in England. The main road along the north Wales coast is being upgraded and a second crossing of the Severn is planned. Transatlantic flights to New York from Cardiff-Wales airport were introduced in 1989. There has been expansion in the tourist and catering trades and in some areas of public administration. With its coastal resorts, and three national parks (Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons and the Pembrokeshire Coast), as well as other areas of picturesque hill, lake and mountain country, Wales attracts many tourists, especially for outdoor holidays. Cultural and Social Life There is much literary, musical and dramatic activity in Wales and there is a National Library and National Museum. Welsh literature is one of the oldest in Europe. The country is well known for its choral singing and the Welsh National Opera has an international reputation. The special festivals of Wales, known as eisteddfodau, encourage Welsh literature and music. The largest is the Royal National Eisteddfod of Wales, held annually, entirely in Welsh, and consisting of competitions in music, singing, prose and poetry. The town of Llangollen has extended its eisteddfod to include artists from all over the world in the annual International Musical Eisteddfod. Famous modern Welsh artists have included the opera singers Sir Geraint Evans and Dame Gwyneth Jones and the poet Dylan Thomas. An active local press includes a number of Welsh language publications. Great interest is aroused by the annual rugby football competition in which sides from Wales, England, Scotland, Ireland and France take part. Health services are provided mainly under the National Health Service, administered by the Welsh Office, while personal social services and education (except at university level) are provided mainly through the local authorities. Educational provision is similar to that in England, except for the use of Welsh in some schools, particularly in the Welsh-speaking, largely rural, areas. The collegiate University of Wales, founded in 1893, comprises six member institutions.