Cockle picking at low tide (when the sea is far out) is a traditional activity in coastal areas of South Wales, particularly around the Gower Peninsula!
Wales (UK) - Facts for Kids
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Facts About Wales (UK) For Kids
History & Heritage
Wales has been inhabited (lived in) for over 230,000 years, with some of the oldest human remains (bones) in Britain found in Welsh caves!
Caernarfon Castle took 47 years to build and was where Prince Charles was invested (given his title) as the Prince of Wales in 1969!
Owain Glyndŵr led the last major Welsh rebellion (fight against) English rule in the early 1400s and established (set up) a Welsh Parliament (government)!
King Edward I of England built an “Iron Ring” of castles around Wales in the 13th century to help control the Welsh people!
The Welsh language is one of the oldest languages in Europe and has been spoken for at least 1,500 years!
Coal mining was once the biggest industry (business) in Wales, with over 250,000 miners working in more than 600 mines in 1920!
St. David, the patron saint (special holy person) of Wales, was a Welsh bishop (church leader) who lived in the 6th century and was known for only drinking water and eating leeks!
The Romans invaded (attacked and took over) Wales in 48 AD but never fully conquered (completely defeated) the Welsh tribes despite trying for over 300 years!
Wales officially became united with England in 1536 under the Laws in Wales Acts, passed by King Henry VIII!
The Mabinogion is a collection (group) of some of the oldest Welsh stories, written down in the 12th and 13th centuries but dating back much further!
Castell Henllys in Pembrokeshire, Wales, is a reconstructed (rebuilt) Iron Age fort where children can experience life as it was over 2,000 years ago!
The Welsh flag was only officially recognized (accepted) in 1959, although the red dragon had been a symbol of Wales for centuries!
Modern Life & Technology
Cardiff Bay is Europe’s largest waterfront development (area built near water), transformed from old docks to a modern area with restaurants, shops, and the Welsh Parliament!
The Welsh television channel S4C was the world’s first channel to broadcast (show programs) solely in a minority language (language spoken by fewer people) when it launched in 1982!
Wales has one of the world’s steepest streets, Ffordd Pen Llech in Harlech, with a centre-line gradient (slope) of 28.6%!
The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff (now called Principality Stadium) has a fully retractable (moveable) roof that can close in just 20 minutes!
The Great Orme Tramway in Llandudno is Britain’s only surviving cable-hauled (pulled by cables) street tramway, taking visitors up a steep hill since 1902!
The National Library of Wales in Aberystwyth receives a copy of every book published (printed and sold) in the United Kingdom!
The Menai Suspension Bridge, connecting mainland Wales to Anglesey, was the world’s first major suspension bridge (bridge held up by cables) when it opened in 1826!
Wales has its own internet domain (.cymru and .wales), allowing websites to show their Welsh identity!
Snowdonia National Park was the first area in Wales to be designated (chosen) as a Dark Sky Reserve, meaning it has exceptionally (very) starry nights!
The Welsh Mountain Zoo in Colwyn Bay works to protect endangered species (animals in danger of disappearing forever) like the red panda and snow leopard!
The Millennium Centre in Cardiff has words in both Welsh and English on its front that light up at night!
Wales has more than 600 castles, which is more castles per square mile than any other country in Europe!
The Severn Bridge, which connects Wales to England, is over 1 mile (1.6 km) long and carries more than 10 million vehicles (cars, trucks, buses) each year!
Fun & Interesting Facts
The longest place name in Europe is in Wales: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch, which has 58 letters!
Roald Dahl, who wrote “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” and “Matilda,” was born in Cardiff, Wales, to Norwegian parents!
Wales is sometimes called “the land of song” because of its strong tradition of singing and music!
One of the first million-pound check in the world was written in Cardiff in 1904 to pay for Welsh coal!
Mount Everest was named after a Welshman, Sir George Everest, who was a surveyor-general (person who measures and maps land) of India!
Wales has one of the world’s highest concentrations of sheep per person, with about 3 sheep for every person!
The Welsh lovespoon tradition dates back to the 17th century, when young men would carve intricate (detailed and fancy) wooden spoons to show their skill and affection (love) for a girl!
The oldest living tree in Wales is the Llangernyw Yew, which is over 4,000 years old!
The Welsh word for microwave is meicrodon, but some people jokingly call it popty ping—because it sounds like an oven that goes ‘ping’ when it’s done!
Wales invented the equals sign (=), which was created by Welsh mathematician (person who studies numbers) Robert Recorde in 1557!
The world’s largest single span glasshouse is at the National Botanic Garden of Wales, measuring about 325 feet by 180 feet and 99m × 55m long!
Welsh gold is one of the rarest gold in the world and has been used to make wedding rings for the British Royal Family since 1923!
The original name for a penguin was “white head” in Welsh (“pen gwyn”)!
The Welsh mathematician William Jones introduced the symbol π (pi) for the mathematical constant (special number) in 1706!
Language & Literature
The Welsh language is over 2,500 years old and is one of the oldest living languages in Europe!
Around 28-29% of people in Wales can speak Welsh, which represents approximately 860,000-900,000 speakers.
Welsh is the only Celtic language (old European language family) that isn’t in danger of extinction (disappearing forever) and is actually growing in number of speakers!
There are seven vowels in the Welsh alphabet: a, e, i, o, u, w, and y!
The Welsh alphabet doesn’t have the letters k, q, v, or z, but does have special letters like “ch,” “dd,” “ff,” “ll,” “rh,” and “th”!
The phrase “Your mum” in Welsh is “Dy fam,” which doesn’t sound rude at all!
The Welsh word for “carrot” is “moron,” which might make English speakers laugh!
The most common surname (family name) in Wales is Jones, followed by Williams, Davies, Thomas, and Evans!
Dylan Thomas, one of Wales’ most famous poets (people who write poems), wrote “Do Not Go Gentle Into That Good Night” and “Under Milk Wood”!
