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Physical Characteristics: location, borders, size, terrain, major rivers, and temperature Capital: Cardiff, on the southeast coast. People: Brythonic Celts, along with the Cornish and Bretons (the Irish, Scots and Manx are Gaelic Celts) Language: Both English and Welsh/Cymraeg -- “the language of Heaven” is at least 2,000 years old and is one of the oldest spoken languages in Europe. (Welsh is not a Gaelic language) The British Parliament passed the Welsh Language Act in 1993, making Wales officially bilingual. Learn more about the Language. National Anthem: Hen Wlad fy Nhadau (“Land of My Fathers”) -- scroll down the linked page to the lyrics, a link to hear it sung by a children's choir, and a Midi file of just the music. Patron Saint: Saint David (Dewi Sant) – day of celebration is March 1st. National Emblems: The Welsh Flag is comprised of two equal horizontal stripes, white above green, with the red dragon (y ddraig goch) in the center facing left. Both the leek and the daffodil are National symbols worn on hats or clothing. Government: Constituent country of the United Kingdom and part of the European Union; Head of state – Monarch of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland; Head of government – National – British prime minister, Wales – First Secretary; The Welsh Assembly Government; Legislature - The National Assembly for Wales; the Princes and the five Kings of Wales. Economic Activity: aerospace, agri-food, automotive, biotechnology, medical devises, opto-electronics, pharmaceuticals, tourism. Agriculture: sheep, cattle, barley, wheat, potatoes. Mining: coal, iron. Currency: Pound sterling (£)(GBP 1=100 pence) Notes – 5, 10, 20, and 50; Coins – one and two pound coins, 50 pence, 20, 10, 5, 2, and 1 pence. Weights and Measures: Metric system, with some use of imperial system. For more interesting facts and fun trivia, check out the Go Britannia! web site.
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