Taken from the link attached "There are three National Parks in Wales covering an area of 4122 sq km. This represents approximately 20% of the land area of Wales. Snowdonia was designated in 1951 followed by Pembrokeshire Coast in 1952 and Brecon Beacons in 1957".
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There are no states in Wales. Wales is traditionally subdivided into thirteen Counties. There are towns and cities, but no "states". The thirteen historic counties of Wales were; Anglesey
Brecknockshire
Caernarfonshire
Cardiganshire
Carmarthenshire
Denbighshire
Flintshire
Glamorgan
Merioneth
Monmouthshire
Montgomeryshire
Pembrokeshire
Radnorshire In early medieval times Wales was divided into a number of small independent kingdoms and principalities varying in size from that of a modern county to that of a modern parish. They included; Gwynedd
Powys
Deheubarth
Dyfed
Seisyllwg
Morgannwg
Gwent
Ergyng
Rhôs
Meirionydd
Brycheiniog
Gwrtheyrnion
Builth
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Oh, dude, Merthyr Tydfil's name comes from Welsh origins. "Merthyr" means martyr, and "Tydfil" is the name of a Welsh princess. So, basically, it's like naming a town after a royal martyr - pretty metal, right? So, yeah, that's where the name comes from.
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While these comments may seem to be - shall we say- South Wales-centric - there is a good and valid reason for this. Although the culture blends across thecountry, there aredistinctdifferencesbetween those whohalefrom the north (Gogledd) and those from the south (De).
These difference actually run much deeperthanmost people perceive. It would not be misleading to suggest that the 'Gogs' have a distinctly different origin from the South Walian. From an ethnocentric viewpoint, the Gogs are of Celtic origin and their language bears close ties with Eirse and the Scots Gaelic - which I spoke as a boy growing up in the Outer Isles. The softer language of the South is Cymric, deriving from Kymeroi, an insulting name for the Brythonic people from whom they sprang - rather than the Celts. Hence the language is Brythonic - or British, if you'd rather in its origins! The physiological differences are quite marked: the South Walian is traditionally short and dark: his Gogledd counterpart is raw-boned, scrawny, pale of skin and red of hair, although there are some truly striking blonde women up there!
History.
Although Wales was never conquered by England, - nor ideed by the Romans - it has always been sadly oppressed by the english, and the adoption by the English royal family (who are technically Germans) of the title Prince of Wales for Prince Charles and many others before him, has never been well received in some quarters. Knowledge of the existence of the old Kingdoms caused the english royal family to try to destroy Welsh culture, and libraries such as Hafod House were burnt to the ground, the language banned and gaol sentences imposed onthosewho dared to speak their own tongue. Although an MP may quote a phrase from another language in the English Parliament, there is only one language which is totally banned there, and that is Welsh.
The old Kingdoms of Wales predate the anglo saxon usurper - and the later french-danish Normans - by thousands of years. Probably the most important was the Kingdom of Glamorgan which housed the paramount King, although the Kingdoms of Gwent and of Brecon were also significant. Helen the mother of Constantine who started the Roman Catholic Church was the daughter of Brychan Brycheiniog (Brychan ap Brecon) who was a Christian King, arguablyof the Gnostic tradition, and Wales - which was the original Britain long before England was born - had been Christian for some centuries before the Roman Church was invented. King LLeirwg declared Britain for Christ about 156 A.D., but the oldest Christian construction predates that by many years. Churches were named after the Saint who founded them and who was usually found to have been buried there after he or she passed away. This raises an interesting point since Saint Ilid (note: NOT Illtyd) is claimed to have been uncle to Jesus (Ieshua bin Miryam) and better known to us as Joseph of Arimathea. Not far from Bridgend in Glamorgan is the Church of Llanilid. But this is a relatively modernChurchbeing probably less than athousandyears old.
However, standing with one's back to the Church gate and looking to the left, there is a copice atop a steep but not very high hillock. Beyond that is a cup shaped hollow, while to the far side is an ascension path which the Saint would ascend to address the flock who stood below in the hollow. The parish of Christ's uncle!
From a sporting viewpoint, the old County of Glamorgan, now dismantled, has consistently produced a good cricket team, the Cardiff City football team, the Bluebirds, has a strong following, but the national sport is undoubtedly Rugby, and despite the comparatively small population (about a tenth of England's), Wales still frequently manages to beat all comers. England is always the enemy, and passions are always at their highest when the Wales - England matches are played. Because the French also enjoy an historic rivalry with England, there is a bond between Wales and France, and this is strengthened by the Bretons of north western France speaking a language which is very similar to Welsh.
Cardiff, the capital city, is also home to excellent museums, concert halls and Universities.
The Victorian fathers of the city left a wonderful legacy in the way of classic buildings in Cardiff, but mainly in the large number of parks which Cardiff boasts. One of these, Roath Park, boasts a splendid lake which houses an imitation lighthouse, built to commemorate the departure of Captain Scott from Cardiff docks, on his final and fateful journey to the Antarctic.
Sadly, modernisation is steadily robbing the City of its old characterful districts, and soon, there will be no old Cardiff any longer, just a plastic clone of every other city and Tiger Bay, where the pirates like Henry Morgan came, will be just a legend breathed soft upon the Sou'westerly trades which brought the ships to Cardiff docks for thousands of years......
Home of buccaneers, home of pirates, home of poetry, beauty,laughter and song: that is Wales.
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