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Wales is one of the four constituent nations of the United Kingdom. Wales is located in the south-west of Great Britain and is bordered by the English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire, and Gloucestershire to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west and north.
Wales (Welsh, Cymru.) is one of the countries that make up the United Kingdom. It lies in on a western peninsula of the island of Great Britain, bordered on the East by England.
Wales is rich in history and natural beauty, and has a culture distinct from the rest of the UK. Travellers are attracted to Wales because of its beautiful landscape, the wide open spaces of its stunning national parks and the wealth of history and culture.
Wales was once an independent, though rarely unified nation, but when King Edward I defeated Llywelyn the Last in 1282, the nation fell under the jurisdiction of England. At first, it was ruled as a separate country; but since has been part of a changing Union, which currently consists of England, Northern Ireland, Scotland and Wales.
There is often confusion about the differences between the UK, Britain, England, and Wales. Wales is part of Britain and so part of the UK, but not part of England. Therefore, it is correct to call Welsh people British, but not English. For more information see the Wikitravel article on the UK.
Over the centuries, there have been minor revolts aimed at gaining independence, but in general Wales has accepted its place in the UK, and has contibuted a lot to its politics and culture: famous Welsh people include Henry VII (the first of the Tudors, the famous line of 15th and 16th century monarchs ending with Elizabeth I); David Lloyd George (the early 20th century prime minister); Dylan Thomas and Richard Burton (poet and actor, linked forever by "Under Milk Wood"). Nevertheless, Wales also remained a bastion of Celtic culture: the Welsh language continues to be widely spoken, especially in rural areas, and is taught in all Welsh schools.
The first moves towards a Welsh government was the creation of a Welsh Office and Secretary of State for Wales in 1964. However, this was a non-elected institution directed from London. In 1999 the first elected National Assembly for Wales was established in Cardiff. While the Assembly is not a national government, it does have minor law making powers and an Executive (including a First Minister) with power for local decision making. In the near future, the Assembly will evolve into Parliament, which will have extended primary law-making powers and whose members will be elected by Welsh constituents. Power, however, will still be delegated from the UK parliament, and it will not be independant of it.
In the 19th and 20th centuries, south east Wales was mainly dominated by coal mining and steel production, while the rest of the principality was devoted to agriculture. Outside of that, the ports of Cardiff and Swansea had established themselves as commercial centers, offering banking, shopping and insurance facilities, and there were pockets of fun-fair type tourist resorts on the north coast at places such a Rhyl and Llandudno.
In recent years, coal mining has ceased and heavy industry declined. However, Wales' stunning mountainous and coastal scenery has lent itself to tourism developing as a major alternative source of revenue for the region. Furthermore, throughout the transformation, both Cardiff and Swansea have retained their rankings as centers of commerce, while at the same time attracting many cutting-edge, high-tech industries to their areas. A blue class super computer installed at Swansea University is enhancing Wales' standing in this respect.
Immigration and visa requirements
Wales has the same immigration and visa requirements as the rest of the UK.
Information provided by Wikipedia
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