Monday 1st March is St David's Day, the national day of Wales.
The name Wales comes from the Anglo-Saxon term Waleas, meaning foreigner. It's a small country with a population of just 2.94 million. The majority or people speak English; however, the Welsh language is popular and is now spoken by more than 20 per cent of the population. Welsh is one of Europe's oldest languages. Since 1999 all schoolchildren in Wales have had to study Welsh, either as a first or second language. The Welsh language has two additional vowels - w and y - to add to the English a, e, i, o and u. The Welsh for Wales is Cymru, and the country's motto is "Cymru am byth" ("Wales forever").
The capital city is Cardiff, in South Wales. Other major cities and towns are Swansea and Newport, in South Wales, and Wrexham in the north.
Wales has some spectacular scenery. It has three national parks and five designated areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. Snowdon is the highest mountain at 1,085 metres (3,559 feet). Wales is also famous for its castles. In fact, Wales has more castles per square mile than any other country in western Europe.
The national flag of Wales has two equal horizontal stripes, white above green. A red dragon appears on the green-and-white background. The origins of the flag are unknown. One legend tells of the struggle between the red dragon of Wales and the white dragon of England.
St David is the patron saint of Wales, and St David's Day is celebrated on March 1. The most famous story about St David tells how he was preaching to a crowd of people when suddenly the ground he was standing on rose up, so that he was standing on a hill and everyone could see and hear him.
On St David's Day people wear daffodils or leeks. The daffodil and leek are famous emblems of Wales. According to legend, St. David ordered his soldiers to wear a leek on their helmets in a battle against Saxon invaders that took place in a field full of leeks.
A lot of towns and villages in Wales have very long names. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch is the name of a Welsh town. The name translates as "The church of St. Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St Tysilio's of the red cave".
Rugby is the national game of Wales. Other popular sports are football and golf. Wales has some of the best golf courses in Britain.
Wales is known for its great actors. Richard Burton, Sir Anthony Hopkins and Catherine Zeta-Jones are all Welsh. Famous musicians include Tom Jones, Shirley Bassey, and the groups Catatonia, Super Furry Animals, Stereophonics and Manic Street Preachers. Other famous names include Sir George Everest, the explorer, the poet Dylan Thomas, and the authors Jackie Collins and Roald Dahl.
Welsh food is usually made from local ingredients. Some traditional dishes include laverbread (made from seaweed), bara brith (fruit cake), and cawl cennin (leek stew). Welsh rarebit (or rabbit) is a traditional Welsh snack that is similar to cheese on toast.
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