The Flag of Wales is Y Ddraig Goch (English: The Red Dragon), consisting of a red dragon passant on a green and white field. As with many heraldic charges, the exact representation of the dragon is not standardised and many renderings exist.
The flag incorporates the red dragon of Cadwaladr, King of Gwynedd, along with the Tudor colours of green and white. The flag can be seen flying from the Welsh Assembly building in Cardiff, and from the Wales Office in Whitehall, London each day.
Technically, Wales is a principality, ruled by a prince. Traditionally the Prince of Wales is the eldest son of the English monarch.
Wales has a population of about 3 million and about 20% of those are Welsh speakers. Since the introduction of the Welsh Language Act 1993, Welsh has equal status with English in the public sector in Wales.
During the 20th century a number of small communities of speakers of languages other than English or Welsh, such as Bengali or Cantonese, have established themselves in Wales as a result of immigration. This phenomenon is almost exclusive to urban Wales. The Italian Government funds the teaching of Italian to Welsh residents of Italian ancestry. These other languages do not have legal equality with English and Welsh, although public services may produce information leaflets in minority ethnic languages where there is a specific need, as happens elsewhere in the United Kingdom.
The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the National Eisteddfod. This takes place annually in a different town or city. The Llangollen International Eisteddfodd echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform.
Famous Welsh men and women include:
The United Kingdom’s international organisation for cultural relations and educational opportunities.
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