All About Wales

EWEGOTTALOVE… WALES

VISIT WALES: 20 Reasons Why 2017 Will Be Legendary in Wales

WALES, according to Wikipedia, is a country on the island of Great Britain, and is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom. It is to the west of England, and east of the Irish Sea and Ireland.

Wales is one of the six Celtic nations, and the native people of Wales, called the Welsh, have their own culture and traditions. They have their own Celtic language, which is called Welsh. Although not all Welsh people can speak Welsh (nearly all Welsh people can speak English and some of them speak only English), it is becoming more popular because all children going to school in Wales have to learn the language.

Just under three million people live in Wales, most of who live in the southern and eastern parts of the country. In this area is the capital and largest city of Wales, Cardiff, and the next largest city, Swansea.

Wales is traditionally known as a land of song and among the many musical icons is Dame Shirley Bassey, who hails from Tiger Bay in the capital city of Cardiff, and is known around the world for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker #ewegottalove #wales — Wales is often referred to as ‘The Land of Song’ and among its many musical icons is Dame Shirley Bassey, who hails from Tiger Bay in the capital city of Cardiff, and is known around the world for recording the theme songs to the James Bond films Goldfinger, Diamonds Are Forever, and Moonraker #ewegottalove #wales

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GRAND SLAMS AND THE EUROS

The Wales national football team, backed by a fanatical following from success-starved supporters, excelled itself in reaching the semi-final stage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. The hashtag #TogetherStronger came to epitomise the closeness of the team and it's fanbase #ewegottalove #wales #football Image credit: Football Association of Wales — The Wales national football team, backed by a fanatical following from success-starved supporters, excelled itself in reaching the semi-final stage of the UEFA Euro 2016 tournament. The hashtag #TogetherStronger came to epitomise the closeness of the team and its fanbase #ewegottalove #wales #football Image credit: Football Association of Wales

WALES is represented at major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup, Rugby League World Cup and the Commonwealth Games. At the Olympics Games, Welsh athletes compete alongside those of Scotland, England and Northern Ireland as part of a Great Britain team.

Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness. The Wales national rugby union team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship and has also competed in every Rugby World Cup, hosting the tournament in 1999.

Wales has had its own football league, the Welsh Premier League, since 1992. For historical reasons, six Welsh clubs play in the English football league system; Cardiff City, Swansea City, Newport County, Wrexham, Colwyn Bay and Merthyr Town. Famous Welsh players over the years include John Charles, Ian Rush, Ryan Giggs and Gareth Bale.

The nation has produced several world-class participants of individual sports including snooker players Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths, Mark Williams and Matthew Stevens. Track athletes who have made a mark on the world stage include the 110-metre hurdler Colin Jackson, who is a former world record holder, and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals as well as Tanni Grey-Thompson who has won 11 Paralympic gold medals. Cyclist Nicole Cooke won gold medals at the Commonwealth, Olympic and World championships.

Wales also has a tradition of producing world-class boxers. Joe Calzaghe was WBO world super-middleweight champion and then won the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine super middleweight and Ring Magazine light-heavyweight titles. Other former boxing world champions include Enzo Maccarinelli, Freddie Welsh, Howard Winstone, Percy Jones, Jimmy Wilde, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan. Tommy Farr, the ‘Tonypandy Terror’, came close to defeating world heavyweight champion Joe Louis at the height of his fame in 1937.

Several international sporting events have been hosted by Wales. These include the 1958 Commonwealth Games, the 1999 Rugby World Cup and the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Traditionally, rugby union has been regarded as Wales' national game. In the annual Six Nations tournament, Wales take on England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. They have completed 11 clean sweeps, or 'Grand Slams' in 109 years - the most recent coming in 2012 #ewegottalove #wales #rugby — Traditionally, rugby union has been regarded as Wales’ national game. In the annual Six Nations tournament, Wales take on England, Scotland, Ireland, France and Italy. They have completed 12 clean sweeps, or ‘Grand Slams’ since 1908 – the most recent coming in 2019 #ewegottalove #wales #rugby