where people speak welsh?
United Kingdom
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 The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the English and Welsh languages be treated on a basis of equality . English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is the de facto main language . Code @-@ switching is common in all parts of Wales and is known by various terms , though none is recognised by professional linguists . " Wenglish " is the Welsh English language dialect . It has been influenced significantly by Welsh grammar and includes words derived from Welsh . According to John Davies , Wenglish has " been the object of far greater prejudice than anything suffered by Welsh " . Northern and western Wales retain many areas where Welsh is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population , and English learnt as a second language . The 2011 Census showed 562 @,@ 016 people , 19 @.@ 0 % of the Welsh population , were able to speak Welsh , a decrease from the 20 @.@ 8 % returned in the 2001 census . Although monoglotism in young children continues , life @-@ long monoglotism in Welsh is recognised to be a thing of the past . 

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 Although Wales closely shares its political and social history with the rest of Great Britain , and the vast majority of the population speaks English , the country has retained a distinct cultural identity and is officially bilingual . Over 560 @,@ 000 Welsh language speakers live in Wales , and the language is spoken by a majority of the population in parts of the north and west . From the late 19th century onwards , Wales acquired its popular image as the " land of song " , in part due to the eisteddfod tradition . At many international sporting events , such as the FIFA World Cup , Rugby World Cup and the Commonwealth Games , Wales has its own national teams , though at the Olympic Games , Welsh athletes compete as part of a Great Britain team . Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness . 

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 With its mountainous terrain and ample rainfall , water is one of Wales ' most abundant resources . The country has many man @-@ made reservoirs and supplies water to England as well as generating power through hydroelectric schemes . The largest reservoirs , such as the Claerwen , are in the Elan Valley , and other notable bodies of water include Lake Vyrnwy , Talybont Reservoir and Llyn Brianne . Some of these are popular resorts for outdoor activities such as sailing , kayaking , cycling , fishing and bird @-@ watching . 

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 The 20th century saw a revival in Welsh national feeling . Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 , seeking greater autonomy or independence from the rest of the UK . In 1955 , the term England and Wales became common for describing the area to which English law applied , and Cardiff was proclaimed as capital city of Wales . Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg ( The Welsh Language Society ) was formed in 1962 , in response to fears that the language might soon die out . Nationalist sentiment grew following the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 to create a reservoir supplying water to the English city of Liverpool . Despite 35 of the 36 Welsh MPs voting against the bill ( the other one abstained ) , Parliament passed the bill and the village of Capel Celyn was submerged , highlighting Wales ' powerlessness in her own affairs in the face of the numerical superiority of English MPs in the Westminster Parliament . Both the Free Wales Army and Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru ( Welsh Defence Movement , abbreviated as MAC ) were formed as a direct result of the Tryweryn destruction , conducting campaigns from 1963 . In the years leading up to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969 , these groups were responsible for a number of bomb blasts — destroying water pipes , tax and other offices and part of the dam at the new Clywedog reservoir project in Montgomeryshire , being built to supply water to the English Midlands . In 1966 the Carmarthen Parliamentary seat was won by Gwynfor Evans at a by @-@ election , Plaid Cymru 's first Parliamentary seat . In the following year , the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 was repealed and a legal definition of Wales and of the boundary with England was stated . 

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 Wales has a distinctive culture including its own language , customs , holidays and music . 
