Wales' population rapidly expanded.
Wales -LRB- -LSB- ˈweɪlz -RSB- Cymru -LSB- ˈkəm.rɨ -RSB- -RRB- is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain .. country. country. part. Countries of the United Kingdom. United Kingdom. United Kingdom. Great Britain. Great Britain. It is bordered by England to the east , the Irish Sea to the north and west , and the Bristol Channel to the south .. England. England. east. Wales–England border. Irish Sea. Irish Sea. Bristol Channel. Bristol Channel. It had a population in 2011 of 3,063,456 and has a total area of 20779 km2 .. Wales has over 1680 mi of coastline and is largely mountainous , with its higher peaks in the north and central areas , including Snowdon -LRB- Yr Wyddfa -RRB- , its highest summit .. Snowdon. Snowdon. The country lies within the north temperate zone and has a changeable , maritime climate .. country. country. north temperate zone. Temperateness. maritime climate. maritime climate. Welsh national identity emerged among the Celtic Britons after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century , and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations .. Welsh. Welsh people. Welsh national identity. Welsh people. Celtic. Celts. Britons. Britons ( historical ). Roman withdrawal from Britain. Roman withdrawal from Britain. Celtic nations. Celtic nations. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd 's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England 's conquest of Wales , though Owain Glyndwr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th century .. England. England. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd. Edward I of England. Edward I of England. conquest. Conquest of Wales by Edward I. Owain Glyndwr. Owain Glyndwr. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535 -- 1542 .. English. English language. England. England. English legal system. English law. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century .. Welsh. Welsh people. Welsh politics. Welsh politics. Welsh Liberalism , exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George , was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party .. Welsh. Welsh people. Liberalism. Liberal Party ( UK ). Lloyd George. David Lloyd George. socialism. socialism. Labour Party. Labour Party ( UK ). Welsh national feeling grew over the century ; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language Society in 1962 .. Welsh. Welsh people. Plaid Cymru. Plaid Cymru. Welsh Language Society. Welsh Language Society. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998 , the National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters .. National Assembly. National Assembly for Wales. Government of Wales Act 1998. Government of Wales Act 1998. National Assembly for Wales. National Assembly for Wales. devolved policy matters. Contemporary Welsh Law#Areas to legislate : The devolved areas. At the dawn of the Industrial Revolution , development of the mining and metallurgical industries transformed the country from an agricultural society into an industrial nation ; the South Wales Coalfield 's exploitation caused a rapid expansion of Wales ' population .. country. country. Industrial Revolution. Industrial Revolution. mining. mining in Wales. metallurgical. metallurgy. South Wales Coalfield. South Wales Coalfield. Two-thirds of the population live in south Wales , mainly in and around Cardiff -LRB- the capital -RRB- , Swansea and Newport , and in the nearby valleys .. Cardiff. Cardiff. south Wales. south Wales. Swansea. Swansea. Newport. Newport, Wales. valleys. South Wales valleys. Now that the country 's traditional extractive and heavy industries have gone or are in decline , Wales ' economy depends on the public sector , light and service industries and tourism .. country. country. public sector. public sector. tourism. Tourism in Wales. Wales ' 2010 gross value added -LRB- GVA -RRB- was # 45.5 billion -LRB- # 15,145 per head , 74.0 % of the average for the UK , and the lowest GVA per head in Britain -RRB- .. 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 .. English. English language. country. country. Great Britain. Great Britain. cultural identity. Welsh culture. bilingual. 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 .. Welsh. Welsh people. Welsh language. Welsh language. From the late 19th century onwards , Wales acquired its popular image as the `` land of song '' , in part due to the eisteddfod tradition .. part. Countries of the United Kingdom. eisteddfod. eisteddfod. 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 .. Welsh. Welsh people. part. Countries of the United Kingdom. Great Britain. Great Britain. FIFA World Cup. FIFA World Cup. Rugby World Cup. Rugby World Cup. Commonwealth Games. Commonwealth Games. Olympic Games. Olympic Games. Great Britain team. Great Britain at the Olympics. Rugby union is seen as a symbol of Welsh identity and an expression of national consciousness .. Welsh. Welsh people. Rugby union. Rugby union