module 2 Wales Unit CYMRU Flower: a daffodil Cymru (meaning friends/companions) is the name of the country in the Welsh language. Interestingly, a variation on Cymru can also be found outside the region, as the name of the northern English county of Cumbria has similar linguistic origins. Patron Saint: St. David (March 1st ) BEFORE READING Can you guess the jobs of these famous Welsh people? Check your answers with your teacher. Anthony Hopkins Bertrand Russell Catherine Zeta-Jones Dylan Thomas Manic Street Preachers Richard Burton Ryan Giggs Tom Jones Ian Rush Gareth Llewellyn policies and public services. The Assembly has secondary legislative powers, and today the Welsh language and the English language are treated equally. Wales can now be considered as a separate nation within the United Kingdom. ACTIVITIES 1 2. ........................................................................................... Wales is part of the United Kingdom, bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. a. Where is Wales? b. How big is Wales? c. What s the geography of Wales? 3. ........................................................................................... The country Wales or Cymru / k mri/ is famous for its beautiful scenery of coasts and mountains, its castles, built in the Middle Ages, and its coalmines, most of which have been closed. It may be divided into two parts: South Wales, which is largely industrialized owing to the presence of coal, and North Wales, which is mainly agricultural and offers a wide variety of tourist attractions. The three largest cities are in the south: Cardiff, the capital, Newport and Swansea. 1. ........................................................................................... After more than 450 years, in September 1997 Wales became semi-independent. Now it has its own Assembly with responsibility for Re-order the scrambled paragraphs of Text 1 using the questions below which are, instead, in the right sequence. d. Where does the Welsh flag come from? With an area of about 20,000 square kilometres at its widest, it is 200 kilometres east to west, and 250 kilometres north to south. e. What s the most popular game in Wales? f. When did Wales become a devolved country? 2 Snowdonia National Park. Find out the difference between the North and the South.