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Interesting Questions, Facts and Information
- There are a total of 85 general entries. We are selecting 30 for display.
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 Interesting Questions, Facts, and Information
 Wales
| What language (apart from English) is spoken in Wales? | Wales Basics
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Welsh. According to the 2001 Census over 20% of the population of Wales are classed as fluent in Welsh. Officially the Welsh and English language have equal equal status in Wales and all signs are bilingual in both Welsh and English
St David. Unlike St Andrew (the patron saint of Scotland) and St George (the patron saint of England), St David is actually a native of the country he is patron saint of. Little is known about this patron saint, who is celebrated on the 1st March, except that he was a church official who became a saint and then a patron saint. Even the year he was born is unknown with suggestions ranging from 462 to 512. It is claimed that David lived for over 100 years and died on March the 1st which is why his patron saint day is celebrated on that day.
Cardiff. As well as being the capitol of Wales, Cardiff is also the biggest city and county. In 1905 Cardiff became a city and gained a cathedral in 1916. In 1955 Cardiff became capital of Wales, beating the historic town of Caernarfon although The Encyclopedia of Wales claims that the decision to make Cardiff the capital of Wales "had more to do with the fact that it contained marginal Conservative constituencies than any reasoned view of what functions a Welsh capital should have".
Since all the power is in South Wales and North Wales often forgotten, I wonder what a different country Wales would be if Caernarfon had won the bid to become capitol
| Is northwhalian Welsh the same as southwhalian Welsh? | Wales Basics
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No. Certain words are changed and have different meanings. As I know northwhalian Welsh I would never speak Welsh in South Wales.
| Which Welsh singer made a come-back with songs including 'Sex Bomb'? | Wales Basics
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Tom Jones. Tom Jones' real name is Thomas John Woodward and he was born in Pontypridd, near Cardiff, on the 7th June 1940.
In 1999 he was awarded an OBE, in the 2006 New Years Honours list he was given a Knight Bachelor for his services to music and he was then Knighted by the Queen in March 2006, making him Sir Thomas John Woodward.
Taffy. This term comes from an old anti-Welsh nursery rhyme. There are many different versions but the most common one goes...
Taffy was a Welshman,
Taffy was a thief;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a piece of beef.
I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not home;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a marrow bone.
I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was not in;
Taffy came to my house
And stole a silver pin.
I went to Taffy's house,
Taffy was in bed;
I took up a poker
And threw it at his head.
| Which Welsh Narrow Gauge Railway is credited as being the inspiration behind Rev W Awdrey's (of Thomas the Tank Engine Fame) Thin Controller's Railway? | Wales Basics
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Talyllyn Railway. In the 1950's Rev W Awdrey worked as a volnteer guard on the Talyllyn Railway and it was there that he came up with the idea of the Thin Controllers Railway.
In fact the engines of the Thin Controllers Railway are also based on engines that are still working on the Talyllyn Railway.
Skarloey is based on the Talyllyn engine named Talyllyn
Rheneas is based on the Talyllyn engine named Dolgoch
Sir Handel is based on the Talyllyn engine named Sir Haydn
Peter Sam is based on the Talyllyn engine named Edward Thomas
Rusty is based on the Talyllyn engine named Midlander
Duncan is based on the Talyllyn engine named Douglas
The other engines, Duke and Mighty Max are based on Prince and Double Fairlie engines from the Ffestiniog Railway and Fearless Freddie is based on Russell from the Welsh Highland Railway.
Red Dragon. The Welsh Dragon, or the Draig Goch as it is known in Welsh is the Welsh naional flag. It shows a Red Dragon on a green and white background. Officially recognised as a national flag in 1959, however the Red Dragon had been associated with Wales for centuries and it is claimed to be the oldest national flag still in use today. The use of the Red Dragon however is no longer known, having been lost in the mists of time.
The leek and the daffodil are also Welsh emblems and on St David's day, which is the 1st of March, you will often see the Welsh wearing them on their collar.
| In which castle was Prince Charles crowned Prince of Wales? | Wales Basics
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Caernarfon. In 1283, following his conquest of Wales, King Edward I ordered Caernarfon Castle to be built. The Castle was never completed and even today you can see joints on walls which were meant for additional walls that were never built. In 1323 building ceased on the castle.
In 1301, the tradition of naming the heir to the throne as "Prince of Wales" began after Edward I gave the title to his son Edward II. According to a famous legend, the king had promised the Welsh natives that he would name "a prince born in Wales, who did not speak a word of English" and then produced his infant son to their surprise.
In 1911 the castle was used for the investiture of Edward VII and again in 1969 when Prince Charles was invested as Prince of Wales.
| The most famous Welsh town name is Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. What is it called for short? | Wales Basics
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Llanfair PG. Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch means "St Mary's church in the hollow of the white hazel near to the rapid whirlpool and the church of St Tysilio of the red cave".
The town is actually a village on the Isle of Anglesy and across from Bangor and is the 5th largest settlement on the island. It is also known as Llanfair PG, Llanfairpwll or Llanfair Pwllgwyngyll.
The name is the longest officially recognised place name in the United Kingdom and one of the longest in the world
| According to a 1991 census what percentage of people living in Wales could speak their native tongue, Welsh? | Wales
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| The longest river in Wales is the River Severn, where does it originate? | Wales
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Mount Pumlumon (Plynlimon). The river is named after Sabrina daughter of the mistress of King Locrine. The Queen had her thrown into the river and drowned. It is Britain's longest river abeing 210 miles long from its source in mid Wales to the Bristol Channel.
Its source from peat bogs (as well as the Wye and the Rheidol in Central Wales being some 1,600 feet high up in the hills close to the summit of Plynlimon Central Wales (meaning Five Peaks) The Severn is joined by the Afon Clywedog supported by the large reservoir behind the great dam between Short Bridge and Long Bridge.
| How many counties were their before the April 1996 changes? | Wales
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8. They were Clwyd, Dyfed, Gwent, Gwynned, Powys and three 'Glamorgans' in Wales, these being West, South and Mid Glamorgan.
| The Welsh are famous for their rugby. As of 2002, there are only three nations that have beaten Wales more times than Wales have beaten them. Which three nations are they? | Wales
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Australia, South Africa and New Zealand. Wales v South Africa, Wales won 1, lost 14, drawn 1
Wales v New Zealand, Wales won 3, lost 15, drawn 0
Wales v Australia, Wales won 8, lost 13, drawn 0
Wales v England, Wales won 49, lost 47 drawn 12
Wales v France, Wales won 41, lost 31, drawn 3
Wales v Ireland, Wales won 60, lost 40, drawn 6
Wales v Scotland, Wales won 57, lost 46, drawn 3
| What is the least populated city in Wales (and in the United Kingdom)? | Wales
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St. Davids. St.Davids is the smallest city in Britain (population 1,500) and is located on the western coast of the Pembrokeshire Coast National Park, it was granted city status because of the presence of the cathedral.
| By what name was the famous Welsh singer Tom Jones christened? | Wales
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Thomas Jones Woodward. Tom Jones was born Thomas Jones Woodward in Pontypridd, South Wales, on June 7, 1940, the son of a coal miner.
He began singing at an early age, in the local church and with the choir at his school. He left school at 16 and married at the age of 17. Tom worked all day and he sang in the pubs at night, working with local groups. By 1963, he had gained notoriety with his own group, Tommy Scott and the Senators, and was playing regularly in the demanding atmosphere of the working-class clubs and dance halls. He was spotted by Gordon Mills, who recalled: "The first few bars were all I needed to hear; they convinced me that here was a voice that could make him the greatest singer in the world."
t. It is Welsh, meaning "The Red Dragon Leads the Way".
Tywi. The Tywi is 64 miles long. The Severn runs through England, so it is not completely in Wales.
Bala Lake. Bala Lake is known in the Welsh language as Llyn Tegid. The only known population in Wales of gwyniad, a kind of land-locked herring, is found in Bala Lake.
| Caws pobi, a traditional Welsh food made of melted cheese and spices on top of a piece of toast, is more commonly referred to as this? | The Mystical Land of Wales!
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Welsh Rabbit . Welsh rarebit has become popular throughout the United Kingdom. The most famous cheese to come from Wales is Caerphilly, a crumbly white named after a town in Mid Glamorgan.
Cymric. The Cymric is sometimes called the Longhaired Manx. This cat originated in North America, but the name means "Welsh". There is a belief that Wales had its own strains of tailless cats.
March 1. The day honors St. David, the patron saint of Wales. It is celebrated by wearing leeks and daffodils.
Daffodil. A Welsh tradition says that the person who saw the first flowering daffodil of Spring would be blessed with more gold than silver during the coming year.
Roald Dahl. Roald Dahl grew up in Cardiff in a Norwegian family and was christened in the little Norwegian church in Cardiff Bay. Dahl's semi-autobiographical book 'Boy' is set in Wales.
Bob Hope. Bob Hope's parents married in Cardiff in April 1891. Bob's mother was Welsh, his father English.
| Cardiff was the first UK city to be twinned with a city in which country? | Facts on Cardiff
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China. Cardiff was the first UK city to be twinned with a Chinese city when it was twinned with Xiamen in 1983. Cardiff is also twinned with Stuttgart (Germany), Nantes (France), Baltimore (USA), Lugansk (Ukraine) and Hordaland (Netherlands).
| Cardiff is Europe's youngest capital city. In which year did it become a capital? | Facts on Cardiff
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1955. Previously there was no capital city since Wales was a Principality of England.
Record. 'Spillers', located on the Hayes, was established in 1894 and began by selling sheet music.
| Which famous actor/actress graduated from the Welsh College of Music and Drama? | Facts on Cardiff
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Sir Anthony Hopkins. Sir Anthony Hopkins is not from Cardiff but is from Port Talbot, to the west of Cardiff. He was knighted in 1992.
Super Ted and Fireman Sam. Super Ted was a cartoon about a bear who flew around saving the world from villains such as Texas Pete and Skeleton with the help of his sidekick, Spotty. Fireman Sam was the friendly local fireman.
Charlotte Church. Charlotte Church, from Llandaff, Cardiff, has performed for the Pope.
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