Навчальний посібник для студентів ос «Бакалавр» галузі знань 03 «Гуманітарні науки»

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. Llywelyn ap Gruffudd's death in 1282 
marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales, though 
Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to Wales in the early 15th 
century. The whole of Wales was annexed by England and incorporated 
within the English legal system under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542. 
Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, 
exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the 
growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over 
the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and the Welsh Language 
Society in 1962. Established under the Government of Wales Act 1998, the 
National Assembly for Wales holds responsibility for a range of devolved 
policy matters. 
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. Two-thirds of the population live in 
south Wales, mainly in and around Cardiff (the capital), Swansea and 
Newport, and in the nearby 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. Wales' 
2010 gross value added (GVA) was £45.5 billion (£15,145 per head, 74.0% of 
the average for the UK, and the lowest GVA per head in Britain). 
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 

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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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