Wales covers about 10 per cent of the island of GB, but has only about 5 per cent of the population of the United Kingdom. About 20 per cent of the people speak Welsh, an ancient Celtic language. English and Welsh are both official languages.Wales is a country of poets and singers with a literature that dates back more than 1,000 years and an ancient choral music tradition. A festival featuring musicians, poets, and singers, is held twice a year. As part of GB, Wales elects 38 of the 650 members of the House of Commons. The country’s daily administration is carried out by the Welsh Office in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The head of the Welsh Office is appointed by the British Prime minister and is a member of the Cabinet. The Cambrian Mountains cover about two-thirds of Wales. The highest peak in the country, Snowdon reaches 1,085 meters. Coastal plains and river valleys cover about a third of the country. The longest rivers are the Severn and Wye, which both empty into the Bristol Channel. Wales has 3 national parks – Snowdonia, the Brecon Beacons, and the Pembrokeshire Coast. The largest urban areas in Wales are Cardiff, Swansea, and Newport, all located on the southern coast, and the majority of the country’s nearly 3 million people live in the southeast. Today, the economy of Wales depends primarily on manufacturing and service industries.
