Think you know all there is to know about the castle capital of the world? Here are 10 facts about Wales that may have passed you by…
1. Mount Everest was named after Welshman Sir George Everest from Gwernvale, Breconshire.
2. As many as 23% of the entire Welsh population of Wales say they can speak some of the native language, while only 11% are fluent.
3. Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world.
4. Wales is the only part of the UK not to be represented on the Union Jack flag.
5. St David (in Wales ‘Dewi Sant’) was a Welsh Bishop during the 6th century, later regarded as a saint and named the Patron Saint of Wales.
6. The national emblem of Wales was the humble leek (Cenhinen) until the 19th century, when it was replaced with the daffodil flower.
7. The letters K, Q, V and Z do not appear in the Welsh alphabet at all.
8. Lawn tennis first appeared in Wales in the 1800s.
9. One of the longest place names in the world, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwyll-llantysiliogogogoch is the name of a town in north Wales which translates as ‘The church of St Mary in the hollow of white hazel trees near the rapid whirlpool by St. Tysilio’s of the red cave’.
10. Wales is often referred to as ‘the land of song’ as the country is known for its harpists, male choirs, and solo artists.
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