Facts for Kids

Wales has a maritime climate, which means the sea helps shape the weather. Because of this, temperatures are often mild: summers are usually warm, and winters are not extremely cold in most places. The weather can change quickly, and wind and rain are common, especially near the mountains and on the coast.

Some mountain areas, such as parts of Snowdonia, are among the wettest spots in the United Kingdom, so rivers and green valleys are common. Sunshine can vary a lot from place to place and from season to season.

Wildlife and nature are important parts of Wales’s economy because they bring visitors, help fishing, and create jobs in conservation and parks. Along the long coast you can find seabirds like puffins, gannets, kittiwakes, shags, and razorbills. The RSPB reserve at Conwy has recorded more than 200 bird species, including upland birds such as ravens and ring ouzels. Birds of prey like the merlin, hen harrier, and the red kite are special to Wales.

Wales also supports marine life — basking sharks, grey seals, dolphins, and even leatherback turtles visit the seas — and freshwater life such as the gwyniad in Bala Lake. Mammals you might see include badgers, otters, hedgehogs, bats, and reintroduced animals like beavers and pine martens. Unique plants, old coal tips turned into habitats, and rare species attract nature-lovers and help local towns earn money from visitors. What creature would you most like to see in the wild?

People have lived in Wales since the end of the last ice age, and you can still visit ancient stone monuments from those early farmers. In the Bronze Age, miners on the Great Orme dug for copper, and later people of Celtic culture lived across Wales during the Iron Age. After the Romans left Britain, Wales became a group of small kingdoms that slowly developed their own language and customs.

By about the 10th century, rulers like Hywel Dda helped bring laws together for many parts of Wales. Later, the land changed hands and, in more recent centuries, the Industrial Revolution brought coal mines and new towns, especially in the south.

Welsh (Cymraeg) is an old and living language spoken in Wales alongside English. It appears on road signs, in songs, on TV and radio, and in many schools. Over time more Welsh-medium schools and university courses have grown, so children can learn many subjects through Welsh if their families want them to.

Because Welsh is taught from age 5 to 16 in state schools, more people are learning or keeping the language today. You might hear it more in parts of north and west Wales. Learning a few Welsh words can be a fun way to connect with places, names, and people—would you like to learn how to say hello in Welsh?

Schools in Wales have changed a lot over time. Long ago only a few children went to grammar schools, but people like Griffith Jones started travelling teachers called circulating schools in the 1730s and taught many people to read. By the 1800s most lessons were given in English, though many families spoke Welsh at home. Later in the 19th and 20th centuries, more Welsh-language teaching returned to schools.

Higher education grew too: University College of Wales opened in Aberystwyth in 1872 and other colleges joined to form the University of Wales in 1893. Today Welsh is taught in state schools for ages 5–16, there are around 1,470 maintained schools with over 470,000 pupils, and universities offer Welsh-medium courses supported by the Coleg Cymraeg Cenedlaethol. Learning in both Welsh and English helps children keep local culture while preparing for many jobs.

NHS Wales provides public healthcare across the country. It is organized into local health boards that run hospitals and clinics and a few Wales-wide trusts that support special services. Since 1999, the Welsh Government manages the health service for people living in Wales. Over 90,000 people work for NHS Wales, so it is one of the country's biggest employers.

Hospitals have changed from many small cottage hospitals to larger district hospitals where most clinical work happens. A recent survey showed most adults say their health is good or very good, though some people have long-standing illnesses like asthma or arthritis. The survey also reports habits such as smoking, exercise, and how many people eat five portions of fruit and veg in a day. These facts help health teams plan care for everyone.

M4 is the big road that links West London with South Wales and connects cities like Newport, Cardiff, and Swansea. Inside Wales the road is looked after by the Welsh Government from the Second Severn Crossing to Pont Abraham services. Because it runs east–west, people use the M4 to travel for work, to take holidays, or to visit family.

In the north, the A55 runs along the coast and connects places such as Holyhead, Bangor, and Wrexham, and it links into roads that go into England near Chester. The main north–south route is the A470, which takes you from Cardiff in the south all the way up to Llandudno in the north. These roads help goods and people move around the country quickly.

Wales is a country on the island of Great Britain. It sits between the Irish Sea to the north and west, England to the east, and the Bristol Channel to the south. The capital city is Cardiff, where many people live, but much of Wales is open countryside with mountains and long coasts. Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) is the highest peak and is a place many people hike.

Wales has two official languages, English and Welsh. The weather often changes because the sea is nearby, so you can have a bright morning and a rainy afternoon on the same day. Would you like to climb a mountain or visit a beach here?

Wales has many different plant zones. On high hills you will find heather and grasses, while lower slopes and valleys have oak and other broadleaf woodlands. In wet places there are bogs and peatlands that hold lots of water and are important for wildlife.

Animals include birds like the red kite and puffin along the coasts, mammals such as otters and the hardy Welsh mountain pony, and sea creatures like seals. People work to protect these habitats so plants and animals can thrive. Which animal would you most like to see in Wales?

Devolution means some decisions about Wales are made in Wales. The Welsh Parliament is called the Senedd. It began in 1998 and later gained more powers so it can make laws about schools, hospitals, roads, farming, and the Welsh language. People in Wales vote for Members of the Senedd to speak for them.

The Senedd works with the Welsh Government, which carries out the laws and runs services like education and health. Because Wales makes many of its own choices, its leaders can focus on local needs, such as protecting Welsh culture and improving local schools.