Matt Haines, age 13, of Bowling Green, Ohio, for his question:
IS WALES AN INDEPENDENT COUNTRY?
Wales is one of the four countries that make up the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. The other three are England, Northern Ireland and Scotland. Although Wales has been united with England for more than 400 years, the Welsh people have kept alive their own language, literature and traditions.
Wales occupies a peninsula on the west coast of the island of Great Britain. It takes up about a tenth of the island.
Most of the Welsh are descendended from people who began settling in the British Isles thousands of years ago. The earliest known settlers were the Iberians. Later they were invaded by Celts, romans, Anglo Saxons, Vikings, Normans and Englishmen. Struggles against these invaders, and efforts to earn a living from the rugged and harsh land, have helped shape the strong, independent character of the Welsh people. Today's population is almost 3 million.
Wales has two official languages: English and Welsh. About a fourth of the people speak Welsh. In some rural areas, almost three fourths of the people speak it.
Welsh is a form of the ancient Celtic language and has been influenced by each group of invaders. The letters j, k, q, v, x and z are not used in Welsh and the letters w and y are sometimes used as vowels. Many Welsh words have a double 1 or a double d. The "l l" is pronounced like the "thl" in "athletics." The "d d" is pronounced like the l lth" in "this."
In 1485, Henry Tudor, a Welsh prince, became King Henry VII of England. The Welsh people then gradually began to accept the idea of uniting with England.
In 1536, Henry VIPs son, Henry VIII, was able to join the two countries under one government. Welsh counties and some Welsh towns were given representation in the English Parliament.
Today, the eldest son of the British monarch traditionally becomes the Prince of Wales.
The economy of Wales depends mainly on mining and manufacturing. Coal mining and metal processing have been the country's most important industries since the Industrial Revolution began in Great Britain in the 1700s.
Coal is the most important natural resource of Wales. The largest and richest deposits lie in the valleys of Southern Wales. These deposits have been mined for over 150 years, but they still have large reserves.
In Northern Wales, the Cambrian Mountains contain limestone and slate. One of the largest slate quarries in the world is in the northwest. Copper ore, iron ore and other minerals are also found in Northern Wales.
One of the country's chief resources is its plentiful water supply. Many large reservoirs have been created by damming and flooding the deep valleys. Water from the reservoirs is used to produce hydroelectric power. It is also sold to cities in central England.
Wales is just slightly larger than the state of New Jersey.