If you’re considering a trip to Wales and interested in finding out more about our wonderful country, you might be interested in a few of our favourite facts about Wales. Wales has been home to many talented people over the centuries, excelling in a range of fields, all over the world.
- The world’s highest mountain, Mount Everest is named after a Welshman, Sir George Everest from Gwernvale, Breconshire. The naming, in 1865, was in honour of his work as Surveyor General of India.
- Robert Recorde of Tenby in Pembrokeshire was a physician and mathematician who invented the “equal to” sign.
- All the statues surrounding Cardiff Castle are of animals. They form the Animal Wall, alongside the castle and were designed by architect William Burges for the 3rd Marquess of Bute.
- Cardiff’s National Stadium of Wales, which opened in June 1999 has the largest retractable roof of any sports arena in the world.
- Wales is believed to have more castles per square mile than anywhere else in the world, so wherever you visit in Wales, you won’t be far from a castle!
- The corgi dog (as favoured by the late Queen Elizabeth II) originates from Wales, cor-ci means dwarf dog.
- The British royal family use Welsh gold for wedding rings, including The Prince of Wales’ marriage to Catherine Middleton in 2011 and in 2018 when Prince Harry married Meghan Markle.
- Roald Dahl, the famous children’s author of favourites such as Matilda and the BFG, was born in Cardiff in 1916.
- Sir Anthony Hopkins, star of The Silence of the Lambs, was born in Margam, a suburb of Port Talbot in 1937.
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