Welcome to Wales

Welcome to Wales

The 2.8 million inhabitants of Wales are justifiably proud of their nationality. And as they begin life in the new millennium, they do so in the knowledge that, for many reasons, 1999 was a great year for this small country. First in May 1999, the Welsh Assembly was opened. This decentralised power from Westminster, London, and gave it to Wales. For the first time in its history, Wales now has secondary legislative and devolved spending powers.

Second, in October, the Welsh capital, Cardiff, hosted the Rugby World Cup in its brand-new Millennium Stadium. For a couple of months, South Wales played host to visitors from all over the world, who flooded in to enjoy the tournament. The buzz in Wales was incredible.

Silicon Valleys
Wales now seems to be immersed in the feel-good factor. Although it was badly hit by the decline of heavy industry (especially coal mining) in the 1970's and 80's, it has adapted well can now boast some of the most productive high-tech centres in the UK.

Many of the worlds largest multinational companies have invested and reinvested in Wales. This is mainly because the country has some of Europes best communication networks, coupled with the fact that manufacturing productivity rates in Wales are among the highest in the UK.

Docklands Facelift
Projects are springing up all over Wales, but one deserves a special mention. The Swansea Marina Development involved the investment of millions of pounds into a run-down dockland area, with the aim of transforming it into a centre for business, leisure and accommodation. The results are impressive and Swansea now has many miles of beautiful waterfront. Architecturally innovative buildings sit alongside examples of Swanseas heritage.

Boom time
Economic success has helped to create one of Europes fastest-growing regions. Between 1983 and 1999, more than 1,500 companies invested 12.5 billion in Wales. The strongest business areas include electronics, information technology (IT), automotive, aerospace and call centres. Wales has one of the greatest concentrations of IT and electronics companies in Europe, and is home to four of the worlds top six electronic manufacturers.

Centres of Expertise
One of the reasons Wales is enjoying such success as a high-tech country is that businesses work closely with the countrys thirty-five centres of expertise. These centres, which are part of Waless universities, link training and expertise directly with business, to ensure a constant focus on innovation.

These centres already cover most of the leading technologies based in Wales. There is close involvement with national and international companies, in collaborative and contract research.

Just a few of the centres that work closely with industry are: the University of Wales Aberystwyth, which boasts the Quantitive Biology and Analytical Biotechnology Centre; the University of Wales, Bangor, which has the Aquaculture Nutrition Research Centre; Cardiff University, with its Japanese Studies Centre; and the University of Wales, Swansea, home to the Electronic Materials Centre. Other similar, and well-known, centres have their own particular areas of expertise.

Educational Excellence
Like the rest of the UK, Wales has outstanding training and teaching resources, Independent schools, further education colleges and language schools are located throughout the country and all are popular with international students.

With the exception of the University of Glamorgan, all of the Welsh universities are part of the University of Wales federation, which is the second-largest University in the UK. The University of Wales has colleges in locations such as Aberystwyth, Bangor, Cardiff, Lampeter, Newport and Swansea - all of which offer excellent vocational, technical and foundation courses.

Swansea

Some forty miles west of Cardiff sits Waless second-largest city, Swansea. This city is far more Welsh than Cardiff, and youll hear yr iaith - the Welsh language - spoken daily on its streets. (The Welsh language is spoken by twenty per cent of the population in Wales, but all speak English.)

Swansea was massively rebuilt after the Second World War, but there are still some beautiful areas in this sprawling city. Some parts of the old city that were left intact include the wide seafront that overlooks Swansea Bay and a marina development around the old docks. For evening entertainment, the city has pubs and clubs to suit every taste.

Swansea is surrounded by impressive countryside. The nearby Gower Peninsula has some of the best beaches in the UK and the mountains are a short drive away to the north.

Out of town
Waless cosmopolitan towns and cities are surrounded by some outstanding scenery. From its unspoilt coastline to the Brecon Beacons and Snowdonia, Wales is a land of dramatic views, rugged mountain-tops and rolling valleys.

But Wales isnt just about countryside, business, education and vibrant cities - culturally it has far more to offer than you might expect of a small nation. The country boasts a wealth of established and fresh talent, and these international stars continue to raise the countrys profile on the world stage.

Wales has excellent male voice choirs and folk singers, but its Welsh rock and pop thats really booming. Musically, theres nothing that can hold the Welsh back. Heard of the Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia or the Stereophonics? Well theyre all young and Welsh and proud of it. As Cerys Matthews, lead singer of Catatonia, sings in International Velvet: Every morning when I wake up I thank the lord Im Welsh. There are many more Welsh groups that are already fairly well known in the UK, but not yet as widely popular as the bands mentioned above. Watch out for the Super Furry Animals, the 60ft Dolls and Gorkys Zygotic Mynci!

What rain?
And finally, as far as the weathers concerned, whilst Wales may be slightly wetter than other parts of the UK, it is undoubtedly much friendlier, so with so much going on in your life, youll hardly have the time to notice the weather!