Wales, an administrative division occupying, with England and Scotland, the island of Great Britain. Geographically, Wales comprises a peninsula lying between the Bristol Channel and the Irish Sea. It is about one hundred thirty-five miles long and from thirty-five to ninety-five miles wide. Area, 7,446 square miles, smaller than Massachusetts. The surface is mountainous. Mount Snowdon, the highest peak, attains a height of 3,571 feet. The scenery of Wales, both vale and mountain, is celebrated for beauty. Travelers even assert that Welsh scenery is the most beautiful in the world. The region is rich in mines of coal, iron, and copper. The copper works at Swansea are second only to those of Butte, Montana, in importance. The climate is moist. About thirty-five inches of rainfall may be expected yearly. Rainy harvests are the rule. For this reason, the broad valleys are suited to pasturage rather than to the raising of grain. The most characteristic manufacture is that of woolen cloth. Cardiff is the leading seaport. The Welsh are called a Celtic people. When hordes of Saxons invaded Great Britain, the ancient Britons were absorbed or were forced back, fighting as they went, into the Highlands of Scotland, into Cornwall, and into the mountains of Wales for refuge. The Welsh are modern representatives of these Celts. It is believed, however, that the original people of Wales were Iberians, and that the Celts were absorbed by them. The early history of Wales is a long record of fights between petty chieftains. The country was more or less united from the ninth century onward, and preserved its independence until it was subjugated finally by England in the reign of Edward I. He gave his son the title of Prince of Wales, a title since borne by the eldest son of the British sovereign. Since the Welsh conquest in 1284 Wales has been regarded as a part of England. The Welsh cling tenaciously, however, to their national dress, customs, and speech. Of a total population of 1,455,930 in 1901, there were 280,905 persons above three years of age who spoke the Welsh language only. It is difficult for English-speaking people to spell or to pronounce the Welsh language. It is related to the Gaelic of Scotland and the Erse of Ireland, but more closely resembles the speech of the Cornishmen and the inhabitants of Brittany, France. A considerable literature exists in the Welsh language. It is noted for brilliant coloring and imagination. A number of Welsh newspapers and periodicals are published in the United States. The Methodist and Presbyterian denominations are strong among the Welsh. The people are noted for hospitality. See ENGLAND; UNITED KINGDOM.