Britannica Student Encyclopedia - 2010

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eBook edition January, 2010

 

The U.S. artist Andy Warhol is

famous for his paintings of

soup cans.

(See Warhol, Andy.)

The whippoorwill, a kind of

bird, is named for its call—three

whistled notes that sound like

“whip-poor-will.”

(See Whippoorwill.)

Winds are named after the

direction from which they come,

not the direction toward which

they blow.

(See Wind.)

There are three species, or

types, of wolf: gray, red, and

Ethiopian.

(See Wolf.)

The 19th Amendment to the

U.S. Constitution gave women

throughout the United States

the right to vote.

(See Women’s Rights.)

Ww

 

Wabanaki

#see Abnaki.

Wales

Wales is part of the United Kingdom, a

country of western Europe. The other

three parts of the United Kingdom are

England, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.

The people and the special language

ofWales are calledWelsh. In the

Welsh language,Wales is known as

Cymru. The capital ofWales is Cardiff.

Geography

Wales is in the southwestern part of the

island of Great Britain. It borders

England on the east. On the other three

sides it is surrounded by water. The

land is rugged. The Cambrian

Mountains extend from north to south

through Wales. The other major

mountain areas are the Snowdonia in

the north and the Brecon Beacons in

the south. The coast has many cliffs

and beaches. The Severn, Wye, and Dee

are the longest rivers. The climate is

cool and wet.

People

TheWelsh people can trace their roots

back to the Celts. The Celts were people

who lived in the area thousands of years

ago. TheWelsh language came from the

language of the Celts. About one fifth of

the people ofWales speakWelsh. English

is the other main language. Schools have

classes in both English andWelsh.Most

of theWelsh people are Protestant.

Economy

Most of the people ofWales work in

services such as government, education,

banking, and tourism. Manufacturing,

farming, and forestry are also important

to the economy. Factories make electrical,

automotive, chemical, and metal

products. Farmers raise sheep, cattle, and

poultry. Major crops include barley,

wheat, potatoes, and oats.

History

The Celts lived inWales in prehistoric

times. The Romans invaded in the 1st

Conwy Castle is one of many castles in

Wales. King Edward I of England had it

built in the 1280s.

4 Wabanaki BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA

 

century AD. The Romans used the name

Britons for the Celts they found. Roman

rule ended in about 400. Then a number

of new Celtic kingdoms were

formed. The English considered the

Britons to beWelsh. The nameWelsh

comes from an Old English word meaning

“foreigner.” But the people ofWales

called themselves Cymry, which means

“countrymen” inWelsh.

In the 800s and 900sWelsh princes

tried to unite the kingdoms. They were

not successful. In 1093 French invaders,

called the Normans, brought all of

southernWales under their rule. In the

1100s and 1200s the kings of England

made several attempts to conquerWales.

King Edward I was finally successful in

1277. In 1301 he gave his son the title

prince ofWales.

In 1401 the Welsh revolted against the

English. For a few years Wales was

independent. By 1410, however, the

English had regained control. In 1536

Wales was officially united with

England. In 1801 Wales became part of

the United Kingdom along with

England, Scotland, and Ireland. (Later

most of Ireland split from the United

Kingdom, but Northern Ireland

remained.)

In the 1800s and 1900s the people of

Wales worked for the right to govern

themselves. In 1997 the people voted to

form a lawmaking body of their own.

The body, called the National Assembly

forWales, was formed in 1999. It took

control of many things that the national

Parliament in London had handled

before.

#More to explore

Cardiff • Celt • England • Northern

Ireland • Scotland • United Kingdom

Walkingstick

Walkingsticks are insects that look like

the twigs of a plant. They are also called

stick insects. There are about 2,000 species,

or kinds, of walkingstick. They are

most numerous in the tropics.

Walkingsticks are long and thin. They

can be more than 12 inches (30 centimeters)

long. Tropical species are the

largest.Walkingsticks have wings, but

they do not fly. Instead they walk with a

rocking motion that makes them look

like a stick being blown in the wind.

A walkingstick rests on a plant.

The insect’s color and shape

make it look like a twig.

BRITANNICA STUDENT ENCYCLOPEDIA Walkingstick 5

 

Lizards and birds eat walkingsticks. The

insects try to blend in with their surroundings

so they will not be noticed.

Walkingsticks are green or brown, which

makes them look like the plants on

which they feed. Some species have

sharp spines or give off a bad smell to