.
One of our main attractions at the Festival this year is the band Los Campesinos. The band was formed in Wales, the most discrete of all the countries within Great Britain.
Wales has got some amazing landscapes, of course, but also features loads of peculiar aspects that makes it even more charming. So, in honour of Los Campesinos, here it goes: the TOP 5 things most people don’t know about Wales! Check it out:
A land of dragons
Up to this point in history, no actual dragons have been spotted in Wales :( The reason why a red dragon is on the Welsh flag has to do with an old prince. He used to use these creatures as his symbol. The dragon was also incorporated into the Arms of the Tudor dynasty, so that everyone would know that they were of Welsh descent.
![Top4]()
A land of sheep
A classic (and sort of offensive, to be honest) stereotype about Wales says that all of its people are actually sheep. Detractors also tend to say that if a Welsh’s dad isn’t a farmer, he’s a miner. The truth is: 78% of its territory is dedicated to agricultural activities, including sheep farming. There are about 8 million sheep living in the country, which makes the sheep population of Wales 3 times bigger than the human one! And this abundance leads to pretty weird situations, like the one pictured above…
![Top3]()
A land of singers
People say Wales is the “land of song”. They sing well indeed. Not ALL of them, naturally, but they do have many choirs over there, and a lot of really interesting bands come from Wales, like Super Furry Animals, Manic Street Preachers and our dearest Los Campesinos to name a few!
![Top2]()
A land of rugby fans
Wales has a pretty strong rugby national team for such a small country. It is, after all, their all time favourite sport. The main rival of the Welsh, obviously, is neighbouring England, and every once in a while they go really far at the most important championships in the world. They’ve never ever been left out of the Rugby World Cup (just like Brazil played every single Football World Cup!)
![Top1]()
A land of few vowels
Wales has two official languages that are just as important: Welsh and English. The latter is the most used, but the first one is widespread and really popular in the countryside. Most signs and official communication are written in both languages throughout the whole country. Welsh is a very interesting language and is full of history, but has too many consonants if compared to other latin or even anglo-saxon idioms (take a look at the picture above!).
