Nation guide

Galles

Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest summit, Yr Wyddfa (Snowdon), in the north, and over 2,700 km of coastline. Cardiff is the capital and largest city; the population was 3.1 million in 2021.

Below: every Britlens guide in Wales, its national parks, World Heritage Sites, islands and protected landscapes, and which ones we have not covered yet. For what differs between the four nations (health care, bank holidays, banknotes), see the four nations.

  • CapitalCardiff
  • Population (2021)3.1 million
  • CoastlineOver 2,700 km
  • Highest summitYr Wyddfa (Snowdon)
Rocky cove and green headland seen from the Anglesey Coastal Path
Anglesey
Cardiff Castle and its clock tower in the city centre
Cardiff
A narrowboat crossing the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct high above wooded slopes
Llangollen and Pontcysyllte

Islands

Island groups visitors ask about, and whether we cover them yet.

National Landscapes

From our selection of 21; the full list is on the National Landscapes Association site.

Principal areas

Wales has 22 principal areas. 9 overlap a Britlens guide. The county directory shows the nearest guide for each.

Fonti

Guide counts and coverage are generated from the guides on this site; facts about Wales come from the sources below, read on 2026-11-01.

  1. Wikipedia: Wales (opens in new tab). Capital, population, area, coastline, highest summit. Checked on 2026-11-01.
  2. Visit Wales (opens in new tab). Official tourism site for Wales (page loaded). Checked on 2026-11-01.
  3. Wikipedia: National parks of the United Kingdom (opens in new tab). National parks by nation. Checked on 2026-11-01.
  4. Wikipedia: List of World Heritage Sites in the United Kingdom (opens in new tab). World Heritage Sites by nation. Checked on 2026-11-01.
  5. National Parks UK (opens in new tab). The 15 national parks are across England, Scotland and Wales. Checked on 2026-11-01.

Crediti fotografici

Photos from Wikimedia Commons, used under the licences shown. All photo credits