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Nation · Wales

Wales

Discover Wales, known in Welsh as Cymru, where Cardiff serves as the capital city and Welsh and English are used.

Quick facts

Type of place
Nation
Nation
Wales
Official identifier
gss:W92000004

ONS countries December 2024

Office for National Statistics · ons-countries-2024 · Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0 Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2024.

Overview

Known as Cymru in the Welsh language, Wales is a nation where both Welsh and English are used, and St David's Day falls on 1 March. Cardiff, known in Welsh as Caerdydd, serves as the capital.

Geography and administration

Wales is one of the four nations of the United Kingdom.

Population and demographics

Land area
20,736.54 km²

Figures for . ONS EW MYE25 workbook geography: Notes April 2024; landing edition 2023 boundaries.

Office for National Statistics · ons-mid-2025 · MYE5!D343 (binary spreadsheet decimal rounded to 6 dp). Released 29 July 2026.

Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0

Population
3,175,181 people

Figures for . ONS EW MYE25 workbook geography: Notes April 2024; landing edition 2023 boundaries.

Office for National Statistics · ons-mid-2025 · MYE2 - Persons!D343. Released 29 July 2026.

Open Government Licence v3.0 · Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v.3.0

Population density: 153.1 people per km²

Calculated from the population and land area for 30 June 2025, using figures from the same release and covering the same boundaries.

Council areas and tourism regions

Wales has 22 local authority areas. Visit Wales also uses four broad tourism regions. The two groupings serve different purposes: the local authority areas are administrative, while the tourism regions are used to promote places to visitors.

Castles and town walls in north Wales

The castles at Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech were built for Edward I. They joined the World Heritage List in 1986, together with the town walls at Caernarfon and Conwy. The group is recognised for its medieval military architecture in north Wales. The World Heritage designation uses the historic name Gwynedd; that name should not be read as saying that all four castles are within today's Gwynedd council area.

Sources

  1. Introduction to Wales — Visit Wales. Cymru is the Welsh name for Wales. (Key facts and figures; regional groupings). Accessed 2026-09-28.
  2. The Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd — Cadw. The castles at Beaumaris, Caernarfon, Conwy and Harlech were built for Edward I in Wales. (Four castles and two sets of town walls). Accessed 2026-09-28.