The country of Wales is part of United Kingdom, as well as the island of Great Britain, which is snugly bordered by England by its East, and enveloped by the Irish Sea from North to West, while the Bristol Chanel lies to its South. A beautiful country, blessed with its rich history, cultures, and castles. Wales is one of the most historically renowned.

Wales, in its distinctive culture, comprises of its very own language, customs, holidays, as well as music. It is recognized all over the world for the latter. Wales is in possession of three UNESCO World Heritage Sites to be proud of, namely: The Castles and Town walls of King Edward I in Gwynedd, the Pontcysyllte Aqueduct; and last but not the least, the Blaenavon Industrial Landscape. Here are 10 other awesome facts you didn’t know about glorious Wales:

 Fact 1: In Welsh, you pronounce Wales as Cymru. Nope, could not have seen that one coming even if it hit you in the face with a…pancake.

Fact 2: Wales is believed to boast more castles in each square mile of land than any other country in the whole world. That’s a lot of castles. Sort of like a castle in every other backyard.

Fact 3: A traditional Welsh meal consists of Lamb. A staple dish, due to the fact that the country has a surplus of sheep, the sheep farming industry is absolutely booming over here. They do however, enjoy international cuisine as well, such as the ever popular Chicken Tikka Masala, among others.

Fact 4: Originally, the very first national emblem of Wales was a leek (Cenhinen), but over the years this symbol was often confused with a very similar Welsh word Cehhinen Bedr which meant daffodils. And so, long story short, the daffodil was adopted as a second emblem of Wales.

Fact 5: Wales is fondly known as “The Land of Song”, recognized for its harpists, male choirs, as well as their solo artists. What a whimsical, musical bunch.

Fact 6: Cardiff is by far the largest city, and it is also the capital of Wales. The other major cities found in Wales include Swansea and Newport in the South, while we can find Wrexham to the North of the country.

Fact 7: The Welsh Dragon, also known by Draig Goch, is the Welsh National Flag. It depicts the Welsh Red Dragon against a background of green and white, officially recognized back in 1959 as the national flag. The Red Dragon claims to be the oldest national flag that’s still in use today. Modern times have called upon the Leek or Daffodil as emblems as well, and the Welsh wear them on their collars on St. David’s day.

Fact 8: Tom Jones, singer and songwriter of the hit “Sex Bomb” was, you guessed it, a Welsh man. And get this! He was even inducted into the Years Honors List back in 2006, and was given a Knight’s Degree and knighted by the Queen herself. He is now officially Sir. Thomas John Woodward. How fancy.

Fact 9: The longest river in all of Wales is called the River Severn, which originates from the mountain Pumlumon, and was named after the Sabrina, the daughter King Locrine’s mistress bore him. The Queen had her thrown into the river to drown, and drown she did. 210 miles long, it stretches from Wales to Bristol Chanel.

Fact 10: A nickname that is given to a Welshman is “taffy”, although it has connotations with the word thief, and is now a derogatory word and an insult to the Welsh.