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Regions of Wales

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Status

The regions of Wales have little administrative status, as of 2022, nor are they officially defined. Local government is primarily managed by the twenty-two principal areas.

Some argue that Wales should stop using terms to describe regions of Wales, as they lack both strict definitions and boundaries, and instead consider Wales as a single entity. However, others campaign for more recognition of Wales' various regions, such as the north and west.

Historical usage

North-South divide

There may be a north-south divide, between North Wales and South Wales. The Cambrian Mountains form a mountainous interior of Wales, limiting the connection between North and South with few transport links between them. Most of the population of Wales is concentrated on opposing sides of Wales. Transport links between North and South Wales are significantly weak, with major north–south links passing through England, and both the North and South, having closer transport links with North West England, and South West England respectively. Liverpool is sometimes described as the "Capital of North Wales", as its the largest city closest to North Wales. Historical maps divide North and South Wales using the boundaries between Montgomeryshire and Radnorshire, and between Cardiganshire and Merionethshire, but the modern-day divide is described as ambiguous or arbitrary.

Modern usage

Since devolution, the Welsh Government is making efforts to increase connection between north and south. However in 2013 there were reports that the Welsh Government may have short-changed the north by £131.53 million, which critics describe as proof of a modern north–south divide. The government responded that the figures are "highly misleading", as they ignore funding through Wales-wide programmes, and that the government has spent more on health and transport in the north than in the south-east, and more on education than the national average. The then First Minister of Wales, Carwyn Jones, disagreed that there was a north–south divide in Wales, but stated that there would "never be a time" that people will no longer see a north–south divide.

There is a part-ministerial post in the Welsh Cabinet for "North Wales", and a North Wales office of the Senedd. Plaid Cymru has called for a trans-Wales railway as a solution to bridge the cultural divide between north and south.

There is a north–south divide in language, not only between more and less Welsh-speaking areas, but also in terms of accents (both relating to English and Welsh) and dialects of Welsh. There is also a cultural divide between "gogs" in the north and "hwntws" in the south.

There may be a tourism divide between north and south Wales due to geographic and existing transport capabilities, with tourism in the north aimed at nearby tourists from the rest of the UK and closer airports in Liverpool and Manchester, for day trips and staycations; whereas strategies for the south by the devolved administrations aim for more international and longer-term tourism through Cardiff Airport in the south. Strategies based on drawing tourists through Cardiff Airport may not have a big impact on the north due to a lack of connectivity with Cardiff Airport and the north of Wales.

Capitalisation

There is a debate whether to spell the regions of Wales with a capitalised letter or a lowercase letter, for example either a lower case 'n' for north Wales or a capitalised 'N' for North Wales (see North Wales#Capitalisation). The debate has been coined as the "to cap or not to cap" debate in media. Usage varies, BBC News and the Welsh Government for example use lowercase, whereas Visit Wales uses capitalised, with the latter having their own version of Wales' regions. David Williams, chairman of the North Wales Business Club, announced his support for capping the term "North" in "North Wales" stating that the region should be "very recognisable [...] in our own right".

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