 |
Wales is located in the south-west of Great Britain and is bordered by the English counties of Cheshire, Shropshire, Herefordshire and Gloucestershire to the east, the Bristol Channel to the south, St George's Channel to the southwest, and the Irish Sea to the west and north.
The climate is cold and wet with high levels of rainfall all year round. Banking and finance, steel, transport equipment, oil and gas and tourism dominate the economy.
Following the Norman conquest of England in 1066, the independence of Wales was gradually eroded. Wales was legally annexed in 1535, and would go on to become a constituent of the United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland. Wales made their Commonwealth Games debut in Hamilton in 1930 and are one of only six nations to have taken part in every Games since that time. They have won a total of 196 medals, including 46 gold.
Among the six gold medallists in Manchester was Weightlifter Michaela Breeze, whose snatch of 87.5kg saw her claim the gold, while a personal best in the clean-and-jerk gave her a silver in that event and the overall category.
View the final list of medallists from Wales at Melbourne 2006 View highlights and photos from the Queen's Baton Relay in Wales |