Wales is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and borders England, the Irish Sea, and the British Channel. Its capital is Cardiff. Wales is a mountainous country with over 1,680 miles of coastline. Before the Industrial Revolution, the country was largely an agricultural society, but the mining and metallurgical industries helped transform the country. Though the majority of the population speaks English as its first language, Wales has a distinct cultural identity and is officially bilingual, with over 560,000 Welsh language speakers.