Wales: Should the country be known only as Cymru?

Could Wales be known only by its Welsh name - Cymru - in the future?

A petition calling for just that has been launched - and has so far garnered more than 5,400 signatures.

But that is short of the 10,000 needed for the topic to be debated in the Senedd, or Welsh Parliament.

The petition, on the Senedd's website, says: "Wales is a name imposed on Cymru and is essentially not a Welsh word at all.

"The world knows about Wales because of its English connection since 1282.

"Hardly anyone has heard of Cymru or realises that we have our own unique language and culture which is totally different from the other countries within the United Kingdom."

In recent months, a number of organisations in Wales have elected to drop the use of their English-language names and refer to themselves only in Welsh.

These include the Eryri and Bannau Brycheiniog national parks, known as Snowdonia and the Brecon Beacons respectively in English.

In 2022, the Welsh FA also said it was considering changing the official name of the team from Wales to Cymru after the World Cup in Qatar, and already uses Cymru at its headquarters and in communications and documents.

People quizzed on the streets of Cardiff had a mixed reaction to the idea.

One woman said: "I know Cymru is the Welsh version but people are going to recognise Wales."

But one man said: "Why use the English term when it's called Cymru?"

Video by Jack Grey and Greg Davies

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