Y Wladfa

Welsh Argentines
Ariannin Cymreig (Welsh)
Galenses (Spanish)
Flag of Y Wladfa colony
Total population
70,000[1]
Regions with significant populations
Chubut Province
Languages
Spanish, Patagonian Welsh, English
Religion
Protestantism (mostly Methodism and Presbyterianism) and Roman Catholicism
Related ethnic groups
Welsh, Argentines, English Argentines, Irish Argentines, Scottish Argentines, Welsh Americans, Welsh Canadians, Welsh Australians
Y Wladfa is located in Argentina
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Welsh speaking settlements in Argentina

Y Wladfa (Welsh pronunciation: [ə ˈwladva], 'The Colony'),[2] also occasionally Y Wladychfa Gymreig (Welsh pronunciation: [ə wlaˈdəχva ɡəmˈreiɡ], 'The Welsh Settlement'),[3][4] refers to the establishment of settlements by Welsh colonists and immigrants in the Argentine Patagonia, beginning in 1865, mainly along the coast of the lower Chubut Valley.[5] In 1881, the area became part of the Chubut National Territory of Argentina which, in 1955, became Chubut Province.[6]

In the 19th and early 20th centuries, the Argentine government encouraged emigration from Europe to populate Argentina and south Patagonia particularly, which until the Conquest of the Desert had sparsely rural and coastal settlements. Indigenous peoples of Patagonia include the Tehuelche and the Yahgan.[citation needed]

Between 1856 and 1875, 34 settlements of immigrants of various nationalities were established in Santa Fe and Entre Ríos. In addition to the main colony in Chubut, a smaller colony was set up in Santa Fe by 44 Welsh people who left Chubut, and another group settled at Coronel Suárez in southern Buenos Aires Province.[7][8]

The Welsh-Argentine community is centred on Gaiman, Dolavon, Trelew, and Trevelin.[9] There are 70,000 Welsh-Patagonians. However, Chubut estimates the number of Patagonian Welsh speakers to be about 1,500, while other estimates put the number at 5,000.[10][11]

  1. ^ "150th anniversary of Welsh voyage to Patagonia". ITV. 30 May 2015. The community still exists in Argentina today, with a population of more than 70,000.
  2. ^ National Library of Wales' bibliography for 'The Welsh settlement in Patagonia'
  3. ^ Gwladychfa Gymreig Archived 3 February 2014 at the Wayback Machine, being an essay by the Rev. Michael D. Jones probably written during the early 1860s, outlining his vision of a Welsh settlement.
  4. ^ Banner Cymru, Mercher, Mawrth 4, 1857, Cyf. I, Rhif 1, p. 7, col. C, article about a meeting in Caernarfon to discuss the advantages and disadvantages of Patagonia as somewhere to establish "Y Wladychfa Gymreig"; see also Williams, R. Bryn, Gwladfa Patagonia: The Welsh Colony in Patagonia 1865–1965 (Gwasg Prifysgol Cymru, Caerdydd, 1965), plate facing p. 33, showing printed money notes for "Gwladychfa Gymreig Patagonia", with one also bearing the stamp "Y Wladychfa Gymreig"
  5. ^ "The Chubut Colony". The Welsh of Patagonia. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  6. ^ "Chubut province, Argentina". Britannica. Retrieved 12 July 2021.
  7. ^ Birt, Paul W. (2005). "Welsh (in Argentina)". In Diarmuid Ó Néill (ed.). Rebuilding the Celtic Languages. Talybont: Y Lolfa. p. 146. ISBN 978-0-86243-723-7.
  8. ^ "Wales and Patagonia". 26 June 2015. Retrieved 4 May 2017.
  9. ^ Berresford Ellis, Peter (1983). The Celtic revolution: a study in anti-imperialism. Talybont: Y Lolfa. pp. 175–178. ISBN 978-0-86243-096-2.
  10. ^ Western Mail, 27 Dec 2004
  11. ^ "Viewpoint: The Argentines who speak Welsh". BBC News. 16 October 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2014.