ABSTRACT
Wales remains a land of contradiction. A country of great beauty, remembered for industrial and mining landscapes. A nation proud of language and culture, but lacking the independent institutions which ensure voice and influence. A people with a strong sense of Welsh identity, but unwilling to embrace devolution. A territory which was once the centre of the iron and steel industry, with techniques copied by every developing country, but which remained dependent on external capital. A country divided between south and north. A developed region whose internal transport links have been compared unfavourably with those in Third World countries. Recent and planned improvements in North and South Wales concentrate on improving links to England. They do not address the problem of contact between North and South Wales.
