The Evolution of Wales - National Museum Cardiff
Take a fabulous journey through time and space.
Follow Wales's journey as it travels across the face of the planet from its origins billions of years ago, brought to life by film, sound, light and spectacular specimens.
The story begins with the Big Bang and the beginning of time, leading to the formation of the Earth 4.5 billion years ago. Your journey then passes through many different climates and environments as Wales moved across the surface of the planet.
Find out how life evolved and see fossils and displays that reconstruct the environment when different animals lived.
See mounted skeletons of ancient creatures, including a stunning reconstruction of south Wales 200 million years ago showing impressive dinosaur skeletons and footprints.
An introductory gallery shows how water, wind, ice, gravity and heat from the interior of the Earth shaped our planet.
As Wales has drifted slowly across the face of the Earth from far south of the equator, it has encountered volcanoes, glaciers, coral reefs, tropical swamps and deserts along the way. The final gallery in the exhibition exhibits a spectacular range of animals, plants, fossils and minerals that demonstrate the diversity of the natural world – and remind us that it is constantly changing.
With its displays of dramatically varied life forms and minerals, the Diversity of Life gallery houses some of the most beautiful and intriguing objects in the Museum.
This is the Museum's largest ever single exhibition, covering over a thousand square meters of floor space. It tells the story of the evolution of Wales from its earliest geological origins up to the end of the last Ice Age, when our modern landscape was moulded.