Does the <nav> element have to have a <ul> in it?

Question

On this page http://html5doctor.com/nav-element/, it mentions how to use the <nav> tag for semantic reasons.

In every example, it uses the <ul> tag, and mentions using it.

Is this required by the HTML 5 specification or is it just recommended by the author?

Answer 1

No, it doesn't.

HTML 5.1 Nightly 4.3.4 The nav element

A nav element doesn't have to contain a list, it can contain other kinds of content as well. In this navigation block, links are provided in prose:

<nav>
  <h1>Navigation</h1>
  <p>
    <a href="">...</a>
    <a href="">...</a>
  </p>
  <p>
    <a href="">...</a>
    <a href="">...</a>
  </p>
</nav>

_{HTML shortened for simplicity and brevity.}