Cardiff
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For other uses, see Cardiff (disambiguation).
City and County of Cardiff
Dinas a Sir Caerdydd

From upper left: Cardiff Bay, The Millennium Stadium, The Senedd, the City Centre and the keep of Cardiff Castle
Motto: Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn
(The red dragon will lead the way)

Location of the city of Cardiff (Light Green) within Wales
Coordinates: 51°29′07″N 3°11′12″W / 51.48528°N 3.18667°W / 51.48528; -3.18667
Sovereign state United Kingdom
Constituent country Wales
Region South Wales
Historic county Glamorgan
Government
- Cardiff Council Leader Rodney Berman
- Welsh Assembly List[show]
Cardiff West
Cardiff South and Penarth
Cardiff North
Cardiff Central
- UK Parliament List[show]
Cardiff West
Cardiff South and Penarth
Cardiff North
Cardiff Central
- European Parliament Wales
Area
- City 2.6 sq mi (6.652 km2)
- Urban 54.1 sq mi (140 km2)
Population (2001*; otherwise 2008 est.)
- City 324,800
- Density 11,375.2/sq mi (4,392/km2)
- Urban 327,706*
841,500 (Larger Urban Zone)
Ethnicity [1]
- White 91.57%
- Mixed 1.99%
- Asian 3.96%
- Black 1.28%
- Chinese/other 1.20%
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Post codes CF3, CF5, CF10, CF11, CF14, CF15, CF23, CF24
Area code(s) 029
Vehicle area codes CA, CB, CC, CD, CE, CF, CG, CH, CJ, CK, CL, CM, CN, CO
Police Force South Wales Police
Fire Service South Wales Fire and Rescue Service
Ambulance Serivce Welsh Ambulance Service
Website http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/
Cardiff (pronounced /ˈkɑrdɪf/ ( listen), Welsh: Caerdydd (info)) is the capital, largest city and most populous county of Wales. The city is Wales' chief commercial centre, the base for many national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales. According to recent estimates, the population of the unitary authority area is 324,800.[2] Cardiff is a significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 11.7 million visitors in 2006.[3]

The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities.[4] Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area, including Dinas Powys, Penarth and Radyr. A small town until the early 19th century, its prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region contributed to its rise as a major city.

Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955. Since the 1990s Cardiff has seen significant development with a new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay which contains the new Welsh Assembly Building and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex. The city centre is undergoing a major redevelopment. International sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (rugby union and football) and SWALEC Stadium (cricket). The city was awarded with the European City Of Sport in 2009 due to its role in hosting major international sporting events.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
2 History
2.1 Origins
2.2 Norman occupation to the Middle Ages
2.3 County town of Glamorganshire
2.4 Building of the docks
2.5 City and capital city status
3 Governance
4 Geography
4.1 Cityscape
4.2 Climate
4.3 Temperature
4.4 Sunshine hours
4.5 Rainfall
5 Demography
5.1 Language
5.2 Religion
6 Economy
7 Landmarks and attractions
7.1 Castles
8 Culture and recreation
8.1 Music and performing arts
8.2 Recreation
9 Media
9.1 Use in media
10 Sport
10.1 Rugby
10.2 Football
10.3 Cricket
10.4 Boxing
10.5 International Sports Village
10.6 Motor racing
10.7 Athletics
10.8 Sailing
10.9 Cycling
10.10 Baseball
10.11 Basketball
10.12 Other venues
11 Notable people
12 Transport
12.1 Road
12.2 Rail
12.3 Bus
12.4 Air
12.5 Water
12.6 Cycle
13 Education
14 Health
15 International relations
16 Telecommunications
17 See also
18 References
19 External links


[edit] Etymology

The front wall of Cardiff Castle, showing part of the original Roman fort from which the city derived its name.Caerdydd (the Welsh name of the city), and its anglicised form Cardiff, derive from post-Roman Brythonic words meaning "the fort on the Taff". The fort refers to that established by the Romans. "Dydd" or "Diff" are both modifications of "Taff", the river on which Cardiff Castle stands, with the T mutating to D in Welsh. According to Professor Hywel Wyn Owen, a leading modern authority on toponymy, the Welsh pronunciation of "Caerdyff" as "Caerdydd" shows the colloquial alternation of Welsh "-f" and "-dd".[5]

The antiquarian William Camden (1551–1623) suggested that the name Cardiff may derive from the name "Caer-Didi" ("the Fort of Didius"), given in honour of Aulus Didius Gallus, governor of a nearby province at the time when the Roman fort was established. Although some websites repeat this theory as fact, it is disputed by modern scholars on linguistic grounds, with Professor Gwynedd Pierce of Cardiff University recently describing it as "rubbish".[6]

[edit] History
Main articles: History of Cardiff and Timeline of Cardiff history
[edit] Origins

Tribes of Wales at the time of the Roman invasion (The modern English border is also shown)Archaeological evidence from sites in and around Cardiff—the St Lythans burial chamber, near Wenvoe (about four miles (6.4 km) west, south west of Cardiff City Centre), the Tinkinswood burial chamber, near St Nicholas (about six miles (10 km) west of Cardiff City Centre), the Cae'rarfau Chambered Tomb, Creigiau (about six miles (10 km) north west of Cardiff City Centre) and the Gwern y Cleppa Long Barrow, near Coedkernew, Newport (about eight and a quarter miles (13.5 km) north east of Cardiff City Centre)—shows that Neolithic people had settled in the area by at least around 6,000 BP (Before Present), about 1,500 years before either Stonehenge or The Egyptian Great Pyramid of Giza was completed.[7][8][9][10][11] A group of five Bronze Age tumuli is at the summit of The Garth (Welsh: Mynydd y Garth), within the county's northern boundary.[12] Four Iron Age hillfort and enclosure sites have been identified within Cardiff's present-day county boundaries, including Caerau Hillfort, an enclosed area of 5.1 hectares (51,000 m2).[13][14][15][16]

Until the Roman conquest of Britain, Cardiff was part of the territory of an Iron Age Celtic British tribe called the Silures.[17] That territory included the areas that would become known as Breconshire, Monmouthshire and Glamorgan. The 3.2-hectare (8-acre) Roman fort established by the River Taff in 75 CE (Common Era) was built over an extensive settlement that had been established by the Silures in the 50s CE.[18] The fort was one of a series of military outposts associated with Isca Augusta (Caerleon) that acted as border defences. The fort may have been abandoned in the early 2nd century as the area had been subdued, however by this time a civilian settlement, or vicus, was established. It was likely made up of traders who made a living from the fort, ex-soldiers and their families. A Roman villa has been discovered at Ely.[19] Contemporary with the Saxon Shore Forts of the 3rd and 4th centuries, a stone fortress was established at Cardiff. Similar to the shore forts, the fortress was built to protect Britannia from raiders.[20] Coins from the reign of Gratian indicate that Cardiff was inhabited until at least the 4th century; the fort was abandoned towards the end of the 4th century, as the last Roman legions left the province of Britannia with Magnus Maximus.[21][22]

Little is known about the fort and civilian settlement in the period between the Roman departure from Britain and the Norman Conquest. Historian William Rees suggests that the settlement probably shrank in size and may even have been abandoned. In the absence of Roman rule, Wales was divided into small kingdoms; early on, Meurig ap Tewdrig emerged as the local king in Glywysing (which later became Glamorgan). The area passed through his family until the advent of the Normans in the 11th century.[23]

[edit] Norman occupation to the Middle Ages

View of Caerdiffe Castle (sic)In 1081 William I of England began work on the castle keep within the walls of the old Roman fort.[24] Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since.[25] The castle was substantially altered and extended during the Victorian period by John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and the architect William Burges. Original Roman work can, however, still be distinguished in the wall facings.

A small town grew up in the shadow of the castle, made up primarily of settlers from England.[26] Cardiff had a population of between 1,500 and 2,000 in the Middle Ages, a relatively normal size for a Welsh town in this period.[27] By the end of the 13th century, Cardiff was the only town in Wales with a population exceeding 2,000, but it was relatively small compared with most notable towns in the Kingdom of England.[28]

In the early 12th century a wooden palisade was erected around the city to protect it. Cardiff was a busy port in the Middle Ages, and was declared a Staple port in 1327.[29]

Henry II travelled through Cardiff on his journey to Ireland and had a premonition against the holding of Sunday markets at St Piran's Chapel, which stood in the middle of the road between the castle entrance and Westgate.[citation needed]

In 1404 Owain Glyndwr burned Cardiff and took Cardiff Castle.[29] As the town was still very small, most of the buildings were made of wood and the town was destroyed. However, the town was soon rebuilt and began to flourish once again.[27]

[edit] County town of Glamorganshire
In 1536, the Act of Union between England and Wales led to the creation of the shire of Glamorgan, and Cardiff was made the county town. It also became part of Kibbor hundred.[citation needed] Around this same time the Herbert family became the most powerful family in the area.[26] In 1538, Henry VIII closed the Dominican and Franciscan friaries in Cardiff, the remains of which were used as building materials.[27] A writer around this period described Cardiff: "The River Taff runs under the walls of his honours castle and from the north part of the town to the south part where there is a fair quay and a safe harbour for shipping."[27]


John Speed's map of Cardiff from 1610Cardiff had become a Free Borough in 1542.[29] In 1573, it was made a head port for collection of customs duties, and in 1581, Elizabeth I granted Cardiff its first royal charter.[26] Pembrokeshire historian George Owen described Cardiff in 1602 as "the fayrest towne in Wales yett not the welthiest."[26], and the town gained a second Royal Charter in 1608.[30] Disastrous flooding led to a change in the course of the River Taff and the ruining of St Mary's Parish Church, which was replaced by its chapel of ease, St John the Baptist.[citation needed] During the Second English Civil War, St Fagans just to the west of the town, played host to the Battle of St Fagans. The battle, between a Royalist rebellion and a New Model Army detachment, was a decisive victory for the Parliamentarians and allowed Oliver Cromwell to conquer Wales.[29] It is the last major battle to occur in Wales, with about 200 (mostly Royalist) soldiers killed.[26]

In the ensuing century Cardiff was at peace. In 1766, John Stuart, 1st Marquess of Bute married into the Herbert family and was later created Baron Cardiff,[26] and in 1778 he began renovations on Cardiff Castle.[31] In the 1790s a racecourse, printing press, bank and coffee house all opened, and Cardiff gained a stagecoach service to London. Despite these improvements, Cardiff's position in the Welsh urban hierarchy had declined over the 18th century. Iolo Morgannwg called it "an obscure and inconsiderable place", and the 1801 census found the population to be only 1,870, making Cardiff only the twenty-fifth largest town in Wales, well behind Merthyr and Swansea.[32]

[edit] Building of the docks

Cardiff Docks—from where coal was shipped throughout the worldIn 1793, John Crichton-Stuart, 2nd Marquess of Bute was born. He would spend his life building the Cardiff docks and would later be called "the creator of modern Cardiff".[26] A twice-weekly boat service between Cardiff and Bristol was established in 1815,[31] and in 1821, the Cardiff Gas Works was established.[31]

After the Napoleonic Wars Cardiff entered a period of social and industrial unrest, starting with the trial and hanging of Dic Penderyn in 1831.[citation needed]

The town grew rapidly from the 1830s onwards, when the Marquess of Bute built a dock which eventually linked to the Taff Vale Railway. Cardiff became the main port for exports of coal from the Cynon, Rhondda, and Rhymney valleys, and grew at a rate of nearly 80% per decade between 1840 and 1870. Much of the growth was due to migration from within and outside Wales: in 1841, a quarter of Cardiff's population were English-born and more than 10% had been born in Ireland.[33] By the 1881 census, Cardiff had overtaken both Merthyr and Swansea to become the largest town in Wales.[34] Cardiff's new status as the premier town in South Wales was confirmed when it was chosen as the site of the University College South Wales and Monmouthshire in 1893.[32]

Cardiff faced a challenge in the 1880s when David Davies of Llandinam and the Barry Railway Company promoted the development of rival docks at Barry. Barry docks had the advantage of being accessible in all tides, and David Davies claimed that his venture would cause "grass to grow in the streets of Cardiff". From 1901 coal exports from Barry surpassed those from Cardiff, but the administration of the coal trade remained centred on Cardiff, in particular its Coal Exchange, where the price of coal on the British market was determined and the first million-pound deal was struck in 1907.[32] The city also strengthened its industrial base with the decision of the owners of the Dowlais Ironworks in Merthyr (who would later form part of Guest, Keen and Nettlefolds) to build a new steelworks close to the docks at East Moors, which was opened on 4 February 1891 by Lord Bute.[35]

[edit] City and capital city status

Welsh National War Memorial, Cathays ParkKing Edward VII granted Cardiff city status on 28 October 1905,[36] and the city acquired a Roman Catholic Cathedral in 1916. In subsequent years an increasing number of national institutions were located in the city, including the National Museum of Wales, Welsh National War Memorial, and the University of Wales Registry Building—however, it was denied the National Library of Wales, partly because the library's founder, Sir John Williams, considered Cardiff to have "a non-Welsh population".[32]

After a brief post-war boom, Cardiff docks entered a prolonged decline in the interwar period. By 1936, their trade was less than half its value in 1913, reflecting the slump in demand for Welsh coal.[32] Bomb damage during the Cardiff Blitz in World War II included the devastation of Llandaff Cathedral, and in the immediate postwar years the city's link with the Bute family came to an end.

The city was proclaimed capital city of Wales on 20 December 1955, by a written reply by the Home Secretary Gwilym Lloyd George. Caernarfon had also vied for this title.[37] Cardiff therefore celebrated two important anniversaries in 2005. The Encyclopedia of Wales notes that the decision to recognise the city as the capital of Wales "had more to do with the fact that it contained marginal Conservative constituencies than any reasoned view of what functions a Welsh capital should have". Although the city hosted the Commonwealth Games in 1958, Cardiff only became a centre of national administration with the establishment of the Welsh Office in 1964, which later prompted the creation of various other public bodies such as the Arts Council of Wales and the Welsh Development Agency, most of which were based in Cardiff.


The National Museum Cardiff, next to City HallThe East Moors Steelworks closed in 1978 and Cardiff lost population during the 1980s,[38] consistent with a wider pattern of counter urbanisation in Britain. However, it recovered and was one of the few cities (outside London) where population grew during the 1990s.[39] During this period the Cardiff Bay Development Corporation was promoting the redevelopment of south Cardiff; an evaluation of the regeneration of Cardiff Bay published in 2004 concluded that the project had "reinforced the competitive position of Cardiff" and "contributed to a massive improvement in the quality of the built environment", although it had failed "to attract the major inward investors originally anticipated".[40]

In the 1999 devolution referendum, Cardiff voters rejected the establishment of the National Assembly for Wales by 55.4% to 44.2% on a 47% turnout, which Denis Balsom partly ascribed to a general preference in Cardiff and some other parts of Wales for a 'British' rather than exclusively 'Welsh' identity.[41][42] The relative lack of support for the Assembly locally, and difficulties between the Welsh Office and Cardiff Council in acquiring the original preferred venue, Cardiff City Hall, encouraged other local authorities to bid to house the Assembly.[43][44] However, the Assembly eventually located at Ty Hywel in Cardiff Bay in 1999; in 2005, a new debating chamber on an adjacent site, designed by Richard Rogers, was opened.

The city was county town of Glamorgan until the council reorganisation in 1974 paired Cardiff and the now Vale of Glamorgan together as the new county of South Glamorgan. Further local government restructuring in 1996 resulted in Cardiff city's district council becoming a unitary authority, the City and County of Cardiff, with the addition of Creigiau and Pentyrch.


Cathays Park, Cardiff, with Cardiff City Hall (left) and the National Museum Gallery of Wales (right)
[edit] Governance

Cardiff City HallMain article: Politics in Cardiff
See also: Cardiff Council and National Assembly for Wales
Since local government reorganisation in 1996, Cardiff has been governed by The City and County Council of Cardiff, which is based at County Hall in Atlantic Wharf, Cardiff Bay. Voters elect 75 councillors every four years, with the next elections due to be held in 2012. Since the 2004 local elections, no individual political party has held a majority on Cardiff County Council. The Liberal Democrats have 35 councillors, the Conservatives have 17, Labour have 13, Plaid Cymru have seven and three councillors sit as Independents. The Leader of the Council, Cllr Rodney Berman, is from the Liberal Democrats.[45] The Liberal Democrats and Plaid Cymru have formed a partnership administration to run the council.[46]


The Senedd building.The National Assembly for Wales has been based in Cardiff Bay since its formation in 1999. The building, known as the Senedd (which translates into English as Legislature, Parliament or Senate) was opened on 1 March 2006, by The Queen.[47] Many Welsh Assembly Government civil servants are based in Cardiff's Cathays Park, with smaller numbers in a variety of other locations in the city centre, Coryton, Llanishen, Tremorfa and Morganstown.[48] The Assembly Members (AMs), the Assembly Parliamentary Service and Ministerial support staff are based in Cardiff Bay. Cardiff elects four constituency Assembly Members (AMs) to the Assembly, with the individual constituencies for the Assembly being the same as for the UK Parliament. All of the city's residents have an extra vote for the South Wales Central region which increases proportionality to the Assembly. The most recent Welsh Assembly general election were held on 3 May 2007.

[edit] Geography

Satellite image of Cardiff, showing vegetation and land cover. Barry is shown bottom leftThe centre of Cardiff is relatively flat and is bounded by hills on the outskirts to the east, north and west. Its geographic features were influential in its development as the world's largest coal port, most notably its proximity and easy access to the coal fields of the south Wales valleys.

Cardiff is built on reclaimed marshland on a bed of Triassic stones; this reclaimed marshland stretches from Chepstow to the Ely Estuary,[49] which is the natural boundary of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Triassic landscapes of this part of the world are usually shallow and low-lying which accounts and explains the flatness of the centre of Cardiff.[50] The classic Triassic marl, sand and conglomerate rocks are used predominantly throughout Cardiff as building materials. Many of these Triassic rocks have a purple complexion, especially the coastal marl found near Penarth. One of the Triassic rocks used in Cardiff is "Radyr Stone", a freestone which as it name suggests is quarried in the Radyr district.[51] Cardiff has also imported some materials for buildings: Devonian sandstones (the Old Red Sandstone) from the Brecon Beacons has been used. Most famously, the buildings of Cathays Park, the civic centre in the centre of the city, are built of Portland stone which was imported from Dorset.[52] A widely used building stone in Cardiff is the yellow-grey Liassic limestone rock of the Vale of Glamorgan, including the very rare "Sutton Stone", a conglomerate of lias limestone and carboniferous limestone.[53]

Cardiff is bordered to the west by the rural district of the Vale of Glamorgan—also known as The Garden of Cardiff—[54] to the east by the city of Newport, to the north by the South Wales Valleys and to the south by the Severn Estuary and Bristol Channel. The River Taff winds through the centre of the city and together with the River Ely flows into the freshwater lake of Cardiff Bay. A third river, the Rhymney flows through the east of the city entering directly into the Severn Estuary.

Cardiff is situated near the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, stretching westward from Penarth and Barry—commuter towns of Cardiff—with striped yellow-blue Jurassic limestone cliffs. The Glamorgan coast is the only part of the Celtic Sea that has exposed Jurassic (blue lias) geology. This stretch of coast, which has reefs, sandbanks and serrated cliffs, was a ship graveyard; ships sailing up to Cardiff during the industrial era often never made it as far as Cardiff as many were wrecked around this hostile coastline during west/south-westerly gales. Consequently, smuggling, deliberate shipwrecking and attacks on ships were common.[55]

Destinations from CARDIFF Llantrisant Pontypridd, Brecon, Caerphilly, Aberdare, Rhondda Newport, Chepstow
Maesteg, Neath, Bridgend Bristol Channel
CARDIFF

Llantwit Major, Cardiff International Airport Penarth, Dinas Powys, Barry Bristol Channel

[edit] Cityscape
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Please help improve this article by adding reliable references. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (December 2008)

City centre apartment and hotel towersSee also: List of places in Cardiff
"Inner Cardiff" consists of the following wards: Penylan, Plasnewydd, Gabalfa, Roath, Cathays, Adamsdown and Splott ward on the north and east of the city centre, and Butetown, Grangetown, Riverside and Canton to the south and west.[56] The inner-city areas to the south of the A4161 road (known as the "Southern Arc") are, with the exception of Cardiff Bay, some of the poorest districts of Wales with low levels of economic activity.[57] On the other hand Gabalfa, Plasnewydd and Cathays north of the 'arc' have very large student populations,[58] and Pontcanna (situated north of Riverside and alongside Canton) is a favourite for students and young professionals. Penylan, which lies to the north east side of Roath Park, is an affluent area popular with those with older children and the retired.


Stadium House and South Gate House"Suburban Cardiff" can be broken down into three distinct areas.[original research?] To the west lie Ely, Caerau and Fairwater which contain some of the largest housing estates in the United Kingdom. With the exception of some of the outlying privately built estates at Michaelston Super Ely and 1930s developments near Waun-Gron Road, this is an economically disadvantaged area with high numbers of unemployed households. Culverhouse Cross is a more affluent western area of the city. Radyr, Llandaff, Llandaff North, Whitchurch & Tongwynlais, Rhiwbina, Heath, Llanishen, Thornhill, Lisvane and Cyncoed which lie in an arc from the north west to the north east of the centre can be considered the main middle class suburbs of the city. In particular, Cyncoed, Radyr and Lisvane contain some of the most expensive housing in Wales. Further to the east lie the wards of Pontprennau & Old St Mellons, Rumney, Pentwyn, Llanrumney and Trowbridge. The latter three are again largely of public housing stock, although new private housing is being built in Trowbridge in considerable number. Pontprennau is the newest 'suburb' of Cardiff, whilst Old St Mellons has a history going back to the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.[59]

To the north west of the city lies a region that may be called "Rural Cardiff" containing the villages of St. Fagans, Creigiau, Pentyrch, Tongwynlais and Gwaelod-y-garth.[60] St. Fagans, home to the Museum of Welsh Life, is protected from further development.[61]

Since 2000, there has been a significant change of scale and building height in Cardiff, with the development of the city centre's first purpose-built high-rise apartments.[62] Tall buildings have been built in the city centre and Cardiff Bay, and more are planned.[63] A luxury hotel, Bayscape, has been granted planning permission at the Cardiff International Sports Village and it will be the tallest building in Wales upon completion.[64]

[edit] Climate
See also: Climate of the United Kingdom#Wales
Cardiff
Climate chart
J F M A M J J A S O N D
119 82 91 82 89 114 65 135 65 178 66 1911 61 2213 90 2113 104 1810 117 158 117 114 128 93
average max. and min. temperatures in °C
precipitation totals in mm
source: Met Office

Imperial conversion[show]
J F M A M J J A S O N D
4.7 4636 3.6 4636 3.5 5239 2.6 5541 2.6 6346 2.6 6652 2.4 7255 3.5 7055 4.1 6450 4.6 5946 4.6 5239 5 4837
average max. and min. temperatures in °F
precipitation totals in inches

Cardiff lies within the north temperate zone and has an essentially maritime climate, characterised by mild weather that is often cloudy, wet and windy.[65] Summers tend to be warm and sunny, with average maximum temperatures between 19 °C (66 °F) and 22 °C (72 °F). Winters tend to be fairly wet, but rainfall is rarely excessive and the temperature usually stays above freezing. Spring and autumn feel quite similar and the temperatures tend to stay above 14 °C (57 °F)—also the average annual daytime temperature. Rain is unpredictable at any time of year, although the showers tend to be shorter in summer.[66]

The northern part of the county, being higher and inland—e.g. The Garth (Welsh: Mynydd y Garth), about 7 miles (11 km) north west of Cardiff city centre, (elevation 1,007 feet (307 m))—tends to be cooler and wetter than the city centre.[citation needed][67]

[edit] Temperature
Cardiff's maximum and minimum monthly temperatures average 21.3 °C (70.3 °F) (August) and 2.1 °C (35.8 °F) (January and February).
For Wales, the temperatures average 19.1 °C (66.4 °F) (July) and 1.1 °C (34.0 °F) (February).[68][69]

[edit] Sunshine hours
Cardiff has 1518 hours of sunshine during an average year (Wales 1388.7 hours). Cardiff is sunniest during July, with an average 203.4 hours during the month (Wales 183.3 hours), and least sunny during December with 44.6 hours (Wales 38.5 hours).[68][69]

[edit] Rainfall
Cardiff experiences less rainfall than Wales as a whole.

Rain falls in Cardiff on 146 days during an average year, with total annual rainfall of 1,111.7 millimetres (43.77 in). Monthly rainfall pattern shows that from September to January average monthly rainfall in Cardiff exceeded 100 millimetres (3.9 in) each month, the wettest month being December with 128 millimetres (5.0 in). Cardiff's dryest months are from April to July, with average monthly rainfall fairly consistent, at between 60.5 millimetres (2.38 in) and 65.9 millimetres (2.59 in).[68][69]

Rain falls in Wales on 165.5 days during an average year, with total annual rainfall of 1,435.9 millimetres (56.53 in). Monthly rainfall pattern shows that from September to January average monthly rainfall in Wales exceeded 120.0 millimetres (4.72 in) each month, the wettest month being December with 173.3 millimetres (6.82 in) Wales' dryest months are from April to July, with average monthly rainfall fairly consistent, at between 78.4 millimetres (3.09 in) and 85.9 millimetres (3.38 in).[68][69]

[edit] Demography
Year Population of Cardiff
1801 6,342
1851 26,630
1861 48,965
1871 71,301
1881 93,637
1891 142,114
1901 172,629
1911 209,804
1921 227,753
1931 247,270
1941 257,112
1951 267,356
1961 278,552
1971 290,227
1981 274,500
1991 272,557
2001 292,150
2007 321,000*
2008 324,800†
source: Vision of Britain except *,
which is estimated by the
Office for National Statistics,
and † which is estimated by National Statistics for Wales.
Historical populations are calculated
with the modern boundaries
Following a period of decline during the 1970s and 1980s, Cardiff's population is growing. The local authority area had an estimated population of more than 324,800 in 2008,[2] compared to a 2001 Census figure of 305,353.[70] Between mid-2007 and mid-2008, Cardiff was the fastest-growing local authority in Wales with population growth rate of 1.2%.[2]According to Census 2001 data, Cardiff was the 14th largest settlement in the United Kingdom,[71] and the 21st largest urban area.[72] The Cardiff Larger Urban Zone (a Eurostat definition including the Vale of Glamorgan and a number of local authorities in the Valleys) has 841,600 people, the 10th largest LUZ in the UK.[73]

Official estimates derived from the census regarding the city's total population have been disputed. The city council has published two articles that argue the 2001 census seriously under reports the population of Cardiff and, in particular, the ethnic minority population of some inner city areas.[74][75]

Cardiff has a ethnically diverse population due to its past trading connections, post-war immigration and the large numbers of foreign students who attend university in the city. The ethnic make-up of Cardiff's population at the time of the 2001 census was: 91.6% white, 2% mixed race, 4% South Asian, 1.3% black, 1.2% other ethnic groups. According to a report published in 2005, over 30,000 people from an ethnic minority live in Cardiff, around 8.4% of the city's total - many of these communities live in Butetown, where ethnic minorities make up around a third of the total population.[76] This diversity, and especially that of the city's long-established African and Arab communities, has been celebrated in a number of cultural exhibitions and events, along with a number of books which have been published on this subject.[77][78]

[edit] Language
See also: Cardiff accent

Cardiff has a chequered linguistic history with Welsh, English, Latin, Norse and Norman-French preponderant at different times. Welsh was the majority language in Cardiff from the 13th century until the city's explosive growth in the Victorian era.[79] As late as 1850, five of the twelve Anglican churches within the current city boundaries conducted their services exclusively in the Welsh language, while only two worshipped exclusively in English.[79] By 1891, the percentage of Welsh speakers had dropped to 27.9% and only Lisvane, Llanedeyrn and Creigiau remained as majority Welsh-speaking communities.[80] The Welsh language became grouped around a small cluster of chapels and churches, the most notable of which is Tabernacl in the city centre, one of four UK churches chosen to hold official services to commemorate the new millennium. Following the establishment of the city's first Welsh School (Ysgol Gymraeg Bryntaf) in the 1950s, Welsh has slowly regained some ground.[81] Aided by Welsh-medium education and migration from other parts of Wales, the number of Welsh speakers in Cardiff rose by 14,451 between 1991 and 2001; Welsh is now spoken by 11% of Cardiffians. The highest percentage of Welsh speakers is in Pentyrch, where 15.9% of the population speak the language.[82]

In addition to English and Welsh, the diversity of Cardiff's population (including foreign students) means that a large number of languages are spoken within the city. One study has found that Cardiff has speakers of at least 94 languages, with Somali, Urdu, Bangla and Arabic being the most commonly spoken foreign languages.[83]

[edit] Religion

Llandaff CathedralSee also: History of the Jews in Wales
Since 1922 Cardiff has included the suburban cathedral 'village' of Llandaff, whose bishop is also Archbishop of Wales since 2002. There is also a Roman Catholic cathedral in the city. Since 1916 Cardiff has been the seat of a Catholic archbishop, but there appears to have been a fall in the estimated Catholic population, with estimated numbers in 2006 being around 25,000 less than in 1980.[84] Likewise, the Jewish population of the city also appears to have fallen—there are two synagogues in Cardiff, one in Cyncoed and one in Moira Terrace, as opposed to seven at the turn of the 20th century.[85] There are a significant number of nonconformist chapels, an early-20th century Greek Orthodox church and 11 mosques.[86][87][88] In the 2001 census 66.9% of Cardiff's population described itself as Christian, a percentage point below the Welsh and UK averages.

In the 2001 census Cardiff's Muslim population stood at 3.7%, above the UK average (2.7%) and significantly above the Welsh average. Cardiff has one of the longest-established Muslim populations in the UK, started by Yemeni sailors who settled in the city during the 19th century.[89] The first mosque in the UK (on the site of what is now known as the Al-Manar Islamic Centre) opened in 1860 in the Cathays district of Cardiff.[90] Cardiff is now home to over 11,000 Muslims from many different nationalities and backgrounds,[91] nearly 52 per cent of the Welsh Muslim population.[92]


The former Cardiff Synagogue, Cathedral Road—now an office block.The oldest of the non-Christian communities in Wales is Judaism. Jews were not permitted to live in Wales between the 1290 Edict of Expulsion—given by Edward I of England—and the seventeenth century. A Welsh Jewish community was re-established in the eighteenth century.[93] There was once a fairly substantial Jewish population in South Wales, most of which has disappeared. The modern community is centered in the Cardiff United Synagogue.

The proportion of Cardiff residents declaring themselves to be Hindu, Sikh and Jewish were all considerably higher than the Welsh averages, but less than the UK figures. The city has been home to a sizable Hindu community since Indian immigrants settled there during the 1950s and 1960s. The first Hindu temple in the city was opened in Grangetown on 6 April 1979 on the site of an abandoned printing press (which itself was the former site of a synagogue).[94] The 25th anniversary of the temple's founding was celebrated in September 2007 with a parade of over 3000 people through the city centre, including Hindus from across the United Kingdom and members of Cardiff's other religious communities.[95] Today, there are over 2000 Hindus in Cardiff, worshiping at three temples across the city.[91]

In the 2001 census 18.8% of the city's population stated they had no religion, while 8.6% did not state a religion.[96]

[edit] Economy
Main article: Economy and industry of Cardiff

Capital Tower, CardiffAs the capital city of Wales, Cardiff is the main engine of growth in the Welsh economy. The economy of Cardiff and adjacent areas makes up nearly 20% of Welsh GDP and 40% of the city’s workforce are daily in-commuters from the surrounding south Wales area.[97][98]


The new Cardiff John Lewis, the 2nd biggest John Lewis in the U.K. and the 2nd largest department store in the UK outside London.
Cardiff Skyline in 2008.Industry has played a major part in Cardiff's development for many centuries. The main catalyst for its transformation from a small town into a big city was the demand for coal required in making iron and later steel, brought to the sea by packhorse from Merthyr Tydfil. This was first achieved by the construction of a 25-mile (40 km) long canal from Merthyr (510 feet above sea-level) to the Taff Estuary at Cardiff.[99] Eventually the Taff Vale Railway replaced the canal barges and massive marshalling yards sprang up as new docks were developed in Cardiff - all prompted by the soaring worldwide demand for coal from the South Wales valleys.

At its peak, Cardiff's port area, known as Tiger Bay, became the busiest port in the world and—for some time—the world's most important coal port. In the years leading up to the First World War, more than 10 million tonnes of coal was exported annually from Cardiff Docks.[100] In 1907, Cardiff's Coal Exchange was the first host to a business deal for a million pounds Sterling.[101] After a period of decline, Cardiff's port has started to grow again – over 3 million tonnes of cargo passed through the docks in 2007.[102]


The Coal ExchangeToday, Cardiff is the principal finance and business services centre in Wales, and as such there is a strong representation of finance and business services in the local economy. This sector, combined with the Public Administration, Education and Health sectors, have accounted for around 75% of Cardiff's economic growth since 1991.[103] The city was recently placed seventh overall in the top 50 European cities in the fDI 2008 Cities of the Future list published by the fDi magazine, and also ranked seventh in terms of attracting foreign investment.[104] Notable companies such as Legal & General, Admiral Insurance, HBOS, Zurich, ING Direct, The AA, Principality Building Society, 118118, British Gas, Brains, SWALEC Energy and BT, all operate large national or regional headquarters and contact centres in the city, some of them based in Cardiff's office towers such as Capital Tower and Brunel House. Other major employers include NHS Wales and the National Assembly for Wales. On 1 March 2004, Cardiff was granted Fairtrade City status.

Cardiff is the one of the most popular tourist destination cities in the United Kingdom, with one survey recording just under 12 million visitors in 2006.[105] One result of this is that one in five employees in Cardiff are based in the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector, highlighting the growing retail and tourism industries in the city.[103] There are a large number of hotels of varying sizes and standards in the city, providing almost 9,000 available bed spaces.[105]

The majority of Cardiff's shopping portfolio is in the city centre around Queen Street and St. Mary's Street, with large suburban retail parks located in Cardiff Bay, Culverhouse Cross, Leckwith, Newport Road and Pontprennau, together with markets in the city centre and Splott. A major £675 million regeneration programme for Cardiff's St. David's Centre is underway which, when completed in 2009, will provide a total of 1,400,000 square feet (130,000 m2) of shopping space, making it one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom.[106]


Cardiff Central MarketCardiff is home to the Welsh media and the UK's largest film, TV and multimedia sector outside London with BBC Wales, S4C and ITV Wales all having studios in the city.[107] In particular, there is a large independent TV production industry sector of over 600 companies, employing around 6000 employees and with a turnover estimated at £350 m.[107] Just to the north west of the city, in Rhondda Cynon Taff, the first completely new film studios in the UK for 30 years are being built, named Valleywood. The studios are set to be the biggest in the UK.

Cardiff has several regeneration projects such the St David's 2 Centre and surrounding areas of the city centre, and the $1.4 billion International Sports Village in Cardiff Bay which will play a part in London 2012 Olympics. It features the only Olympic-standard swimming pool in Wales, the Cardiff International Pool, which opened on 12 January 2008.

According to the Welsh Rugby Union, the Millennium Stadium has contributed GBP1 bn to the Welsh economy in the ten years since it opened (1999), with around 85% of that amount staying in the Cardiff area.[108]

[edit] Landmarks and attractions

Millennium StadiumCardiff has many landmark buildings such as the Millennium Stadium, Pierhead Building and the National Assembly for Wales. However Cardiff is also famous for Cardiff Castle, St David's Hall, Llandaff Cathedral, the Wales Millennium Centre.

Cardiff Castle is a major tourist attraction in the city and is situated in the heart of the city centre, near the main shopping area of Queen Street and St. Mary's Street. The National History Museum at St Fagans in Cardiff is a large open air museum housing dozens of buildings from throughout Welsh history that have been moved to the site in Cardiff.

The Civic Centre in Cathays Park comprises a collection of Edwardian buildings such as the City Hall, National Museum and Gallery of Wales, Cardiff Crown Court, and buildings forming part of Cardiff University, together with more modern civic buildings. These buildings surround a small green space containing the Welsh National War Memorial and a number of other smaller memorials.


Modern-day Cardiff BayOther major tourist attractions are the Cardiff Bay regeneration sites which include the recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and the Senedd, and many other cultural and sites of interest including the Cardiff Bay Barrage and the famous Coal Exchange. The New Theatre was founded in 1906 and completely refurbished in the 1980s. Until the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in 2004, it was the premier venue in Wales for touring theatre and dance companies. Other venues which are popular for concerts and sporting events include Cardiff International Arena, St David's Hall and the Millennium Stadium.

Cardiff has over 1,000 listed buildings, ranging from the more prominent buildings such as the castles, to smaller buildings, houses and structures.[109]

Cardiff has walks of special interest for tourists and ramblers alike, such as the Centenary Walk, which runs for 2.3 miles (3.7 km) within Cardiff city centre. This route passes through many of Cardiff's landmarks and historic buildings.

[edit] Castles
In addition to Cardiff Castle, Castell Coch (English: Red Castle) is located in Tongwynlais, in the north of the city. The current castle is an elaborately decorated Victorian folly designed by William Burges for the Marquess and built in the 1870s, as an occasional retreat. However, the Victorian castle stands on the footings of a much older medieval castle possibly built by Ifor Bach, a regional baron with links to Cardiff Castle also. The exterior has become a popular location for film and television productions. It rarely fulfilled its intended role as a retreat for the Butes, who seldom stayed there. For the Marquess, the pleasure had been in its creation, a pleasure lost following Burges's death in 1881.


Cardiff Castle
North Gate
Cardiff Castle Keep
Castell Coch
St Fagans Castle

Situated on the narrowest part of the south Wales coastal plain, Cardiff had a crucial strategic importance in the wars between the Normans (who had occupied lowland Wales) and the Welsh who maintained their hold on the uplands. As a result Cardiff claims to have the largest concentration of castles of any city in the world.[110] As well as Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, the remains of Twmpath Castle,[111] the Llandaff Bishop's Palace and Saint Fagans Castle are still in existence, whilst the site of Treoda (or Whitchurch Castle) has now been built over.[112]

[edit] Culture and recreation

The Wales Millennium CentreMain articles: Culture and recreation in Cardiff and List of cultural venues in Cardiff
[edit] Music and performing arts
Cardiff has many cultural sites varying from the historical Cardiff Castle and out of town Castell Coch to the more modern Wales Millennium Centre and Cardiff Bay. Cardiff was a finalist in the European Capital of Culture 2008.[113] In recent years Cardiff has grown in stature as a tourist destination, with recent accolades including Cardiff being voted the eighth favourite UK city by readers of the Guardian.[114] The city was also listed as one of the top 10 destinations in the UK on the official British tourist boards website Visit Britain,[115] and US travel guide Frommers have listed Cardiff as one of 13 top destinations worldwide for 2008.[116]


Cardiff International Arena—(CIA)A large number of concerts are held within the city, the larger ones being performed in St David's Hall, the Cardiff International Arena and occasionally the Millennium Stadium. A number of festivals are also held in Cardiff—the largest of these is the Cardiff Big Weekend Festival, which is held annually in the city centre during the summer and plays host to free musical performances (from artists such as Ash, Jimmy Cliff, Cerys Matthews, the Fun Loving Criminals, Soul II Soul and The Magic Numbers), fairground rides and cultural events such as a Children's Festival that takes place in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The annual festival claims to be the UK's largest free outdoor festival, attracting over 250,000 visitors in 2007.[117]

Cardiff hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1883, 1899, 1938, 1960, 1978 and 2008. Cardiff is unique in Wales in having two permanent stone circles used by the Gorsedd of Bards during Eisteddfodau. The original circle stands in Gorsedd Gardens in front of the National Museum while its 1978 replacement is situated in Bute Park. Since 1983, Cardiff has hosted the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, a world renowned event on the opera calendar which is held every two years. The city also hosts smaller events.


Inside St David's Hall, CardiffA number of performing arts venues are located within the city—the largest and most prominent of these is the Wales Millenium Centre, which hosts performances of opera, ballet, dance, comedy and musicals, and (as of autumn 2008) is home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales. St David's Hall (which hosts the Singer of the World competition) has regular performances of classical music and ballet as well as music of other genres. The largest of Cardiff's theatres is the New Theatre, situated in the city centre just off Queen Street. Other such venues include the Sherman Theatre, Chapter Arts Centre and the The Gate Arts Centre.

The Cardiff music scene is established and wide-ranging—it is home to the BBC National Orchestra of Wales and Welsh National Opera, has produced several leading acts itself and, as a capital city, has acted as a springboard for numerous Welsh bands to go and become famous both nationally and internationally. Acts who hail from Cardiff include Charlotte Church, Shirley Bassey, The Oppressed, Kids In Glass Houses, Los Campesinos, The Hot Puppies, Pagan Wanderer Lu, Budgie, and Shakin' Stevens. Also, performers such as The Automatic,[118] Manic Street Preachers,[119] Lostprophets,[120] Super Furry Animals, Catatonia and Bullet for My Valentine have links with the city and are associated with the Cardiff music scene.[121]

[edit] Recreation
Cardiff has a strong nightlife and is home to many bars, pubs and clubs. An extensive venue and events list can be found at What's on in Cardiff guide. Most clubs and bars are situated in the city centre, especially St. Mary's Street, and more recently Cardiff Bay has built up a strong night scene, with many modern bars & restaurants. The Brewery Quarter on St. Mary's Street is a recently developed venue for bars and restaurant with a central courtyard. Charles Street is also a popular part of the city.


The lake at Roath Park, including the lighthouse erected as a memorial to Captain ScottCardiff is known for its extensive parkland, with parks and other such green spaces covering around 10% of the city's total area.[122] Cardiff's main park, Bute Park (which was formerly the castle grounds) extends northwards from the top of one of Cardiff's main shopping street (Queen Street); when combined with the adjacent Llandaff Fields and Pontcanna Fields to the north west it produces a massive open space skirting the River Taff. Other popular parks include Roath Park in the north, donated to the city by the 3rd Marquess of Bute in 1887 and which includes a very popular boating lake; Victoria Park, Cardiff's first official park; and Thompson's Park, formerly home to an aviary removed in the 1970s. Wild open spaces include Howardian Local Nature Reserve, 32 acres (130,000 m2) of the lower Rhymney valley in Penylan noted for its Orchids, and Forest Farm Country Park, over 150 acres (0.61 km2) along the river Taff in Whitchurch.

Cardiff is one of the top ten retail destinations in the UK,[106][123] with two main shopping streets (Queen Street and St. Mary Street), and three main shopping arcades; St. David's Centre, Queens Arcade and the Capitol Centre. The current expansion of St. David's Centre as part of the St. David's 2 project will see it become one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom. As well as the modern shopping arcades, the city is also home to many Victorian shopping centres, such as High Street Arcade, Castle Arcade, Wyndham Arcade, Royal Arcade and Morgan Arcade. Also of note is The Hayes, home to Spillers Records, the world's oldest record shop.[124][125] Cardiff has a number of markets, including the vast Victorian indoor Cardiff Central Market and the newly-established Riverside Community Market, which specialises in locally-produced organic produce. Several out-of-town retail parks exist, such as Newport Road, Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff Gate and Cardiff Bay.

[edit] Media
Main article: Media in Cardiff
See also: Media in Wales
Cardiff is the Welsh base for the national television broadcasters (BBC, ITV1 Wales and S4C) along with Capital TV, a locally-based free-to-air television station serving the city on a Restricted Service Licence.


The South Wales Echo and Western MailThe main local newspaper, the South Wales Echo and the national paper the Western Mail are based in Park Street in the city centre. Capital Times, Cardiff Post and the South Wales edition of Metro are also based and distributed in the city. There are also a number of magazines based in the city including Buzz magazine, Primary Times and a monthly Welsh language paper called Y Dinesydd (The Citizen).

A number of other radio stations serve the city and are based in Cardiff, including Red Dragon FM, Real Radio, BBC Radio Wales, BBC Radio Cymru, Radio Cardiff, Gold and Xpress Radio. Xfm started broadcasting from Cardiff on 29 November 2007, making the South Wales region its fourth dedicated area. Transmissions have now been replaced by Nation Radio which is based in Neath.

Google Street View is now available in Cardiff city centre and some surrounding locations. The introduction of this was controversial at the time, but an online poll has since voted the Millennium Stadium to be one of six locations in the UK to be specially photographed and made available on Google Street View as a 360-degree virtual tour. [126] This new media has been quickly adopted by local companies to be incorporated in their websites. CPS Homes (property agent in Cardiff) became the first Cardiff letting agents to use Google Street View to showcase houses online.

[edit] Use in media
Cardiff, along with London, is one of the most-visited locations in the new series of Doctor Who, due to the programme being produced by BBC Wales there. The spin-off Torchwood is set exclusively in Wales, with all but one episode being mainly set in Cardiff.[127] In both programmes, a "time rift" transects the city, with specific focus on Roald Dahl Plass and the Wales Millennium Centre. In "Boom Town" and "Utopia", the rift's recent activity is used to fuel the TARDIS, while in Torchwood, the eponymous secret agency is based under the paving. Parts of "Gavin and Stacey", "The Worst Witch", "Tracy Beaker", "Merlin", and other popular television series are also filmed within Cardiff.

Cardiff was referenced by Tom Jones in the Tim Burton film Mars Attacks!,[128] and was the setting for several scenes in the film Frankenstein Meets the Wolf Man.[129] It is the setting for the 1999 film "Human Traffic".[130] Cardiff is also the birthplace of Dalek creator Terry Nation and popular children's author Roald Dahl, for whom the Roald Dahl Plass outside the Wales Millennium Centre is named.

[edit] Sport
Main article: Sport in Cardiff
See also: Rugby in Cardiff and List of stadia in Wales by capacity

The Millennium Stadium, Cardiff (Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm),
on the bank of the River Taff
Inside the Millennium StadiumCardiff plays host to many high-profile sporting events at local, national and international level and in recognition of the city's commitment to sport for all Cardiff has been awarded the title of European City of Sport 2009.[131][132][133] Organised sports have been held in the city since the early 19th century.[134]

[edit] Rugby
Cardiff Arms Park (Welsh: Parc yr Arfau Caerdydd), in central Cardiff, is among the world's most famous venues—being the scene of three Welsh Grand Slams in the 1970s (1971, 1976 and 1978) and six Five Nations titles in nine years—and was the venue for Wales' games in the 1991 Rugby World Cup.[135][136][137][138] The Arms Park has a sporting history dating back to at least the 1850s, when Cardiff Cricket Club (formed 1819) relocated to the site.[134] The ground was donated to Cardiff CC in 1867 by the Marquess of Bute. Cardiff Cricket Club shared the ground with Cardiff Rugby Football Club (founded 1876)—forming Cardiff Athletic Club between them—until 1966, when the cricket section moved to Sophia Gardens. Cardiff Athletic Club and the Welsh Rugby Union established two stadia on the site—Cardiff RFC played at their stadium at the northern end of the site, and the Wales national rugby union team played international matches at the National Stadium, Cardiff Arms Park, which opened in 1970. The National Stadium was replaced by the 74,500 capacity Millennium Stadium (Welsh: Stadiwm y Mileniwm) in 1999—in time for the 1999 Rugby World Cup—and is home stadium to the Wales national rugby and football teams for international matches.[134][135][139][140] In addition to Wales' Six Nations Championship and other international games, the Millennium Stadium held four matches in the 2007 Rugby World Cup and six FA Cup finals (from the 2001–02 to 2005–06 seasons) while Wembley Stadium was being rebuilt.[136]

The Cardiff Blues (Welsh: Gleision Caerdydd)—one of Wales' four professional, regional, rugby union teams—compete in the Magners League (formally the Celtic League, this league includes teams from the Celtic nations of Ireland, Scotland and Wales), the European Heineken Cup and the Anglo-Welsh EDF Energy Cup, which they won in the 2008–09 season.[141][142] The region played their home games at Cardiff Arms Park from their formation in 2003 until the end of the 2008–09 season, although some of their bigger games have been played at the Millennium Stadium. Cardiff Blues' new home is the Cardiff City Stadium, which they share with Cardiff City F.C.[143] Two of Cardiff's rugby union club sides play in the Welsh Premier Division: Cardiff RFC, founded in 1876, will continue to play their games at their Cardiff Arms Park stadium; and Glamorgan Wanderers RFC (founded 1893) play in the western Cardiff suburb of Ely.[144] Other Cardiff based rugby union teams include UWIC RFC, (who play in WRU Division One East) and the WRU Division Three South East teams of Llandaff North RFC, Llanishen RFC and St. Peters RFC. Cardiff's rugby league team, the Cardiff Demons, play at St. Albans RFC's ground in Tremorfa, in the Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier league.


Cardiff City stadium during construction[edit] Football
Cardiff City F.C. (founded 1899 as Riverside FC) played their home games at Ninian Park from 1910 until the end of the 2008–09 season. The Bluebirds' (as Cardiff City are known) new home is the Cardiff City Stadium, which they share with Cardiff Blues. Cardiff City have played in the English Football League since the 1920–21 season, climbing to Division 1 after one season.[143][145][146] Cardiff City are the only non-English team to have won the The Football Association Challenge Cup, beating Arsenal in the 1927 final at Wembley Stadium.[146] The Bluebirds were runners up to Portsmouth in the 2008 final, losing 1–0 at the new Wembley Stadium.[147] Cardiff City currently play in the Football League Championship, the highest division of The Football League and second-highest division overall in the English football league system, after the Premier League.[148] Cardiff has numerous smaller clubs including Grange Harlequins A.F.C., UWIC Inter Cardiff F.C., Cardiff Corinthians F.C. and Ely Rangers A.F.C. who all play in the Welsh football league system.[149]

[edit] Cricket

SWALEC StadiumGlamorgan County Cricket Club have competed as a first class county since 1921. Their headquarters and ground is the SWALEC Stadium, Sophia Gardens, since moving from Cardiff Arms Park in 1966. The Sophia Gardens stadium underwent a multi-million pound improvement since being selected to host the first ‘England’ v Australia Test Match of the 2009 Ashes series.[134][141]

[edit] Boxing
Cardiff has a long association with boxing, from 'Peerless' Jim Driscoll—born in Cardiff in 1880—to more recent, high profile fights staged in the city.[150] These include the WBC Lennox Lewis vs. Frank Bruno heavyweight championship fight at the Arms Park in 1993, and many of Joe Calzaghe's fights, between 2003 and 2007, including his victories over Mikkel Kessler—in the super middleweight reunification bout at the Millennium Stadium, Calzaghe retaining his WBO title and winning the WBA and WBC world titles from Kessler—and over Juan Carlos Giménez Ferreyra—retaining his WBO title at Cardiff Castle.[140][151]

[edit] International Sports Village

Cardiff International Pool at the International Sports Village, Cardiff BayThe 1958 Commonwealth Games were hosted by Cardiff. The Games involved 1,130 athletes from 35 national teams competing in 94 events.[152] One of the venues for those Games—The Wales Empire Swimming Pool—was demolished in 1998 to make way for the the Millennium Stadium. The GBP32m Cardiff International Pool in Cardiff Bay, opened to the public on 12 January 2008—part of the GBP1bn International Sports Village (ISV)—is the only Olympic-standard swimming pool in Wales. When complete, the ISV complex will provide Olympic standard facilities for sports including boxing and fencing, gymnastics, judo, white water events (including canoeing and kayaking) and wrestling as well as a snow dome with real snow for skiing and snowboarding, an Arena for public ice skating and ice hockey and an hotel.[153][154] Cardiff's professional ice hockey team, the Cardiff Devils, play in the temporary Cardiff Arena in the ISV. Some of the sports facilities at the ISV will be used as training venues for the London 2012 Olympics.[155]

[edit] Motor racing

A stage of Rally GB, hosted inside the Millennium StadiumThe Millennium Stadium also hosts motorsport events such as the World Rally Championship, as part of [[Wales Rally GB]]. The first ever indoor special stages of the World Rally Championship were held at the Millennium Stadium in September 2005 and have been an annual event until 2008.[156] Speedway was staged at Cardiff's White City Greyhound Stadium from 1928 until World War II. The sport returned to the city in 1951, at a purpose built stadium in Penarth Road but the track closed mid season 1953. The team, known as the Cardiff Dragons, raced in the National League Division Three in 1951 and 1952 and in the Southern League in 1953. Speedway returned to the city in 2001, when the British Speedway Grand Prix, one of the World Championship events, moved in to the Millenium Stadium.[140] While the track—a temporary, purpose built, shale oval—is not universally loved, the venue is considered the best of the World Championship's 11 rounds.[157]

[edit] Athletics
The Cardiff International Sports Stadium, opened 19 January 2009, replacing the Cardiff Athletics Stadium—demolished to make way for the Cardiff City Stadium—is a 4953 capacity, multi sport/special event venue, offering fully certificated international track and field athletics facilities, including an international standard external throws area.[158][159][160] The stadium houses the Headquarters of Welsh Athletics, the sport's governing body for Wales.[161] The city's indoor track and field athletics sports venue is the National Indoor Athletics Centre, an international athletics and multi sports centre at the University of Wales Institute, Cardiff Campus, Cyncoed.[162]

[edit] Sailing
Cardiff is host to two Yacht Clubs:

Cardiff Yacht Club (CYC) (founded 1900) has a clubhouse in Butetown, Cardiff Bay, complete with moorings, a pontoon system and a slipway for launching dinghies. CYC organise events, including yachting, dinghy sailing, dragon boat race, fishing and angling competitions, in the freshwater Cardiff Bay, in the Severn and on the 'high seas'.
Cardiff Bay Yacht Club (CBYC) (founded 1932) was originally founded as Penarth Motor Boat and Sailing Club, but changed to Cardiff Bay Yacht Club in 1999. The club sits within Cardiff's International Sports Village and boats an extensive pontoon system, moorings and two slipways. Activities include yacht racing, Yacht Crusiig, dinghy sailing, dinghy racing and fishing
Royal Yachting Association recognised training is provided through a number of Training establishments around the city, with the notable ones being:

Llanishen Sailing Centre, a local authority run facility which has been providing RYA training in Cardiff for almost 30 years[163]
Cardiff Bay Yacht Club's Training Centre, which offers tuition to both club members & the public.
Cardiff Uni Sailing Club, based at the CYC since 2004.[164]
[edit] Cycling

Maindy Pool (top left)
and Cycle TrackThe Maindy Centre (Welsh: Canolfan Maendy) includes a cycle track and indoor swimming pool facility in Maindy. The cycle track was another of the venues used in the 1958 British Empire and Commonwealth Games and the swimming pool opened in 1993.[165][166]

[edit] Baseball
Cardiff is the one of the centres of British Baseball and hosts the annual Wales vs England international game every other year, usually at Roath Park, although the 2008 game—marking the centenary of the fixture between the two countries—was held in Llanrumney. Wales won the encounter again, having not lost to England, home or away, since 1995.[167][168]

[edit] Basketball
The Cardiff Celts basketball team (formed 1964) compete in the English Basketball League, Division 1. The Celts play their home games at the Welsh Institute of Sport.[169][170]

[edit] Other venues

Welsh Institute of Sport (Welsh: Athrofa Chwaraeon Cymru), Sophia GardensThe Welsh Institute of Sport (Welsh: Athrofa Chwaraeon Cymru) was established in 1972 to provide facilities to help develop excellence in Welsh sport. The institute has indoor sports halls, next to Glamorgan CCC's SWALEC Stadium in Sophia Gardens. Sports activities in the Main Hall include gymnastics, table tennis, trampoline, badminton, netball, basketball, archery, martial arts, fencing, dance and boxing. The site also contains squash courts and weight training rooms. Outdoors, the Institute has an international standard permeable artificial pitch, which is one of the home international venues for Welsh hockey. The pitch is also used for lacrosse and football. Their outdoor tennis courts are also used for netball and five-a-side football. Welsh national teams that train at the Welsh Institute of Sport include the Welsh National Rugby team (on the Institute's full-size, floodlit rugby pitch), Welsh National Badminton team, the Womans Welsh National Netball Team and the Welsh National Gymnastic Team.[171][172][173]

Gôl is Wales' first purpose built 5 a side football centre. Based in Canton, there are ten floodlit outdoor 5-a-side courts and one 7-a-side pitch, all using artificial 'Soccer turf'—designed to play and feel like grass.[174][175]

The Ski & Snowboard Centre Cardiff, Fairwater—managed by the Ski Council of Wales—consists of a floodlit 100 metres (328 ft) dry ski slope, with an overhead poma ski lift and lubrication roller, to ensure good skiing and snowboarding conditions—even in dry weather.[176]

Ely Racecourse was a major horse racing venue in Ely, Cardiff, pulling in crowds of 40,000 or more for events such as the Welsh Grand National—first held at Ely in 1895. Ely Racecourse closed on 27 April 1939, the last race being won by Keith Piggott (father of Lester) on Dunbarney.[177]

The Millennium Stadium has been selected as one of the football venues for the London 2012 Olympics, according to Chairman of the Organising Committee, Lord Coe.[178]

[edit] Notable people
Main article: List of people from Cardiff
Many notable people have hailed from Cardiff, ranging from historical figures such as the 12th century Welsh leader Ifor Bach and the 17th century pirate Henry Morgan to more recent figures such as Roald Dahl, Ken Follett, Griff Rhys Jones and the former Blue Peter presenter Gethin Jones. In particular, the city has been home to many sports stars such as Tanni Grey-Thompson and Colin Jackson as well as many Premier League, Football League and international footballers, such as Gareth Bale (Tottenham Hotspur), Craig Bellamy (Manchester City), Ryan Giggs (Manchester United), Terry Yorath (Leeds United), and the current manager of the Wales national football team John Toshack (Liverpool).

Cardiff is also well-known for its musicians such as Ivor Novello, after whom the Ivor Novello Awards are named. Shirley Bassey is familiar to many as the singer of three James Bond movie theme tunes, whilst Charlotte Church is famous as a crossover classical/pop singer, and Shakin' Stevens was one of the top selling male artists in the UK during the 1980s. A number of Cardiff-based bands, such as Catatonia and Super Furry Animals were popular during the 1990s.

[edit] Transport
Main article: Transport in Cardiff
Cardiff is the major transport hub in Wales and is the focus for many arterial road and rail routes that connect the city with the rest of Wales, and with England.

[edit] Road

The A4232 road at Queen's Gate TunnelThe M4 is the principal motorway in the region that connects Cardiff with Bridgend, Swansea and Carmarthen to the west, and Newport, Bristol, Swindon, Reading and London to the east. Cardiff is served by junctions 30 to 33 inclusive of the M4, plus junction 29a leading onto the A48(M). The A470 is another major road within the city that provides an important link with the Heads of the Valleys road, Mid and North Wales. The A4232 (also known as the Peripheral Distributor Road or PDR) when completed, will form part of the Cardiff ring-road system along with the M4 motorway between junctions 30 and 33.[179] There are several road and rail bridges that cross the River Taff in Cardiff. These include the Clarence Road Bridge, a comparatively modern bridge which replaced a swing bridge. The original bridge was named after the Duke of Clarence.

As with many other cities car traffic has caused congestion problems and as such the council has designated bus lanes to improve transport into and out of the city centre. The council has also revealed plans to introduce congestion charging, as in London, but only once there has been significant investment in the city's public transport network.[180]

Much of Cardiff's central shopping zone is pedestrianised, and further pedestrianisation is planned as part of the current St David's 2 regeneration scheme. As part of these plans, St Mary Street has been closed to private vehicles since 2007 with only buses and taxis permitted to use it, with a possible view to fully pedestrianise the road. This has proven controversial with many traders calling for it to be re-opened, but popular with shoppers. A final decision regarding St Mary Street is due in November 2008, together with the publication of a strategy for the city's public transport scheme.[181]

[edit] Rail

Cardiff Central railway station, through which over nine million passengers a year pass.Cardiff Central railway station is the largest railway station in Wales with seven platforms, and one of the busiest in the UK.[182] It provides direct services to nearby Bridgend and Newport, and other major cities such as Bristol, Birmingham, London, Manchester, Nottingham, Southampton, Portsmouth, Newcastle upon Tyne, Edinburgh and Glasgow, as well as serving as an interchange for services from South West Wales. There is also a regular shuttle service to Holyhead (for ferries to Ireland) and Wrexham in North Wales.

Cardiff Queen Street railway station is the second busiest in Wales and is the hub for routes via the Valley Lines services that connect the South Wales valleys and the Cardiff suburbs with the city centre. It is located at the eastern end of the city centre, and also provides services to Cardiff Bay.

Cardiff has a suburban rail system known as Valley Lines, which is operated by Arriva Trains Wales. There are eight lines which serve 20 stations in the city, 26 in the wider urban area (including Taffs Well, Penarth and Dinas Powys) and more than 60 in the South Wales valleys and the Vale of Glamorgan.[183]

Network Rail is currently proposing adding an extra two platforms to both Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street station, and installing a light rail metro system in the city.[184]

[edit] Bus
Main article: Bus transport in Cardiff

One of Cardiff Bus's new double deckersCardiff has a comprehensive bus network, with municipal bus company Cardiff Bus providing the vast majority of routes in the city and to Newport, Penarth, Barry, Cardiff International Airport and Llantwit Major. Veolia Transport Cymru and Stagecoach in South Wales also provide services in the city. Cardiff Bus has introduced "bendy buses" on the 17 and 18 routes to Canton, Ely and Caerau and on the Cardiff Bay route. Its hub is Cardiff Central Bus Station. National Express provides direct services to other major cities, as well as to Swansea and Merthyr Tydfil. Megabus operates frequent discounted services to London.

[edit] Air

Cardiff AirportDomestic and international air links to Cardiff and South & West Wales are provided from Cardiff Airport (CWL), the only international airport in Wales. The airport is situated in the village of Rhoose, 10 miles (16 km) west of the city. There are regular bus services linking the airport with the Cardiff Central Bus Station as well as a train service from Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station to Cardiff Central.

[edit] Water
Main article: Cardiff Waterbus
Two waterbus firms operate half-hourly services along the River Taff from Bute Park in the city centre to Cardiff Bay and onwards to Penarth. Throughout the summer (March to October), boats also depart from Cardiff Bay to take visitors to Flat Holm Island. The Paddle Steamer Waverley and MV Balmoral sail from Britannia Quay (in Roath Basin) to various destinations in the Bristol Channel.

[edit] Cycle
Main article: Cycling in Cardiff
The Taff Trail is a walking and cycle path running for 55 miles (88.5 km) between Cardiff Bay and Brecon in the Brecon Beacons National Park. It runs through Bute Park, Sophia Gardens and many other green areas within Cardiff. It is possible to cycle the entire distance of the Trail almost completely off-road, as it largely follows the River Taff and many of the old disused railways of the Glamorganshire valleys. On Sundays in summer the Beacons Bike Bus enables cyclists to take their bikes into the Beacons and then ride back to Cardiff along the Trail.

A cycle hire system, similar to those in other large cities, launched in September 2009, and includes 70 bikes and 35 hire points (initially 7) around the centre and the south of the city. The current stations are: Central Station; Cardiff Bay Station; County Hall; Cardiff Bay Visitors’ Centre; Churchill Way; City Hall and eastern Queen Street. It is necessary to register before using bike. The first half an hour is free after which a small hourly fee is payable. [185][186]

[edit] Education

Cardiff University's main buildingCardiff is home to four major institutions of higher education: Cardiff University, University of Wales Institute, Cardiff, University of Glamorgan and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Cardiff University was founded by Royal Charter in 1883 as the University College of South Wales and Monmouthshire,[187] is a "red brick" university and member of the Russell Group of leading research led universities, having most of its campus in Cathays and the city centre. University of Wales Institute, Cardiff (UWIC) gained university status in 1997 and has campuses in the Llandaff, Cyncoed and City Centre areas. The Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama is a conservatoire established in 1949 and is based in the grounds of Cardiff Castle. The University of Glamorgan's Cardiff campus, Atrium, is home to the Cardiff School of Creative & Cultural Industries and is located in the city centre.

The total number of higher education students in the city is around 43,900.[188][189] The city also has two further education colleges: Coleg Glan Hafren and St. David's College, although further education is offered at most high schools in the city.


The new Cardiff Central LibraryCardiff has 86 state primary schools (two bilingual, ten Welsh medium), 11 infant schools, ten junior schools and 20 state secondary schools, of which two are Welsh medium.[190] There are also a number of independent schools in the city, including Llandaff Cathedral School, Kings Monkton and Howell's School, a single-sex girls' school (until sixth form). Notable schools include Whitchurch High School (the largest in Wales),[191] Fitzalan High School (which is one of the most multi-cultural state schools in the UK),[192] and Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf, which is the largest Welsh medium secondary in the country.

As well as academic institutions, Cardiff is also home to other educational and learning organisations such as Techniquest, a hands-on science discovery centre that now has franchises throughout Wales, and is part of the Wales Gene Park in collaboration with Cardiff University, NHS Wales and the Welsh Development Agency (WDA).[193] Cardiff is also home of the largest regional office of the International Baccalaureate Organisation (IBO). This office is home to the organisation's curriculum and assessment centre, which is responsible for overseeing the creation and grading of various IBDP assessments.

[edit] Health
Main article: Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust
There are seven NHS hospitals in the city, the largest of which is the University Hospital of Wales. The University Hospital of Wales is the third largest hospital in the UK and deals with most accidents and emergencies.[194] The University Dental Hospital, which provides emergency dental treatment, is also located on this site. Llandough Hospital is located in the south of the city.

The city's newest hospital, St. David's Hospital (built behind the former building) is located in the Canton area and provides services for the elderly and children. Cardiff Royal Infirmary is located on Newport Road, near the city centre. The majority of this hospital was closed in 1999 but with the West Wing remaining open for clinic services, genitourinary medicine and rehabilitation treatment. Rookwood Hospital and Whitchurch Hospital are also located within the city, along with Rookwood Hospital and Velindre Cancer Centre. All hospitals in Cardiff are administered by the Cardiff and Vale NHS Trust,[195] with the exception of the Velindre site which is run by a separate trust.[196] In addition Spire has a private hospital in the city which is located in Pentwyn.[197]

[edit] International relations
Cardiff has twinning arrangements with:[198]

Luhansk, Luhansk Oblast, Ukraine.
Hordaland county, Norway.
Nantes, Pays de la Loire, France.
Stuttgart, Baden-Württemberg, Germany.
Xiamen, Fujian, China.
A total of twenty-eight countries have a diplomatic presence in Cardiff.[199] Many of these nations, such as Germany, Italy, Switzerland, Denmark, Canada, Thailand and the Czech Republic are represented by honorary consulates. The British Embassy of the United States operates a satellite office.[200][201][202][203][204][205][206][207]

[edit] Telecommunications
See also: List of Wales dialling codes
029 is the current telephone dialling code for Cardiff, which is followed by eight digit local numbers. The code includes the neighbouring towns of Penarth, Dinas Powys and Caerphilly.

Prior to the Big Number Change on 22 April 2000, the area had the code 01222 with shorter, six digit local numbers. Prior to May 1995, the code was 0222. There remains a common misconception that the code is 02920 due to all local numbers beginning with 20 for a short period after the renumbering. Newly-issued batches of numbers begin with 21.

[edit] See also
Wales portal
Cardiff North
Cardiff South
Cardiff East
Cardiff West
Cardiff Bay
Cardiff city centre
Cardiff music scene
List of cultural venues in Cardiff
List of Parliamentary constituencies in South Glamorgan
List of places in Cardiff
National Assembly for Wales
Big Number Change
Telephone numbers in the United Kingdom
UK telephone code misconceptions
Wikitravel:Cardiff
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[show] Cardiff

[show]v • d • eCity of Cardiff

A principal area of Wales

About Cardiff Architecture · City centre (Arcades) · Culture and recreation · Economy and industry · History (Timeline) · Media · People · Places · Politics · Sport · Transport

Cardiff Templates Culture · Economy · Education · Landmarks and Visitor Attractions · Media · Politics · Sport · Transport

North Cathays · Cyncoed · Gabalfa · Heath · Lisvane · Llandaff · Llandaff North · Llanishen · Penylan · Rhiwbina · Roath · Thornhill · Tongwynlais · Whitchurch

West Caerau · Canton · Creigiau · Culverhouse Cross · Danescourt · Ely · Fairwater · Pentyrch · Pontcanna · Radyr and Morganstown · St Fagans

South Adamsdown · Butetown · Cardiff Bay · Grangetown · Plasnewydd · Riverside · Splott

East Llanrumney · Pentwyn · Pontprennau · Rumney · St Mellons · Tremorfa · Trowbridge

[show]v • d • eCardiff electoral wards

Electoral wards of Cardiff Council:
Adamsdown • Butetown • Caerau • Canton • Cathays • Creigiau & St. Fagans • Cyncoed • Ely • Fairwater • Gabalfa • Grangetown • Heath • Llanishen • Lisvane • Llandaff • Llandaff North • Llanrumney • Pentwyn • Pentyrch • Penylan • Plasnewydd • Pontprennau & Old St. Mellons • Radyr & Morganstown • Rhiwbina • Riverside • Rumney • Splott • Trowbridge • Whitchurch & Tongwynlais


[show]v • d • eCommunities of Cardiff

Adamsdown · Butetown · Caerau · Canton · Cardiff Bay · Cathays · Creigiau · Culverhouse Cross · Cyncoed · Danescourt · Ely · Fairwater · Gabalfa · Grangetown · Heath · Lisvane · Llandaff · Llandaff North · Llanishen · Llanrumney · Morganstown · Pentwyn · Pentyrch · Penylan · Plasnewydd · Pontcanna · Pontprennau · Radyr · Rhiwbina · Riverside · Roath · Rumney · Splott · St Fagans · St Mellons & Old St Mellons · Thornhill · Tongwynlais · Trowbridge · Whitchurch


[show]v • d • eLocal government in Wales

Principal areas
established in 1996 Blaenau Gwent · Bridgend · Caerphilly · Cardiff · Carmarthenshire · Ceredigion · Conwy · Denbighshire · Flintshire · Gwynedd · Isle of Anglesey · Merthyr Tydfil · Monmouthshire · Neath Port Talbot · Newport · Pembrokeshire · Powys · Rhondda Cynon Taf · Swansea · Torfaen · Vale of Glamorgan · Wrexham


Counties and districts
1974–1996 Clwyd Alyn and Deeside · Colwyn · Delyn · Glyndŵr · Rhuddlan · Wrexham Maelor

Dyfed Carmarthen · Ceredigion · Dinefwr · Llanelli · Preseli Pembrokeshire · South Pembrokeshire

Gwent Blaenau Gwent · Islwyn · Monmouth · Newport · Torfaen

Gwynedd Aberconwy · Anglesey · Arfon · Dwyfor · Meirionnydd

Mid Glamorgan Cynon Valley · Merthyr Tydfil · Ogwr · Rhondda · Rhymney Valley · Taff-Ely

Powys Brecknock · Montgomeryshire · Radnorshire

South Glamorgan Cardiff · Vale of Glamorgan

West Glamorgan Lliw Valley · Neath · Port Talbot · Swansea


Counties
established before 1889 Anglesey · Brecknockshire · Caernarfonshire · Cardiganshire · Carmarthenshire · Denbighshire · Flintshire · Glamorganshire · Merionethshire · Monmouthshire · Montgomeryshire · Pembrokeshire · Radnorshire


[show]v • d • ePlaces with city status in the United Kingdom

England Bath · Birmingham · Bradford · Brighton & Hove · Bristol · Cambridge · Canterbury · Carlisle · Chester · Chichester · Coventry · Derby · Durham · Ely · Exeter · Gloucester · Hereford · Kingston upon Hull · Lancaster · Leeds · Leicester · Lichfield · Lincoln · Liverpool · City of London · Manchester · Newcastle upon Tyne · Norwich · Nottingham · Oxford · Peterborough · Plymouth · Portsmouth · Preston · Ripon · St Albans · Salford · Salisbury · Sheffield · Southampton · Stoke-on-Trent · Sunderland · Truro · Wakefield · Wells · Westminster · Winchester · Wolverhampton · Worcester · York


Scotland Aberdeen · Dundee · Edinburgh · Glasgow · Inverness · Stirling

Wales Bangor · Cardiff · Newport · St David's · Swansea

Northern Ireland Armagh · Belfast · Derry · Lisburn · Newry

[show]v • d • e25 largest settlements in the UK by urban core population

London: 7,172,091
Birmingham: 970,892
Glasgow: 629,501
Liverpool: 469,017
Leeds: 443,247
Sheffield: 439,866
Edinburgh: 430,082
Bristol: 420,556
Manchester: 394,269
Leicester: 330,574
Coventry: 303,475
Kingston upon Hull: 301,416
Bradford: 293,717
Cardiff: 292,150
Belfast: 276,459
Stoke-on-Trent: 259,252
Wolverhampton: 251,462
Nottingham: 249,584
Plymouth: 243,795
Southampton: 234,224
Reading: 232,662
Derby: 229,407
Dudley: 194,919
Newcastle upon Tyne: 189,863
Northampton: 189,474



[




[show]v • d • eCommonwealth Games host cities

1930: Hamilton • 1934: London • 1938: Sydney • 1950: Auckland • 1954: Vancouver • 1958: Cardiff • 1962: Perth • 1966: Kingston • 1970: Edinburgh • 1974: Christchurch • 1978: Edmonton • 1982: Brisbane • 1986: Edinburgh • 1990: Auckland • 1994: Victoria • 1998: Kuala Lumpur • 2002: Manchester • 2006: Melbourne • 2010: Delhi • 2014: Glasgow • 2018: TBA





Coordinates: 51°29′7″N 3°11′12″W / 51.48528°N 3.18667°W / 51.48528; -3.18667
Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff"
Categories: Host cities of the Commonwealth Games | British capitals | Capitals in Europe | Cardiff | Cities in Wales | Coastal settlements in Wales | Counties of Wales | Glamorgan | Port cities and towns in the United

Cardiff Airport
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Cardiff Airport
Maes Awyr Caerdydd


IATA: CWL – ICAO: EGFF
Summary
Airport type Public
Owner TBI plc
Operator Cardiff Airport Ltd.
Serves Cardiff
South Wales
Mid Wales
West Wales
Location Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan
Hub for Bmibaby
Thomas Cook Airlines
Thomson Airways

Elevation AMSL 220 ft / 67 m
Coordinates 51°23′48″N 003°20′36″W / 51.39667°N 3.34333°W / 51.39667; -3.34333 (Cardiff Airport)
Website www.tbicardiffairport.com
Runways
Direction Length Surface
m ft
12/30 2,392 7,848 Asphalt
Statistics (2008)
Total movements 37,123
Passengers 1,994,892
Sources: UK AIP at NATS[1]
Statistics from the UK Civil Aviation Authority[2]
Cardiff Airport (Welsh: Maes Awyr Caerdydd) (IATA: CWL, ICAO: EGFF) is an international airport for Wales serving Cardiff and the rest of South, Mid and West Wales. Around 2 million passengers pass through the airport each year.

It is located in the village of Rhoose, Vale of Glamorgan, 12 mi (19 km) west[3] of the city centre of Cardiff, the country's largest city and capital.

Cardiff Airport is owned by TBI plc. It is the only airport in Wales offering international scheduled flights; is served by scheduled, low-fare, business and charter carriers; and also supports corporate and general aviation. The majority of international flights are to Spain, Ireland and the Netherlands with the most popular being Alicante, Amsterdam, Palma de Mallorca. The most popular domestic service within the UK is to Edinburgh. There are also transatlantic charter flights to the USA and the Caribbean.[4]

The airport is a hub for Bmibaby, which is the largest scheduled airline at the airport, with Aer Arann, Flybe, Thomson Airways and Thomas Cook Airlines all having a large presence with Cardiff as a focus city, although Flybe have expressed their intentions to become the largest airline at the airport by 2011 focussing on the business and short leisure break sectors.[5]

Contents [hide]
1 History
1.1 Future
1.2 Public Service Obligation Flights
2 Statistics
3 Airlines and destinations
3.1 Scheduled services
3.2 Charter services
4 Transport links
4.1 Public transport
4.2 By road
4.2.1 Access improvement
5 Executive aviation
6 See also
7 References
8 External links


[edit] History
The history of the airport extends back to the early 1940s, when the Air Ministry requisitioned land in the rural Vale of Glamorgan to set up a wartime satellite aerodrome and training base, named RAF Rhoose, for Royal Air Force (RAF) Spitfire pilots. Construction work commenced in 1941, and the airfield officially began life on 7 April 1942 when it was taken over by No 53 Operational Training Unit. The commercial potential of the runway was recognised in the early 1950s with Aer Lingus starting a service to Dublin in 1952. A new terminal building followed, along with flights to France, Belfast and Cork. An escalation in holiday charter business resulted in passenger throughput exceeding 100,000 in 1962.


The terminal entranceIn the 1970s, the airport, originally known as 'Rhoose Airport', was renamed 'Glamorgan, Rhoose Airport'. Around this time the supersonic airliner Concorde made a few flights into the airport on special occasions. These were limited by the length of the runway, meaning it could only land lightly loaded, and only take off without passengers and with a minimal fuel load. In the 1980s, its name was changed to 'Cardiff-Wales Airport'.


Dan-Air Hawker Siddeley HS 748 at Cardiff-Wales Airport in 19801986 saw a further extension of 750 feet (229 m) to the runway, costing in the region of £1 million, thus attracting more business to the airport in the form of new-generation jet aircraft. Development of transatlantic links were made with charter flights to Florida, in addition to the previously-established links with Canada. The runway extension, enabling the airport to handle 747 jumbo jets, was instrumental in attracting the British Airways (BA) Maintenance facility to the airport. The maintenance hangar is one of the largest in the world at 250 m x 175 m (820 ft x 574 ft), providing heavy airframe and engineering maintenance for the British Airways fleet and third party carriers.

In April 1995, due to planned Local Government re-organisation in Wales, the Airport Company was privatised, with shares being sold to property and development firm, TBI plc, now a subsidiary of Abertis airports which also owns Stockholm Skavsta, Belfast International Airport and is concessionary to Orlando Sanford International Airport and London Luton.

The airport is not only the main maintenance base for British Airways but also home to a variety of aerospace-oriented firms and colleges, and therefore a major contributor to the economic development of the region.

The airport was used by just under 2 million passengers in 2008, according to the United Kingdom Civil Aviation Authority, a reduction of 5.5% since 2007, making it the 19th busiest airport in the UK in terms of passenger numbers.


An Air Wales ATR 42 departs Cardiff International Airport in 2004The airport was the main base for three local airlines; Cambrian Airways from 1935 to 1976, Airways International Cymru until the airline ceased schedules operations in 1988, and Air Wales until the airline ceased scheduled operations in March 2006.

Flybe has completed the installation of three new self service electronic check-in kiosks at the airport, offering passengers an additional choice at check-in. Flybe is the first airline to invest in this technology at the airport.

On 2 March 2009 the airport management revealed a name change for the airport along with initial development plans to improve the image of the facility. Following a brand review involving consultation with a number of key stakeholders the name Cardiff Airport and Maes Awyr Caerdydd will replace Cardiff International Airport.[6]

Servisair announced on 2 April 2009 that they are to cease their operations at the airport as of 31 May blaming it on a decrease in operating schedules from charter airlines hence making it no longer financially viable. As a result all airlines currently operating from the airport will continue to do operate but instead use the only alternative handling agent, Aviance.[7]

[edit] Future
A new airline was mooted as a new home carrier at the airport. If it was launched, Flyforbeans said they would operate to France, Spain, Germany, Italy and Eastern Europe. The airline intended to have routes currently unavailable from the airport. Flyforbeans indicated that it intended to begin operations in mid-2008, with 3 Boeing 737 aircraft serving up to twelve destinations in total.[8]

Following a survey conducted by the airport operator in 2008 as part of a campaign to attract additional business routes to the airport, popular destinations such as Aberdeen, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf, Brussels and Scandinavia were identified as lacking a current link. The airport planned to conduct up to 25 meetings with airlines during May and June 2008 to support the case for more routes. [9]

Airport management announced, on 29 March 2006 a £100 million development strategy which will see the current terminal being extended, as well as upgrades to the main body of the building.


Hawker 800 of Fortune Brands at Cardiff International Airport in 2004It is anticipated that the investment will attract up to five million passengers by 2015 - an increase of 150% - according to the airport's published response to a UK Government White paper on the future of air transport throughout the United Kingdom.[10]

Road access to the airport by way of the A48 trunk road was the subject of a public inquiry in 2006 but this is now superseded by needs of the forthcoming Defence Training Academy at MoD St Athan, the bid for which included plans for a direct St Athan and airport link to the M4 motorway.

Extensive works on the facility will begin from January 2010, costing around £3m, starting with the redevelopment of the front of the airport terminal and approach areas. The arrivals and departures halls will be linked together, providing upgraded duty-free and retail operations. This phase is expected to be completed in July 2010,[11] well in advance of the Ryder Cup in October 2010.

[edit] Public Service Obligation Flights
On 21 February 2007 the airport announced that the airport would see the first Public Service Obligation (PSO) service to be operated in Wales.[12] Inverness based airline Highland Airways would fly several services each day between Anglesey Airport and Cardiff. BAe Jetstream 31 aircraft were allocated to the route and it was hoped it would provide a quicker alternative to commuters travelling between North and South Wales, who otherwise rely on the A470 road or rail. The PSO service would be subsidised by the Welsh Assembly Government for three years; after this period, the route must be completely viable to continue. In May, the Anglesey service was claimed as a success, with over 1,000 seats being booked on the service within weeks of its announcement. There are options for up to 10 flights a day.[13]

[edit] Statistics
Number of Passengers[14] Number of Movements[15]
1997 1,155,186 18,171
1998 1,263,225 17,537
1999 1,330,277 17,656
2000 1,519,920 20,196
2001 1,543,782 21,764
2002 1,425,436 18,736
2003 1,919,231 21,231
2004 1,887,621 21,993
2005 1,779,208 20,553
2006 2,024,428 21,872
2007 2,111,148 23,117
2008 1,994,892 23,481
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority[16]

20 Busiest Current Routes out of Cardiff Airport (2008) Rank Airport Passengers handled 2007-2008 Change Airlines that serve(d)
1 Netherlands - Amsterdam Airport Schiphol 193,682 ▼14% Bmibaby, KLM
2 Spain - Palma de Mallorca Airport 169,367 ▼1% Bmibaby, Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
3 United Kingdom - Edinburgh Airport 162,556 ▲2% Bmibaby, Flybe
4 Spain - Alicante Airport 150,891 ▼6% Bmibaby, Thomson Airways
5 Spain - Malaga Airport 139,274 ▼7% Bmibaby, Thomson Airways
6 United Kingdom - Glasgow International Airport 83,986 ▲9% Bmibaby, Flybe
7 Portugal - Faro Airport 74,910 ▲2% Bmibaby, Thomson Airways
8 Ireland - Dublin Airport 72,781 ▲7% Aer Arann
9 Spain - Tenerife South Airport 64,895 ▼8% Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
10 Turkey - Dalaman Airport 57,738 ▲4% Onur Air, Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
11 United Kingdom - Belfast International Airport 52,283 ▼44% Bmibaby
12 France - Paris-Charles de Gaulle Airport 48,460 ▲28% Flybe
13 Spain - Ibiza Airport 46,576 ▲6% Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
14 Spain - Las Palmas Airport 42,316 ▲35% Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
15 Cyprus - Paphos International Airport 42,239 ▲27% Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
16 United Kingdom - Belfast City Airport 40,673 ▲227% Flybe
17 Spain - Lanzarote Airport 37,599 ▼35% Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
18 Spain - Murcia Airport 34,131 ▲13% Bmibaby
19 United Kingdom - Newcastle Airport 31,516 ▲95% Eastern Airways, Flybe
20 Turkey - Milas-Bodrum Airport 29,170 ▲24% Onur Air, Thomas Cook, Thomson Airways
Source: UK Civil Aviation Authority [4]

[edit] Airlines and destinations
This section does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (August 2009)

[edit] Scheduled services
Airlines Destinations
Aer Arann Cork, Dublin
Bmibaby Alicante, Barcelona [seasonal], Belfast-International, Edinburgh, Faro, Geneva [seasonal], Jersey, Málaga, Minorca [seasonal], Murcia [seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal]
Eastern Airways Newcastle upon Tyne
Flybe Belfast-City, Edinburgh, Glasgow-International, Jersey [seasonal], Newcastle upon Tyne, Paris-Charles de Gaulle
Flyglobespan Orlando-Sanford [begins 9 June; seasonal][17]
Flybe operated by Loganair Aberdeen
Highland Airways Anglesey
KLM operated by KLM Cityhopper Amsterdam
Thomson Airways Alicante, Faro [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Málaga, Palma de Mallorca [seasonal]

[edit] Charter services
Airlines Destinations
Air Malta Malta [seasonal]
BH Air Burgas [seasonal]
Eurocypria Airlines Larnaca [seasonal]
Onur Air Bodrum [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal]
Thomas Cook Airlines Antalya [seasonal], Bodrum [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal], Fuerteventura, Heraklion [seasonal], Lanzarote, Las Palmas de Gran Canaria [seasonal], Monastir, Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Paphos [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Sharm el-Sheikh [seasonal], Tenerife-South, Zakynthos [seasonal]
Thomson Airways Alicante, Antalya [begins 4 May; seasonal], Bodrum [seasonal], Burgas [seasonal], Chambéry [seasonal], Corfu [seasonal], Dalaman [seasonal], Faro [seasonal], Heraklion [seasonal], Ibiza [seasonal], Innsbruck [seasonal], Kefalonia [seasonal], Kos [seasonal], Lanzarote, Larnaca [seasonal], Las Palmas de Gran Canaria, La Romana [seasonal], Málaga, Minorca [seasonal], Monastir [begins 2 May; seasonal], Palma de Mallorca [seasonal], Paphos [seasonal], Reus [seasonal], Rhodes [seasonal], Sharm el-Sheikh, Tenerife-South, Zakynthos [seasonal]

[edit] Transport links
[edit] Public transport
The nearest railway station to the airport is Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station on the Vale of Glamorgan Line, linked by a free shuttle bus to the departures terminal. Arriva Trains Wales provides regular services to Cardiff Central Station and Bridgend, connecting it to the South Wales Main Line.

Cardiff Bus, EST Buses and Veolia Transport Cymru buses serve the airport and provide regular shuttle services to Cardiff central bus station and the Vale of Glamorgan.

[edit] By road
The airport is 10 miles (16 km) from the M4 and is signposted. From M4 junction 33 (Cardiff West), it is reached via the A4232 (towards Central Cardiff) exiting at Culverhouse Cross, and then following the A4050 to Barry and finally the A4226 towards Llantwit Major. Another signposted route from the M4, from West Wales, is from Junction 37 near Pyle, which follows the A48 past Cowbridge then south along the A4226. However, there is a direct unmarked route from M4 Junction 34 (Miskin), following the country lane though Hensol, then at the crossroads (Sycamore Cross) with the A48, continuing along the A4226 to the airport.

[edit] Access improvement
With the growth in usage of the airport, traffic along the current access roads has become more acute leading to the Welsh Assembly Government to commission a study on improving road access to the airport. The consultants have suggested three possible schemes:

Widening the A4232 to three lanes between M4 Junction 33 and Culverhouse. A bypass will be built connecting the A4232 directly to the A4050 to avoid the busy Culverhouse Cross roundabout.
Constructing a new bypass road to link the A4232 directly to the A48 (Tumble Hill) before Culverhouse Cross. Airport traffic would then travel to Sycamore Cross then join the A4226 to the Airport. Improvements will be made to allow speeds to increase.
Directing traffic from Junction 34 (Miskin) to Sycamore Cross then onto the A4226 to the airport. Improvements will be made to the route with new straighter sections added.
Airport management favour option 3, which would ease pressure from the A4232 and provide a more direct access route from Mid and South West Wales, and the South Wales Valleys.[18] The National Assembly for Wales announced in June 2009 that the plans for a new access road would be dropped in favour of increased public transport frequency by bus and by rail instead.[19]

[edit] Executive aviation
Signature Flight Support the Worlds largest FBO are present on the north side of the airfield serving executive aircraft that visit the airport.

Dragonfly Executive Air Charter operate three Beechcraft King Air 200 series aircraft. The company office is based on the south side of the airfield.

[edit] See also
Transport in Wales
Transport in Cardiff
Aeronautical Information Publication United Kingdom
[edit] References
^ Cardiff - EGFF
^ UK Airport Statistics: 2008 - annual
^ Getting to/from the Airport
^ CAA Route Statistics 2006
^ "Flybe set to become Cardiff's biggest airline". Cwlfly. 14 March 2008. http://info.cwlfly.com/en/news/4/330/flybe-set-to-become-cardiff-s-biggest-airline.html. Retrieved 2008-03-25.
^ "Airport signals change ahead". Cardiff Airport - News. 02 March 2009. http://www.tbicardiffairport.com/en/news/5/108/airport-signals-change-ahead.html. Retrieved 2007-03-02.
^ [1]
^ "Flyforbeans has 12 destinations on its radar". icWales - Western Mail. 11 June 2007. http://icwales.icnetwork.co.uk/0100news/0200wales/tm_method=full%26objectid=19276314%26siteid=50082-name_page.html. Retrieved 2007-06-29.
^ You Would If You Could - Survey Results
^ "The Future of Air Transport - White Paper and the Civil Aviation Bill, Chapter 6, Wales". UK Department for Transport. 10 December 2004. http://www.dft.gov.uk/about/strategy/whitepapers/air/chapter6wales. Retrieved 2007-07-02.
^ Passenger Terminal Today - Cardiff unveils expansion plans, 2 March 2009
^ "North-south airline is revealed". BBC News. 21 February 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6380141.stm.
^ "Big demand powers North-South air route". Cardiff Airport. 8 May 2007. http://info.cwlfly.com/en/news/3/267/big-demand-powers-north-south-air-route.html. Retrieved 2007-06-02.
^ Number of Passengers including both domestic and international.
^ Number of Movements represents total air transport takeoffs and landings during that year.
^ [2]
^ "Fly direct from Cardiff to Florida". Cardiff Airport. 25 September 2009. http://www.tbicardiffairport.com/en/news/4/195/fly-direct-from-cardiff-to-florida.html.
^ [3]
^ BBC News - M4 and airport road plans dropped
[edit] External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Cardiff Airport
Cardiff Airport official website
Cardiff Airport at the Open Directory Project
European and Worldwide Destination Maps
Single issue pressure group supporting Wales' air infrastructure - mainly involving Cardiff Airport
[show]v • d • e Vale of Glamorgan County Borough

Barry Barry: • Barry Island • Cadoxton • Colcot • Cold Knap • Cwm Talwg • Gibbonsdown • Gladstone • Highlight Park • Holton • Jenner Park • King's Square • Palmerston • Romilly

Other towns Penarth • Cowbridge • Llantwit Major • Rhoose • Ogmore-by-Sea

Villages Aberthaw • Aberthin • Bonvilston • Boverton • Boys Village • Cogan • Colwinston • Corntown • Dinas Powys • Ewenny • Fontegary • Gileston • Lavernock • Llanmaes • Llanbethery • Llancadle • Llancarfan • Llandough • Llandow • Llansannor • Llysworney • Marcross • Michaelston-le-Pit • Ogmore • Pendoylan • Penmark • Peterston-super-Ely • St. Andrews Major • St Brides Major • Southerndown • St Athan • St Donat's • St. Nicholas • Sully • Walterston • Wenvoe • Wick • Ystradowen

Landmarks St Lythans Burial Chamber • Tinkinswood • Cosmeston Medieval Village • Cosmeston Lakes Country Park • The Bendricks • Barry Castle • Porthkerry Park

Geography Llantwit Major Beach

Economy Barry Island Pleasure Park • Barry Council Office and Library • Barry Dock Offices • Aberthaw Power Station • Aberthaw Cement Works • Wenvoe transmitting station

Transport Cardiff Airport • A48 road • A4050 road • Barry Island Railway • Barry railway station • Barry Docks railway station • Barry Island railway station • Cadoxton railway station • Cogan railway station • Dinas Powys railway station • Dingle Road railway station • Eastbrook railway station • Llantwit Major railway station • Penarth railway station • Rhoose Cardiff International Airport railway station

Sport Glamorgan County Cricket Club • Barry Town F.C. • Glamorganshire Golf Club

[show]v • d • e Airports in the United Kingdom

London City · Gatwick · Heathrow · Luton · Stansted
Biggin Hill • Southend • Lydd/Ashford • Oxford/Kidlington

England Birmingham · Blackpool · Bournemouth · Bristol · Doncaster-Sheffield · Durham Tees Valley · East Midlands · Exeter · Humberside · Leeds-Bradford · Liverpool · Manchester · Newcastle · Newquay · Norwich · Plymouth · Southampton
Gloucestershire • Kent • Land's End • St Mary's • Tresco

Scotland Aberdeen · Edinburgh · Glasgow International · Glasgow Prestwick · Inverness · Sumburgh
Barra • Benbecula • Campbeltown • Dundee • Eday • Fair Isle • Islay • Kirkwall • Lerwick • North Ronaldsay • Oban • Papa Westray • Sanday • Scatsta • Stornoway • Stronsay • Tiree • Westray • Wick

Wales Cardiff
Anglesey

Northern Ireland Belfast City · Belfast International · City of Derry

Crown Dependencies Alderney · Guernsey · Isle of Man · Jersey

Smaller font-size indicates airports handling domestic, charter or private services only.

[show]v • d • eAirports in Wales

Aberporth · Anglesey · Caernarfon · Cardiff · Cardiff Heliport · Haverfordwest · Hawarden · Llanbedr · RAF Mona · Pembrey · MOD St Athan · Swansea · RAF Valley · Welshpool



Retrieved from "http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cardiff_Airport"
Categories: Airports in Wales | Transport in Wales | Transport in Vale of Glamorgan | Cardiff
Hidden categories: Articles containing Welsh language text | Articles needing additional references from August 2009 | All articles needing additional references

Wales
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Jump to: navigation, search
This article is about the country. For other uses, see Wales (disambiguation).
Wales
Cymru

Flag

Motto: Cymru am byth
(English "Wales forever")
Anthem: "Hen Wlad Fy Nhadau"
(English "Land of my fathers")


Location of Wales (inset – orange)
in the United Kingdom (camel) in the European continent (white)

Capital
(and largest city) Cardiff, Caerdydd
51°29′N 3°11′W / 51.483°N 3.183°W / 51.483; -3.183
National Languages Welsh (indigenous), English (most widely used)
Demonym Welsh, Cymry
Government Constitutional monarchy
- Monarch Elizabeth II
- First Minister of Wales (Head of National Assembly for Wales) Rhodri Morgan AM
- Deputy First Minister for Wales Ieuan Wyn Jones AM
- Prime Minister of the United Kingdom Gordon Brown MP
- Secretary of State (in the UK government) Peter Hain MP
Legislature UK Parliament
National Assembly for Wales
Unification
- by Gruffudd ap Llywelyn[1] 1056
Area
- Total 20,779 km2
8,022 sq mi
Population
- 2008 estimate 3,004,6001
- 2001 census 2,903,085
- Density 140/km2
361/sq mi
GDP (PPP) 2006 (for national statistics) estimate
- Total US$85.4 billion
- Per capita US$30,546
Currency Pound sterling (GBP)
Time zone GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST) BST (UTC+1)
Internet TLD .uk2
Calling code 44
Patron saint David, Dewi
1 Office for National Statistics – UK population grows to more than 60 million
2 Also .eu, as part of the European Union. ISO 3166-1 is GB, but .gb is unused.
Wales /ˈweɪlz/ (help·info) (Welsh: Cymru;[2] pronounced /ˈkəmrɨ/ (help·info)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom,[3] bordered by England to its east, and the Atlantic Ocean[4] and Irish Sea to its west. It is also an elective region of the European Union. Wales has a population estimated at three million and is officially bilingual, with both Welsh and English having equal status; the majority use English as their first language.

Once a Celtic land, and considered one of the Celtic nations today, a distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the early fifth century, after the Roman withdrawal from Britain.[5] The 13th-century defeat of Llewelyn by Edward I completed the Anglo-Norman conquest of Wales and brought about centuries of English occupation. Wales was subsequently incorporated into England with the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542, creating the legal entity known today as England and Wales. However, distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century, and in 1881 the Welsh Sunday Closing Act became the first legislation applied exclusively to Wales. In 1955 Cardiff was proclaimed as national capital and in 1999 the National Assembly for Wales was created, which holds responsibility for a range of devolved matters.

The capital Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is Wales's largest city with 317,500 people. For a period it was the biggest coal port in the world[6] and, for a few years before World War One, handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool.[7] Two-thirds of the Welsh population live in South Wales, with another concentration in eastern North Wales. Many tourists have been drawn to Wales's "wild... and picturesque" landscapes.[8][9] From the late 19th century onwards, Wales acquired its popular image as the "land of song", attributable in part to the revival of the eisteddfod tradition.[10] Actors, singers and other artists are celebrated in Wales today, often achieving international success.[11] Cardiff is the largest media centre in the UK outside of London.[12]

Llywelyn the Great founded the Principality of Wales in 1216. Just over a hundred years after the Edwardian Conquest, in the early 15th century Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales.[13][14] Traditionally the British Royal Family have bestowed the courtesy title of 'Prince of Wales' upon the heir apparent of the reigning monarch. Wales is sometimes referred to as the 'Principality of Wales', or just the 'principality',[15][16] although this has no modern geographical or constitutional basis.

Contents [hide]
1 Etymology
1.1 Wales
1.2 Cymru
2 History
2.1 Prehistoric origins
2.2 Colonisation
2.3 Medieval Wales
2.4 Nationalist revival
3 Government and politics
3.1 Local government
4 Law
5 Geography
5.1 Climate
6 Economy
7 Healthcare
8 Demographics
8.1 Languages
8.2 Religion
9 Culture
9.1 Sport
9.2 Media
9.3 Cuisine
9.4 Music
9.5 Literature
10 Transport
11 National symbols
12 Gallery
13 Welsh people
14 See also
15 References
16 External links


Etymology
See also: List of meanings of countries' names and History of the term Vlach
Wales
The English name Wales originates from the Germanic words Walh (singular) and Walha (plural). The Ænglisc-speaking Anglo-Saxons used the term Waelisc when referring to the Celtic Britons, and Wēalas when referring to their lands.

The same etymology applies to walnut (meaning "foreign (Roman) nut") as well as the wall of Cornwall and Wallonia. Old Church Slavonic also borrowed the term from the Germanic, and it is the origin of the names Wallachia and its people, the Vlachs.[17][18][19]

Cymru
Cymru is the native name for the country, while Cymro (singular) and Cymry (plural) is the name for its people. This is likely derived from a (reconstructed) Brythonic word Combroges/Combrogos/Combrogi meaning "compatriots".[20] The name competed for a long time in Welsh literature with the older name Brythoniaid (Britons/Brythons). Only after 1100 did the former become as common as the latter.[21]

The Latin name for Wales is Cambria and an archaic English name is Cymric – both deriving from the Brythonic. The names Cumbria and Cumberland are also derived from the Brythonic,[21] as these areas remained Brythonic-speaking much longer than the rest of England.

There is also a medieval legend found in the Historia Regum Britanniae of Sieffre o Fynwy (Geoffrey of Monmouth) that derives Cymru from the name Camber, son of Brutus and (according to the legend) the eponymous King of Cymru – however, this is considered largely the fruit of Geoffrey's vivid imagination.

History
Main article: History of Wales
Prehistoric origins
See also: Prehistoric Wales

Bryn Celli Ddu, a late Neolithic chambered tomb on Anglesey.Wales has been inhabited by modern humans for at least 29,000 years.[22] Although continuous human habitation dates from the end of the last ice age (between 12,000 and 10,000 Before Present (BP)), when mesolithic hunter-gatherers from Central Europe began to migrate to Great Britain. Wales was free of glaciers by about 10,250 BP and people would have been able to walk between Continental Europe and Great Britain until between about 7,000 and 6,000 BP, before the post glacial rise in sea level led to Great Britain becoming an island, and the Irish Sea forming to separate Wales and Ireland.[23][24] John Davies has theorised that the story of Cantre'r Gwaelod's drowning and tales in the Mabinogion, of the waters between Wales and Ireland being narrower and shallower, may be distant folk memories of this time.[23] The area became heavily wooded, restricting movement, and people also came to Great Britain by boat, from the Iberian Peninsula.[25] These Neolithic colonists integrated with the indigenous people, gradually changing their lifestyles from a nomadic life of hunting and gathering, to become settled farmers—the Neolithic Revolution.[23][26] They cleared the forests to establish pasture and to cultivate the land, developed new technologies such as ceramics and textile production, and they built cromlechs such as Pentre Ifan, Bryn Celli Ddu and Parc Cwm long cairn between about 5500 BP and 6000 BP, about 1,000 to 1,500 years before either Stonehenge or The Egyptian Great Pyramid of Giza was completed.[27][28][29][30][31] In common with people living all over Great Britain, over the following centuries the people living in what was to become known as Wales assimilated immigrants and exchanged ideas of the Bronze Age and Iron Age Celtic cultures. By the time of the Roman invasion of Britain the area of modern Wales had been divided among the tribes of the Deceangli, Ordovices, Cornovii, Demetae and Silures for centuries.[32]

Colonisation
See also: Roman Britain, Roman Wales, and Sub-Roman Britain
The first documented history of the area that would become Wales was in AD 48. Following attacks by the Silures of south-east Wales, in AD 47 and 48, the Roman historian Tacitus recorded that the governor of the new Roman province of Britannia "received the submission of the Deceangli" in north-east Wales.[33]

A string of Roman forts was established across what is now the South Wales region, as far west as Carmarthen (Caerfyrddin; Latin: Maridunum), and gold was mined at Dolaucothi in Carmarthenshire. There is evidence that the Romans progressed even farther west. They also built the Roman legionary fortress at Caerleon (Latin: Isca Silurum), of which the magnificent amphitheatre is the best preserved in Britain.

The Romans were also busy in northern Wales, and the mediaeval Welsh tale Breuddwyd Macsen Wledig (dream of Macsen Wledig) claims that Magnus Maximus (Macsen Wledig), one of the last western Roman Emperors, married Elen or Helen, the daughter of a Welsh chieftain from Segontium, present-day Caernarfon.[34] It was in the 4th century during the Roman occupation that Christianity was introduced to Wales.

After the Roman withdrawal from Britain in 410, much of the lowlands were overrun by various Germanic tribes.[35] However, Gwynedd, Powys, Dyfed and Seisyllg, Morgannwg, and Gwent emerged as independent Welsh successor states. They endured, in part because of favourable geographical features such as uplands, mountains, and rivers and a resilient society that did not collapse with the end of the Roman civitas.

This tenacious survival by the Romano-Britons and their descendants in the western kingdoms was to become the foundation of what we now know as Wales. With the loss of the lowlands, England's kingdoms of Mercia and Northumbria, and later Wessex, wrestled with Powys, Gwent, and Gwynedd to define the frontier between the two peoples.

Having lost much of what is now the West Midlands to Mercia in the sixth and early seventh centuries, a resurgent late-seventh-century Powys checked Mercian advancement. Aethelbald of Mercia, looking to defend recently acquired lands, had built Wat's Dyke. According to John Davies, this endeavour may have been with Powys king Elisedd ap Gwylog's own agreement, however, for this boundary, extending north from the valley of the River Severn to the Dee estuary, gave Oswestry (Welsh: Croesoswallt) to Powys.[36] King Offa of Mercia seems to have continued this consultative initiative when he created a larger earthwork, now known as Offa's Dyke (Welsh: Clawdd Offa). Davies wrote of Cyril Fox's study of Offa's Dyke:

In the planning of it, there was a degree of consultation with the kings of Powys and Gwent. On the Long Mountain near Trelystan, the dyke veers to the east, leaving the fertile slopes in the hands of the Welsh; near Rhiwabon, it was designed to ensure that Cadell ap Brochwel retained possession of the Fortress of Penygadden." And for Gwent Offa had the dyke built "on the eastern crest of the gorge, clearly with the intention of recognizing that the River Wye and its traffic belonged to the kingdom of Gwent.[36]

However, Fox's interpretations of both the length and purpose of the Dyke have been questioned by more recent research.[37] Offa's Dyke largely remained the frontier between the Welsh and English, though the Welsh would recover by the 12th century the area between the Dee and the Conwy known then as the Perfeddwlad. By the eighth century, the eastern borders with the Anglo-Saxons had broadly been set.

Following the successful examples of Cornwall in 722 and Brittany in 865, the Britons of Wales made their peace with the Vikings and asked the Norsemen to help the Britons fight the Anglo-Saxons of Mercia to prevent an Anglo-Saxon conquest of Wales. In 878 AD the Britons of Wales unified with the Vikings of Denmark to destroy an Anglo-Saxon army of Mercians. Like Cornwall in 722, this decisive defeating of the Saxons gave Wales some decades of peace from Anglo-Saxon attack. In 1063, the Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Llywelyn made an alliance with Norwegian Vikings against Mercia which, as in 878 AD was successful, and the Saxons of Mercia defeated. As with Cornwall and Brittany, Viking aggression towards the Saxons/Franks ended any chance of the Anglo-Saxons/Franks conquering their Celtic neighbours.

Medieval Wales

Principalities in north Wales 1267–1276.See also: Norman invasion of Wales and Wales in the Late Middle Ages
The southern and eastern lands lost to English settlement became known in Welsh as Lloegyr (Modern Welsh Lloegr), which may have referred to the kingdom of Mercia originally, and which came to refer to England as a whole.[38] The Germanic tribes who now dominated these lands were invariably called Saeson, meaning "Saxons". The Anglo-Saxons called the Romano-British 'Walha', meaning 'Romanised foreigner' or 'stranger'.[17] The Welsh continued to call themselves Brythoniaid (Brythons or Britons) well into the Middle Ages, though the first use of Cymru and y Cymry is found as early as 633 in the Gododdin of Aneirin. In Armes Prydain, written in about 930, the words Cymry and Cymro are used as often as 15 times. It was not until about the 12th century however, that Cymry began to overtake Brythoniaid in their writings.


Dolwyddelan Castle, built by Llywelyn ab Iorwerth in the early 13th century to watch over one of the valley routes into Gwynedd.From the year 800 onwards, a series of dynastic marriages led to Rhodri Mawr's (r. 844–877) inheritance of Gwynedd and Powys. His sons in turn would found three principal dynasties (Aberffraw for Gwynedd, Dinefwr for Deheubarth, and Mathrafal for Powys), each competing for hegemony over the others. Rhodri's grandson Hywel Dda (r.900–950) founded Deheubarth out of his maternal and paternal inheritances of Dyfed and Seisyllwg, ousted the Aberffraw dynasty from Gwynedd and Powys, and codified Welsh law in 930, finally going on a pilgrimage to Rome (and allegedly having the Law Codes blessed by the Pope). Maredudd ab Owain (r.986–999) of Deheubarth (Hywel's grandson) would, (again) temporarily oust the Aberffraw line from control of Gwynedd and Powys. Maredudd's great-grandson (through his daughter Princess Angharad) Gruffydd ap Llywelyn (r.1039–1063) would conquer his cousins' realms from his base in Powys, and even extend his authority into England. Historian John Davies states that Gruffydd was "the only Welsh king ever to rule over the entire territory of Wales... Thus, from about 1057 until his death in 1063, the whole of Wales recognised the kingship of Gruffudd ap Llywelyn. For about seven brief years, Wales was one, under one ruler, a feat with neither precedent nor successor."[39] Owain Gwynedd (1100–1170) of the Aberffraw line was the first Welsh ruler to use the title princeps Wallensium (prince of the Welsh), a title of substance given his victory on the Berwyn Mountains, according to John Davies.[40]


Sculpture of Owain Glyndŵr (c. 1354 or 1359 – c. 1416), the last native Welsh person to hold the title Prince of Wales.The Aberffraw dynasty would surge to pre-eminence with Owain Gwynedd's grandson Llywelyn Fawr (the Great) (b.1173–1240), wrestling concessions out of the Magna Carta in 1215 and receiving the fealty of other Welsh lords in 1216 at the council at Aberdyfi, becoming the first Prince of Wales. His grandson Llywelyn II also secured the recognition of the title Prince of Wales from Henry III with the Treaty of Montgomery in 1267. Later however, a succession of disputes, including the imprisonment of Llywelyn's wife Eleanor, daughter of Simon de Montfort, culminated in the first invasion by Edward I. As a result of military defeat, the Treaty of Aberconwy exacted Llywelyn's fealty to England in 1277. Peace was short lived and with the 1282 Edwardian conquest the rule of the Welsh princes permanently ended. With Llywelyn's death and his brother prince Dafydd's execution, the few remaining Welsh lords did homage for their lands to Edward I. Llywelyn's head was then carried through London on a spear; his baby daughter Gwenllian was locked in the priory at Sempringham, where she remained until her death fifty four years later.[41]

To help maintain his dominance, Edward constructed a series of great stone castles. Beaumaris, Caernarfon, and Conwy were built mainly to overshadow the Welsh royal home and headquarters Garth Celyn, Aber Garth Celyn, on the north coast of Gwynedd.

After the failed revolt in 1294–5 of Madog ap Llywelyn – who styled himself prince of Wales in the so-called Penmachno Document – there was no major uprising until that led by Owain Glyndŵr a century later, against Henry IV of England. In 1404 Owain was reputedly crowned Prince of Wales in the presence of emissaries from France, Spain and Scotland; he went on to hold parliamentary assemblies at several Welsh towns, including Machynlleth. The rebellion was ultimately to founder, however, and Owain went into hiding in 1412, with peace being essentially restored in Wales by 1415.

Although the English conquest of Wales took place under the 1284 Statute of Rhuddlan, a formal Union did not occur until 1536,[15] shortly after which Welsh law, which continued to be used in Wales after the conquest, was fully replaced by English law under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535-1542.

Nationalist revival

Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg logo (English: The Welsh Language Society)See also: History of Plaid Cymru
In the 20th century, Wales saw a revival in its national status. Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925, seeking greater autonomy or independence from the rest of the UK. In 1955, the term England and Wales became common for describing the area to which English law applied, and Cardiff was proclaimed as capital city of Wales. Cymdeithas yr Iaith Gymraeg (English: The Welsh Language Society) was formed in 1962, in response to fears that the language may soon die out. Nationalism grew, particularly following the flooding of the Tryweryn valley in 1965 to create a reservoir supplying water to the English city of Liverpool. Despite 35 of the 36 Welsh Members of Parliament (MPs) voting against the bill, with the other abstaining, Parliament still passed the bill and the village of Capel Celyn was drowned, highlighting Wales's powerlessness in her own affairs in the face of the numerical superiority of English MPs in the Westminster Parliament.[42] In 1966 the Carmarthen Parliamentary seat was won by Gwynfor Evans at a by-election, Plaid Cymru's first Parliamentary seat.[43]

Both the Free Wales Army and Mudiad Amddiffyn Cymru (MAC) (English: Welsh Defence Movement) were formed as a direct result of the Tryweryn destruction,[44] conducting campaigns from 1963. In the years leading up to the investiture of Prince Charles as Prince of Wales in 1969, these groups were responsible for a number of bomb blasts—destroying water pipes, tax and other offices, and part of a dam being built for a new English backed project in Clywedog, Montgomeryshire.[44] In 1967, the Wales and Berwick Act 1746 was repealed for Wales, and a legal definition of Wales, and of the boundary with England was stated.


Unofficial graffiti memorial to Capel Celyn, Tryweryn (English: Remember Tryweryn) at Llanrhystud, near Aberystwyth[45]A referendum on the creation of an assembly for Wales in 1979 (see Wales referendum, 1979) led to a large majority for the "no" vote. However, in 1997 a referendum on the same issue secured a "yes", although by a very narrow majority. The National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru) was set up in 1999 (as a consequence of the Government of Wales Act 1998) and possesses the power to determine how the central government budget for Wales is spent and administered (although the UK parliament reserves the right to set limits on the powers of the Welsh Assembly). The 1998 Act was amended by the Government of Wales Act 2006 which enhanced the Assembly's powers, giving it legislative powers akin to the Scottish Parliament and Northern Ireland Assembly. Following the 2007 Assembly election, the One Wales Government was formed under a coalition agreement between Plaid Cymru and the Welsh Labour Party, under that agreement, a convention is due to be established to discuss further enhancing Wales's legislative and financial autonomy. A referendum on giving the Welsh assembly full law-making powers is promised "as soon as practicable, at or before the end of the assembly term (in 2011)" and both parties have agreed "in good faith to campaign for a successful outcome to such a referendum".[46]

Government and politics
Main article: Politics of Wales
See also: Politics of the United Kingdom and National Assembly for Wales election, 2007

Royal Badge of Wales.Constitutionally, the United Kingdom is de jure a unitary state with one sovereign parliament and government in Westminster. Referenda held in Wales and Scotland in 1997 chose to establish a limited form of self-government in both countries. In Wales, the consequent process of devolution began with the Government of Wales Act 1998, which created the National Assembly for Wales (Cynulliad Cenedlaethol Cymru).[47] Powers of the Secretary of State for Wales were transferred to the devolved government on 1 July 1999, granting the Assembly responsibility to decide how the Westminster government's budget for devolved areas is spent and administered.[48] Devolved responsibilities include agriculture, economic development, education, health, housing, industry, local government, social services, tourism, transport, and the Welsh language. The National Assembly is not a sovereign authority and has no primary legislative powers, which the Westminster Government retains, but since the Government of Wales Act 2006 came into effect in 2007, the National Assembly can request powers to pass primary legislation as Assembly Measures on specific issues.[48] The UK Parliament could, in theory, overrule or even abolish the National Assembly for Wales at any time.


The Senedd building.The Assembly consists of 60 members, known as "Assembly Members (AM)". Forty of the AMs are elected under the First Past the Post system, with the other 20 elected via the Additional Member System via regional lists in 5 different regions. The largest party elects the First Minister of Wales, who acts as the head of government. The Welsh Assembly Government is the executive arm, and the Assembly has delegated most of its powers to the Assembly Government. The new Assembly Building designed by Lord Rogers was opened by Queen Elizabeth II on St David's Day (1 March) 2006.

The First Minister of Wales is Rhodri Morgan[49] (since 2000), of the Labour Party, with 26 of 60 seats. After the National Assembly for Wales election, 2007 Welsh Labour and Plaid Cymru; The Party of Wales, which favours Welsh independence from the rest of the United Kingdom entered into a coalition partnership to form a stable government with the "historic" One Wales agreement. As the second largest party in the Assembly with 15 out of 60 seats, Plaid Cymru is led by Ieuan Wyn Jones, now the Deputy First Minister of Wales. The Presiding Officer of the Assembly is Plaid Cymru member Lord Elis-Thomas. Other parties include the Conservative Party, currently the loyal opposition with 12 seats, and the Liberal Democrats with six seats. The "LibDems" had previously formed part of a coalition government with Labour in the first Assembly. There is one independent member.

In the House of Commons – the lower house of the UK government – Wales is represented by 40 MPs (of 646) from Welsh constituencies. Labour represents 29 of the 40 seats, the Liberal Democrats hold four seats, Plaid Cymru three and the Conservatives three.[50] A Secretary of State for Wales sits in the UK cabinet and is responsible for representing matters that pertain to Wales. The Wales Office is a department of the United Kingdom government, responsible for Wales. The Secretary of State for Wales is Paul Murphy, who replaced Peter Hain on 24 January 2008, after Hain had resigned over an investigation into undeclared donations to his Labour Party deputy leadership campaign.

Local government

Clock tower of Cardiff City Hall.Main article: Subdivisions of Wales
See also: History of local government in Wales
For the purposes of local government, Wales was divided into 22 council areas in 1996. These "unitary authorities" are responsible for the provision of all local government services.

[51]

Map of unitary authority areas


Merthyr Tydfil (Merthyr Tudful) †
Caerphilly (Caerffili) †
Blaenau Gwent †
Torfaen (Tor-faen) †
Monmouthshire (Sir Fynwy)
Newport (Casnewydd) *
Cardiff (Caerdydd) *
Vale of Glamorgan (Bro Morgannwg) †
Bridgend (Pen-y-bont ar Ogwr) †
Rhondda Cynon Taf †
Neath Port Talbot (Castell-nedd Port Talbot) †
Swansea (Abertawe) *
Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin)
Ceredigion
Powys
Wrexham (Wrecsam) †
Flintshire (Sir y Fflint)
Denbighshire (Sir Ddinbych)
Conwy †
Gwynedd
Isle of Anglesey (Ynys Môn)
Pembrokeshire (Sir Benfro)


Areas are Counties, unless marked * (for Cities) or † (for County Boroughs). Welsh language forms are given in parentheses, where they differ from the English..

Note that there are five cities in total in Wales: in addition to Cardiff, Newport and Swansea, the communities of Bangor and St David's also have city status.

[show]v • d • eLocal government in Wales

Principal areas
established in 1996 Blaenau Gwent · Bridgend · Caerphilly · Cardiff · Carmarthenshire · Ceredigion · Conwy · Denbighshire · Flintshire · Gwynedd · Isle of Anglesey · Merthyr Tydfil · Monmouthshire · Neath Port Talbot · Newport · Pembrokeshire · Powys · Rhondda Cynon Taf · Swansea · Torfaen · Vale of Glamorgan · Wrexham


Counties and districts
1974–1996 Clwyd Alyn and Deeside · Colwyn · Delyn · Glyndŵr · Rhuddlan · Wrexham Maelor

Dyfed Carmarthen · Ceredigion · Dinefwr · Llanelli · Preseli Pembrokeshire · South Pembrokeshire

Gwent Blaenau Gwent · Islwyn · Monmouth · Newport · Torfaen

Gwynedd Aberconwy · Anglesey · Arfon · Dwyfor · Meirionnydd

Mid Glamorgan Cynon Valley · Merthyr Tydfil · Ogwr · Rhondda · Rhymney Valley · Taff-Ely

Powys Brecknock · Montgomeryshire · Radnorshire

South Glamorgan Cardiff · Vale of Glamorgan

West Glamorgan Lliw Valley · Neath · Port Talbot · Swansea


Counties
established before 1889 Anglesey · Brecknockshire · Caernarfonshire · Cardiganshire · Carmarthenshire · Denbighshire · Flintshire · Glamorganshire · Merionethshire · Monmouthshire · Montgomeryshire · Pembrokeshire · Radnorshire



Law
Main article: English law
See also: Contemporary Welsh Law
England fully annexed Wales under the Laws in Wales Act 1535, in the reign of King Henry VIII. Prior to that Welsh Law had survived de facto after the conquest up to the 15th century in areas remote from direct English control. The Wales and Berwick Act 1746 provided that all laws that applied to England would automatically apply to Wales (and Berwick-upon-Tweed, a town located on the Anglo-Scottish border) unless the law explicitly stated otherwise. This act, with regard to Wales, was repealed in 1967. However, Wales and England, as part of a single legal entity, share the same legal system—except for a few changes to accommodate the autonomy recently afforded to Wales. In this sense, English law is the law of Wales. (See England and Wales.)

English law is regarded as a common law system, with no major codification of the law, and legal precedents are binding as opposed to persuasive. The court system is headed by the House of Lords which is the highest court of appeal in the land for criminal and civil cases (although this is due to be replaced by a Supreme Court of the United Kingdom). The Supreme Court of Judicature of England and Wales is the highest court of first instance as well as an appellate court. The three divisions are the Court of Appeal; the High Court of Justice and the Crown Court. Minor cases are heard by the Magistrates' Courts or the County Court.

Since devolution in 2006, the Welsh Assembly has had the authority to draft and approve some laws outside of the UK Parliamentary system to meet the specific needs of Wales. Under powers conferred by Legislative Competency Orders agreed by all parliamentary stakeholders, it is able to pass laws known as Assembly Measures in relation to specific fields, such as health and education. As such, Assembly Measures are a subordinate form of primary legislation, lacking the scope of UK-wide Acts of Parliament, but able to be passed without the approval of the UK parliament or Royal Assent for each 'act'. Through this primary legislation, the Welsh Assembly Government can then also draft more specific secondary legislation. With devolution, the ancient and historic Wales and Chester court circuit was also disbanded and a separate Welsh court circuit was created to allow for any Measures passed by the Assembly.

Geography

Map of the National Parks of Wales.Main article: Geography of Wales
See also: Geology of Wales
Wales is located on a peninsula in central-west Great Britain. Its area is about 20,779 km2 (8,023 sq mi) – about the same size as Massachusetts, Israel, Slovenia or El Salvador and about a quarter of the area of Scotland. It is about 274 km (170 mi) north–south and 97 km (60 mi) east–west. Wales is bordered by England to the east and by sea in the other three directions: the Môr Hafren (Bristol Channel) to the south, Celtic Sea to the west, and the Irish Sea to the north. Altogether, Wales has over 1,200 km (746 mi) of coastline. There are several islands off the Welsh mainland, the largest being Ynys Môn (Anglesey) in the northwest.

The main population and industrial areas are in South Wales, consisting of the cities of Cardiff (Caerdydd), Swansea (Abertawe) and Newport (Casnewydd) and surrounding areas, with another significant population in the north-east around Wrexham (Wrecsam).


The view from Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), Gwynedd.Much of Wales's diverse landscape is mountainous, particularly in the north and central regions. The mountains were shaped during the last ice age, the Devensian glaciation. The highest mountains in Wales are in Snowdonia (Eryri), and include Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), which, at 1,085 m (3,560 ft) is the highest peak in Wales. The 14 (or possibly 15) Welsh mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high are known collectively as the Welsh 3000s, and are located in a small area in the north-west. The highest outside the 3000s is Aran Fawddwy 905m (2,969 ft) in the south of Snowdonia. The Brecon Beacons (Bannau Brycheiniog) are in the south (highest point Pen-y-Fan 886 m/2,907 ft, and are joined by the Cambrian Mountains in Mid Wales, the latter name being given to the earliest geological period of the Paleozoic era, the Cambrian.

In the mid 19th century, two prominent geologists, Roderick Murchison and Adam Sedgwick, used their studies of the geology of Wales to establish certain principles of stratigraphy and palaeontology. After much dispute, the next two periods of the Paleozoic era, the Ordovician and Silurian, were named after ancient Celtic tribes from this area. The older rocks underlying the Cambrian rocks were referred to as Pre-cambrian.

Wales has three National Parks: Snowdonia, Brecon Beacons and Pembrokeshire Coast. It also has four Areas of Outstanding Natural Beauty. These areas include Anglesey, the Clwydian Range, the Gower peninsula and the Wye Valley. The Gower peninsula was the first area in the whole of the United Kingdom to be designated as an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty, in 1956.


Tor Bay and Three Cliffs Bay, Gower (Gŵyr), Glamorgan.Much of the coastline of South and West Wales is designated as Heritage Coast. The coastline of the Glamorgan Heritage Coast, the Gower peninsula, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire, and Ceredigion is particularly wild and impressive. Gower, Carmarthenshire, Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay all have clean blue water, white sand beaches and impressive marine life. Despite this scenic splendour the coast of Wales has a dark side; the south and west coasts of Wales, along with the Irish and Cornish coasts, are frequently blasted by huge Atlantic westerlies/south westerlies that, over the years, have sunk and wrecked many vessels. On the night of 25 October 1859, 114 ships were destroyed off the coast of Wales when a hurricane blew in from the Atlantic; Cornwall and Ireland also had a huge number of fatalities on its coastline from shipwrecks that night. Wales has the somewhat unenviable reputation, along with Cornwall, Ireland and Brittany, of having per square mile, some of the highest shipwreck rates in Europe.[citation needed] The shipwreck situation was particularly bad during the industrial era when ships bound for Cardiff got caught up in Atlantic gales and were decimated by "the cruel sea".


Waterfall near Mallwyd, Gwynedd.Like Cornwall, Brittany and Ireland, the clean, clear waters of South-west Wales of Gower, Pembrokeshire and Cardigan Bay attract marine visitors including basking sharks, Atlantic grey seals, leatherback turtles, dolphins, porpoises, jellyfish, crabs and lobsters. Pembrokeshire and Ceredigion in particular are recognised as an area of international importance for Bottlenose dolphins, and New Quay in the middle of Cardigan Bay has the only summer residence of bottle nosed dolphins in the whole of the U.K.

The modern border between Wales and England was largely defined in the 16th century, based on medieval feudal boundaries. The boundary line (which very roughly follows Offa's Dyke up to 40 mi (64 km) of the northern coast) separates Knighton from its railway station, virtually cuts off Church Stoke from the rest of Wales, and slices straight through the village of Llanymynech (where a pub actually straddles the line).


Llyn y Fan Fawr, Carmarthenshire, mountain range near Llyn y Fan Fach.The Seven Wonders of Wales is a list in doggerel verse of seven geographic and cultural landmarks in Wales probably composed in the late 18th century under the influence of tourism from England.[52] All the "wonders" are in north Wales: Snowdon (the highest mountain), the Gresford bells (the peal of bells in the medieval church of All Saints at Gresford), the Llangollen bridge (built in 1347 over the River Dee, Afon Dyfrdwy), St Winefride's Well (a pilgrimage site at Holywell, Treffynnon) in Flintshire), the Wrexham (Wrecsam) steeple (16th century tower of St. Giles Church in Wrexham), the Overton Yew trees (ancient yew trees in the churchyard of St. Mary's at Overton-on-Dee) and Pistyll Rhaeadr – Wales's tallest waterfall, at 240 ft (73 m). The wonders are part of the rhyme:

Pistyll Rhaeadr and Wrexham steeple,
Snowdon's mountain without its people,
Overton yew trees, St Winefride's Wells,
Llangollen bridge and Gresford bells.
Climate
Highest maximum temperature: 35.2 °C (95.4 °F) at Hawarden Bridge, Flintshire on 2 August 1990.
Lowest minimum temperature: −23.3 °C (−10 °F) at Rhayader, Radnorshire (now Powys) on 21 January 1940.[53]
Maximum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 354.3 hours at Dale Fort, Pembrokeshire in July 1955.[54]
Minimum number of hours of sunshine in a month: 2.7 hours at Llwynon, Brecknockshire in January 1962.[55]
Maximum rainfall in a day (0900 UTC – 0900 UTC): 211 millimetres (8 in) at Rhondda, Glamorgan (now Rhondda Cynon Taf), on 11 November 1929.[56]
Wettest spot – an average of 4,473 millimetres (176 in) rain a year at Crib Goch in Snowdonia, Gwynedd (making it also the wettest spot in the United Kingdom).[57][58]
See also: List of towns in Wales
Economy
Main article: Economy of Wales

The main building of Cardiff University.Parts of Wales have been heavily industrialised since the 18th century and the early Industrial Revolution. Coal, copper, iron, silver, lead, and gold have been extensively mined in Wales, and slate has been quarried. By the second half of the 19th century, mining and metallurgy had come to dominate the Welsh economy, transforming the landscape and society in the industrial districts of south and north-east Wales.

From the middle of the nineteenth century until the mid 1980s, the mining and export of coal was a major part of the Welsh economy. Cardiff was once the largest coal exporting port in the world[6] and, for a few years before World War One, handled a greater tonnage of cargo than either London or Liverpool.[7]

From the early 1970s, the Welsh economy faced massive restructuring with large numbers of jobs in traditional heavy industry disappearing and being replaced eventually by new ones in light industry and in services. Over this period Wales was successful in attracting an above average share of foreign direct investment (FDI) in the UK. However, much of the new industry has essentially been of a 'branch factory' type, often routine assembly employing low skilled workers.

Wales has struggled to develop or attract high value-added employment in sectors such as finance and research and development, attributable in part to a comparative lack of economic mass (i.e. population) – Wales lacks a large metropolitan centre and most of the country, except south east Wales, is sparsely populated. The lack of high value-added employment is reflected in lower economic output per head relative to other regions of the UK – in 2002 it stood at 90% of the EU25 average and around 80% of the UK average. However, care is needed in interpreting these data, which do not take account of regional differences in the cost of living. The gap in real living standards between Wales and more prosperous parts of the UK is not pronounced. In June 2008, Wales made history by becoming the first nation in the world to be awarded Fairtrade Status. [59]


British one Pound coin (reverse), depicting the Welsh dragon (Welsh: Y Ddraig Goch).In 2002, the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Wales was just over £26 billion ($48 billion), giving a per capita GDP of £12,651 ($19,546). As of 2006, the unemployment rate in Wales stood at 5.7% – above the UK average, but lower than in the majority of EU countries.

As with the rest of the United Kingdom, the currency used in Wales is the pound sterling, represented by the symbol £. The Bank of England, created as the central bank for the Kingdom of England (which included Wales), is responsible for the currency of the entire United Kingdom. Banks in Wales, unlike those in Scotland and Northern Ireland, do not have the right to issue banknotes. The Royal Mint, who issue the coinage circulated over the whole of the UK, have been based at a single site in Llantrisant, south Wales since 1980, having been progressively transferring operations from their Tower Hill, London site since 1968.[60] Since decimalisation, in 1971, at least one of the coins in UK circulation has depicted a Welsh design, e.g. the 1995 and 2000 one Pound coin (shown left). However, Wales is not represented on any of the coins being minted.[61]

Due to poor-quality soil, much of Wales is unsuitable for crop-growing, and livestock farming has traditionally been the focus of agriculture. The Welsh landscape (protected by three National Parks) and 42 Blue Flag beaches, as well as the unique culture of Wales, attract large numbers of tourists, who play an especially vital role in the economy of rural areas. [3] See Tourism in Wales.

Healthcare
Main article: NHS Wales

The logo of NHS Wales.Public healthcare in Wales is provided by NHS Wales (Welsh: GIG Cymru), which was originally formed as part of the NHS structure for England and Wales created by the National Health Service Act 1946, but with powers over the NHS in Wales coming under the Secretary of State for Wales in 1969[62]. In turn, responsibility for NHS Wales was passed to the Welsh Assembly and Executive under devolution in 1999. NHS Wales provides public healthcare in Wales and employs some 90,000 staff, making it Wales’ biggest employer.[63] The Minister for Health and Social Services is the person within the Welsh Assembly Government who holds cabinet responsibilities for both health and social care in Wales.

Demographics
Main articles: Demography of Wales and Demography of the United Kingdom
The population of Wales in the United Kingdom Census 2001 was 2,903,085, which has risen to 2,958,876 according to 2005 estimates. This would make Wales the 136th largest country by population if it were a sovereign state.

According to the 2001 census, 96% of the population was White British, and 2.1% non-white (mainly of Asian origin).[64] Most non-white groups were concentrated in the southern port cities of Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. Welsh Asian communities developed mainly through immigration since World War II. More recently, parts of Wales have seen an increased number of immigrants settle from recent EU accession countries such as Poland – although some Poles also settled in Wales in the immediate aftermath of World War II.


Roald Dahl Plass, Cardiff.In the 2001 Labour Force Survey, 72% of adults in Wales considered their national identity as wholly Welsh and another 7% considered themselves to be partly Welsh (Welsh and British were the most common combination). A recent study estimated that 35% of the Welsh population have surnames of Welsh origin (5.4% of the English population and 1.6% of the Scottish also bore 'Welsh' names).[65] However, some names identified as English (such as 'Greenaway') may be corruptions of Welsh ('Goronwy'). Other names common in Wales, such as 'Richards', may have originated simultaneously in other parts of Britain.

In 2002, the BBC used the headline "English and Welsh are races apart" to report a genetic survey of test subjects from market towns in England and Wales.[66] Other recent researchers, such as Bryan Sykes and Stephen Oppenheimer, have argued that the majority of modern-day English and Welsh people trace a common ancestry to migrants who arrived in the British Isles during the Mesolithic and the Neolithic periods, although the National Museum Wales consider the conclusions made to date from genetic studies "implausible".[67]

In 2001 a quarter of the Welsh population were born outside Wales, mainly in England; about 3% were born outside the UK. The proportion of people who were born in Wales differs across the country, with the highest percentages in the South Wales Valleys, and the lowest in Mid Wales and parts of the north-east. In both Blaenau Gwent and Merthyr Tydfil 92% were Welsh-born, compared to only 51% in Flintshire and 56% in Powys.[68] One of the reasons for this is that the locations of the most convenient hospitals in which to give birth are over the border in England[citation needed].

Around 1.75 million Americans report themselves to have Welsh ancestry,[69] as did 467,000 Canadians in Canada's 2006 census.[70]

Languages
Main articles: Welsh language and English language

The Eisteddfod is an annual celebration of Welsh culture, conducted in Welsh.The Welsh Language Act 1993 and the Government of Wales Act 1998 provide that the Welsh and English languages be treated on a basis of equality. However, even English has only de facto official status in the UK (see Languages of the United Kingdom) and this has led political groups like Plaid Cymru to question whether such legislation is sufficient to ensure the survival of the Welsh language.[71]

English is spoken by almost all people in Wales and is therefore the de facto main language (see Welsh English). However, northern and western Wales retain many areas where Welsh is spoken as a first language by the majority of the population and English is learnt as a second language. 21.7% of the Welsh population is able to speak or read Welsh to some degree (based on the 2001 census), although only 16% claim to be able to speak, read and write it,[15] which may be related to the stark differences between colloquial and literary Welsh. According to a language survey conducted in 2004, a larger proportion than 21.7% claim to have some knowledge of the language.[72] Today there are very few truly monoglot Welsh speakers, other than small children, but individuals still exist who may be considered less than fluent in English and rarely speak it. There were still many monoglots as recently as the middle of the 20th century.[73] Road signs in Wales are generally in both English and Welsh; where place names differ in the two languages, both versions are used (e.g. "Cardiff" and "Caerdydd"), the decision as to which is placed first being that of the local authority.

During the 20th century a number of small communities of speakers of languages other than English or Welsh, such as Bengali or Cantonese, have established themselves in Wales as a result of immigration. This phenomenon is almost exclusive to urban Wales. The Italian Government funds the teaching of Italian to Welsh residents of Italian ancestry. These other languages do not have legal equality with English and Welsh, although public services may produce information leaflets in minority ethnic languages where there is a specific need, as happens elsewhere in the United Kingdom.

Code-switching is common in all parts of Wales, and the result is known by various names, such as "Wenglish" or (in Caernarfon) "Cofi".

Religion

St. David's Cathedral in Pembrokeshire.The largest religion in Wales is Christianity, with 72% of the population describing themselves as Christian in the 2001 census. The Presbyterian Church of Wales is the largest denomination and was born out of the Welsh Methodist revival in the 18th century and seceded from the Church of England in 1811. The Church in Wales is the next largest denomination, and forms part of the Anglican Communion. It too was part of the Church of England, and was disestablished by the British Government under the Welsh Church Act 1914 (the act did not take effect until 1920). The Roman Catholic Church makes up the next largest denomination at 3% of the population. Non-Christian religions are small in Wales, making up approximately 1.5% of the population. 18% of people declare no religion. The Apostolic Church holds its annual Apostolic Conference in Swansea each year, usually in August.

The patron saint of Wales is Saint David (Welsh: Dewi Sant), with St David's Day (Welsh: Dydd Gŵyl Dewi Sant) celebrated annually on 1 March.

In 1904, there was a religious revival (known by some as the 1904-1905 Welsh Revival or simply The 1904 Revival) which started through the evangelism of Evan Roberts and took many parts of Wales by storm with massive numbers of people voluntarily converting to Nonconformist and Anglican Christianity, sometimes whole communities. Many of the present-day Pentecostal churches in Wales claim to have originated in this revival.

Islam is the largest non-Christian religion in Wales, with over 30,000 reported Muslims in the 2001 census. There are also communities of Hindus and Sikhs mainly in the South Wales cities of Newport, Cardiff and Swansea, while curiously the largest concentration of Buddhists is in the western rural county of Ceredigion. Judaism was the first non-Christian faith (excluding pre-Roman animism) to be established in Wales, however as of the year 2001 the community has declined to approximately 2,000.[74]

Paganism and Wicca are also growing in Wales. According to the 2001 Census, there are 7,000-recorded Wiccans in England and Wales, with 31,000 Pagans.[75]

Culture
Main article: Culture of Wales

The National Library of Wales, AberystwythWales has a distinctive culture including its own language, customs, holidays and music.

Wales is primarily represented by the symbol of the red Welsh Dragon, but other national emblems include the leek and daffodil. The Welsh words for leeks (cennin) and daffodils (cennin Pedr, lit. "(Saint) Peter's Leeks") are closely related and it is likely that one of the symbols came to be used due to a misunderstanding for the other one, though it is less clear which came first.

Sport
Main article: Sport in Wales

Millennium Stadium, Cardiff.The most popular sports in Wales are rugby union and football. Wales, like other constituent nations, enjoys independent representation in major world sporting events such as the FIFA World Cup, Rugby World Cup and in the Commonwealth Games (however as Great Britain in the Olympics). As in New Zealand, rugby is a core part of the national identity, although football has traditionally been the more popular sport in the North Wales. Wales has its own governing bodies in rugby, the Welsh Rugby Union and in football, the Football Association of Wales (the third oldest in the world) and most other sports. Many of Wales's top athletes, sportsmen and sportswomen train at the Welsh Institute of Sport and National Indoor Athletics Centre in Cardiff, the Wales National Velodrome in Newport and the Wales National Pool in Swansea.

The Welsh national rugby union team takes part in the annual Six Nations Championship. Wales has also competed in every Rugby World Cup, hosting the tournament in 1999, with a best result of third place in the inaugural competition. Welsh teams also play in the European Heineken Cup and Magners League (rugby union) alongside teams from Ireland and Scotland, the EDF Energy Cup and the European Heineken Cup. The traditional club sides, were replaced in major competitions with four regional sides in 2003 replaced by the four professional regions (Scarlets, Cardiff Blues, Newport Gwent Dragons and Ospreys) in 2004. The former club sides now operate as semi-professional clubs in their own league, linked to the four regional sides. Wales has produced ten members of the International Rugby Hall of Fame including Gareth Edwards, J.P.R. Williams and Gerald Davies. Newport Rugby Club achieved a historic win over the 'invincible' New Zealand rugby team of 1963, while Llanelli Rugby Club famously beat the All Blacks in October 1972.

Wales has had its own football league since 1992 although, for historical reasons, two Welsh clubs (Cardiff City, and Swansea City) play in the English Football League and another four Welsh clubs in its feeder leagues. (Wrexham, Newport County, Merthyr Tydfil, and Colwyn Bay).

Rugby league is now developing in Wales. The Wales national rugby league team was formed in 1907, making them the third oldest national side. Before 1975 and in the 1980s they have been represented by the Great Britain national rugby league team in the World Cup. They have however competed in the 1975, 1995 and 2000 competitions. In the latter two they reached the Semi-Finals. But they didn't qualify for the 2008 tournament, having failed to beat Scotland over two matches. Bridgend based Celtic Crusaders joined National League Two in 2006, were promoted to National League One in 2008, and since 2009 play in Super League. The Crusaders Colts, also based in Bridgend, play in the Rugby League Conference National division. Eight teams compete in the Rugby League Conference Welsh Premier division, which began in 2003. The most successful teams have been the Bridgend Blue Bulls and Cardiff Demons.

In international cricket, England and Wales field a single representative team which is administered by the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB). There is a separate Wales team that occasionally participates in limited-overs domestic competition. Glamorgan County Cricket Club is the only Welsh participant in the England and Wales County Championship. A Wales team also plays in the English Minor Counties competition. However there has been recent debate as to whether Welsh players (such as Simon Jones) should play for an England team, and not an England and Wales team.

Wales's other bat-and-ball sport is British Baseball, which is chiefly confined to Cardiff and Newport, two cities with very long baseball traditions. The sport is governed by the Welsh Baseball Union.

The Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn is a member island of the International Island Games Association. In the 2005 Games, held on the Shetland Islands, the Isle of Anglesey/Ynys Môn came 11th on the medal table with 4 gold, 2 silver and 2 bronze medals.


Wales played Papua New Guinea at rugby league on the Kumuls tour of Europe. The match finished 50–10 in favour of Wales.Wales has produced several world class snooker players such as Ray Reardon, Terry Griffiths, Mark Williams, Matthew Stevens and Ryan Day. Amateur participation in the sport is very high. The rugged terrain of the country also gives opportunities for rally driving and Wales hosts the finale of the World Rally Championship. Glamorgan compete in county cricket competitions and the Cardiff Devils were once a strong force in British ice hockey. Wales has also produced a number of athletes who have made a mark on the world stage, including the 110 m hurdler Colin Jackson who is a former world record holder and the winner of numerous Olympic, World and European medals as well as Tanni Grey-Thompson who has won Paralympic gold medals and Marathon victories.

Wales has produced several world class boxers. Joe Calzaghe the half-Welsh, half-Italian boxer has been WBO World Super-Middleweight Champion since 1997 and recently won the WBA, WBC and Ring Magazine super middleweight and Ring Magazine Light-Heavy Weight titles. Former World champions include Enzo Maccarinelli, Gavin Rees, Colin Jones, Howard Winstone, Percy Jones, Jimmy Wilde, Steve Robinson and Robbie Regan.

Two Welsh drivers have competed in the Formula One championship: the first was Alan Rees at the 1967 British Grand Prix, who finished in ninth position, four laps behind the winner, Jim Clark. Tom Pryce was the more notable of the two drivers, as he finished on the podium twice and, at the 1975 British Grand Prix, qualified in pole position. Pryce's career was cut short after he collided with volunteer marshal, Jansen Van Vuuren, killing both instantly. As well as Formula One, Wales have had some notability in the World Rally Championship, producing two championship winning Co-Drivers, those being Nicky Grist, who helped Colin McRae to victory in 1995 and Phil Mills who helped Petter Solberg win the 2003 title. Wales hosts the British and final leg of the World Rally Championship.

Freddie Williams was World Motorcycle speedway champion twice – in 1950 and 1953 – and the country has a professional speedway team, Newport Wasps. The Millennium Stadium in Cardiff hosts the annual British Speedway Grand Prix, the United Kingdom's round of the World Championship.

Other notable Welsh sports people include 11 times gold medal winning paralympic athlete Tanni Grey-Thompson, footballer Ryan Giggs who is playing for Manchester United in the English Premiership, BDO world darts champions Richie Burnett and Mark Webster, Beijing 2008 Olympic Gold Medalists and international champion cyclists Nicole Cooke (Road Race), who also won the 2006 and 2007 Grande Boucle – the women's Tour de France, and Geraint Thomas (Team Pursuit), who also rode in the 2007 Tour de France, Commonwealth Games gold and bronze medallist in shooting Dave Phelps and Beijing 2008 Olympic Silver Medalist (10 km marathon) and Athens 2004 Olympic Bronze Medalist (1500 m freestyle), swimmer David Davies, Cyclist Simon Richardson - double gold medallist at the 2008 Summer Paralympics (1 km and 3 km time trial).[76][77]

Since 2006, Wales has had its own professional golf tour, the Dragon Tour. Notable Welsh golfers include Brian Huggett, Ian Woosnam, Bradley Dredge and Phillip Price. The Celtic Manor in Newport will host the 2010 Ryder Cup.

Wales is a noted centre for rock climbing.

Wales is beginning to be considered as a surfing destination.[78]

Media
Main article: Media in Wales
See also: Media in Cardiff
Cardiff is home to the Welsh national media. BBC Wales is based in Llandaff, Cardiff and produces Welsh-oriented output for BBC One and BBC Two channels. BBC 2W is the Welsh digital version of BBC Two, and broadcasts between 8.30pm and 10pm each week night for specific Wales based programming. ITV the UK's main commercial broadcaster has a Welsh-oriented service branded as ITV Wales, whose studios are in Culverhouse Cross, Cardiff. S4C, based in Llanishen, Cardiff, broadcasts mostly Welsh-language programming at peak hours, but shares English-language content with Channel 4 at other times. S4C Digidol (S4C Digital), on the other hand, broadcasts mostly in Welsh. Channel 4 and Channel 5 are now available in most parts of the country via digital television and satellite.

BBC Radio Wales is Wales's only national English-language radio station, while BBC Radio Cymru broadcasts throughout Wales in Welsh. There are also a number of independent radio stations across Wales including Red Dragon FM, The Wave, Swansea Sound, Marcher Sound, Nation Radio, Coast FM, 102.5 Radio Pembrokeshire, 97.1 Radio Carmarthenshire, Champion 103, Radio Ceredigion and Real Radio (Wales).

Most of the newspapers sold and read in Wales are national newspapers sold and read throughout Britain, unlike in Scotland where many newspapers have rebranded into Scottish based titles. Wales-based newspapers include: South Wales Echo, South Wales Argus, South Wales Evening Post, Liverpool Daily Post (Welsh edition) and Y Cymro, a Welsh language publication. The Western Mail is the main indigenous daily newspaper in South Wales and includes a Sunday edition Wales on Sunday. Both are published by the UK's largest newspaper corporation, Trinity Mirror. The Western Mail and South Wales Echo have their offices in Thomson House, Cardiff city centre.

The first Welsh language daily, Y Byd, was due to commence on 3 March 2008.[79] However, on 15 February 2008, it was announced that plans for Y Byd had been abandoned because of funding problems.[80].

In addition to English-language magazines, a number of weekly and monthly Welsh-language magazines are published. Wales has some 20 publishing companies, publishing mostly English titles. However, some 500–600 titles are published each year in Welsh.[81][not in citation given]

Notably, the recent hit revival of cult classic series Doctor Who was and is conceived in Wales (BBC Wales), with many episodes set in Cardiff. Most of the filming and production takes place in locations all over Wales and attracts staggering audiences worldwide. Its adult spin-off Torchwood, fronted by John Barrowman, is also set in Cardiff, with many links to Doctor Who.

Cuisine
Main article: Welsh cuisine
About 80% of the land surface of Wales is given over to agricultural use. However, very little of this is arable land; the vast majority consists of permanent grass pasture or rough grazing for herd animals such as sheep and cows. Although both beef and dairy cattle are raised widely, especially in Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire, Wales is more well-known for its sheep farming, and thus lamb is the meat traditionally associated with Welsh cooking.

Some traditional dishes include laverbread (made from seaweed), bara brith (fruit bread), Cawl (a lamb stew) and cawl cennin (leek soup), Welsh cakes, and Welsh lamb. Cockles are sometimes served with breakfast bacon. [4]

In 2005 the Welsh National Culinary Teams returned from the Culinary World Cup in Luxembourg with eight gold, 15 silver and seven bronze medals, and were placed 7th in the world.[citation needed]

Music
Main article: Music of Wales

Welsh soprano Gwyneth Jones.The principal Welsh festival of music and poetry is the National Eisteddfod. This takes place annually in a different town or city. The Llangollen International Eisteddfod echoes the National Eisteddfod but provides an opportunity for the singers and musicians of the world to perform.

Wales is often referred to as "the land of song",[82] being particularly famous for harpists, male voice choirs, and solo artists including Sir Geraint Evans, Dame Gwyneth Jones, Dame Anne Evans, Dame Margaret Price, Ivor Novello, John Cale, Sir Tom Jones, Charlotte Church, Bonnie Tyler, Bryn Terfel, Donna Lewis, Mary Hopkin, Katherine Jenkins, Meic Stevens, Dame Shirley Bassey, Duffy and Aled Jones.

Indie bands like the Manic Street Preachers, Catatonia, Stereophonics, Feeder, Super Furry Animals, and Gorky's Zygotic Mynci, in the 1990s, and later Goldie Lookin' Chain, mclusky, The Automatic, Steveless and Los Campesinos! have emerged from Wales. Other, less mainstream bands have emerged from Wales, such as Skindred, The Blackout, Lostprophets, Kids In Glass Houses, Bullet For My Valentine, Funeral for a Friend and were preceded by Man in the 1970s. The Beatles-nurtured power pop group Badfinger also has its roots in Wales (both the founder Peter Ham and drummer Mike Gibbins from Swansea). Another famous Welsh singer is pop icon Jem who has recorded songs for/performed on TV programmes such as Las Vegas and The OC, and movies such as Eragon. The popular New Wave/synthpop group Scritti Politti was a vehicle for singer/songwriter and Cardiff native Green Gartside.


Crasdant, a traditional Welsh folk band.
Traditional Welsh folk singer and harpist Siân James live on stage at the Festival Interceltique de Lorient.The Welsh traditional and folk music scene is in resurgence with performers and bands such as Crasdant, Carreg Lafar, Fernhill, Siân James, Robin Huw Bowen, Llio Rhydderch, KilBride and The Hennessys. Traditional music and dance in Wales is supported by a myriad of societies. Welsh Folk Song Society (Cymdeithas Alawon Gwerin Cymru) has published a number of collections of songs and tunes. The Welsh Folk Dance Society (Cymdeithas Ddawns Werin Cymru) supports a network of national amateur dance teams and publishes support material. Clear (Traditional instruments society) runs workshops to promote the harp, telyn deires (triple harp), fiddle, crwth, pibgorn (hornpipe) and other instruments. The Cerdd Dant Society promotes its specific singing art primarily through an annual one-day festival. The traditional music development agency, trac, runs projects in communities throughout Wales and advocates on behalf of traditional music. There are also societies for Welsh hymnology, oral history, small eisteddfodau, oral history, and poetry.

The 'Sîn Roc Gymraeg' (Welsh language Rock Scene) in Wales is thriving, with acts ranging from rock to hip-hop. Dolgellau, in the heart of Snowdonia has held the annual Sesiwn Fawr (mighty session) festival since 1992. The festival has grown to be Wales's largest Welsh-Language Music Festival.

The BBC National Orchestra of Wales performs in Wales and internationally. The world-renowned Welsh National Opera now has a permanent home at the Wales Millennium Centre in Cardiff Bay, while the National Youth Orchestra of Wales was the first of its type in the world.

Literature
Main article: Welsh Literature
Further information: List of Welsh writers
Transport
Main article: Transport in Wales
See also: Transport in Cardiff

Second Severn Crossing carrying the M4 MotorwayThe main road artery linking cities and other settlements along the South Wales coast is the M4 motorway which also provides a link with England and eventually London. The Welsh section of the motorway, managed by the Welsh Assembly Government, runs from the Second Severn Crossing to Pont Abraham in West Wales, connecting cities such as Cardiff, Newport and Swansea.

In North Wales the A55 expressway performs a similar role along the north Wales coast providing connections for places such as Holyhead and Bangor with Wrexham and Flintshire and also with England, principally Chester. The main north-south Wales link is the A470 which runs from Cardiff to Llandudno.

Cardiff International Airport is the only large and international airport in Wales, offering links domestically and to European and North American destinations, located some 12 miles (19 km) south-west of Cardiff city centre, in the Vale of Glamorgan. Since May 2007 Highland Airways, a Scottish Company, has run internal flights between Anglesey (Valley) and Cardiff.


An Arriva Trains Wales service at Llandudno Junction railway stationThe country also has a significant railway network managed by the Welsh Assembly Government which has a programme of reopening old railway lines and extending rail usage. Cardiff Central and Cardiff Queen Street are the busiest and the major hubs on the internal and national network. Beeching cuts in the 1960s mean that most of the remaining network is geared toward east-west travel to or from England. Services from North to South Wales operate through the English towns of Chester and Shrewsbury. Valley Lines services operate in Cardiff, the South Wales Valleys and surrounding area and are heavily used as commuter lines.

Arriva Trains Wales is the major operator of rail services within Wales. It also operates routes from within Wales to Crewe, Manchester, Birmingham and Cheltenham. Virgin Trains operate services from North Wales to London as part of the West Coast Main Line. First Great Western operate services from London to Cardiff and Newport every half hour with an hourly continuation to Swansea. It also runs services from Cardiff and Newport to southern England. CrossCountry offer services from Cardiff to Nottingham and Newcastle upon Tyne via the West Midlands, East Midlands and Yorkshire.

Regular ferry services to Ireland operate from Holyhead and Fishguard, and the Swansea to Cork service is due to resume in March 2010.[83].

National symbols
Main article: National symbols of Wales
The Flag of Wales incorporates the red dragon (Y Ddraig Goch) of Prince Cadwalader along with the Tudor colours of green and white. It was used by Henry VII at the battle of Bosworth in 1485 after which it was carried in state to St. Paul's Cathedral. The red dragon was then included in the Tudor royal arms to signify their Welsh descent. It was officially recognised as the Welsh national flag in 1959. The British Union Flag incorporates the flags of Scotland, Ireland and England but does not have any Welsh representation. Technically it is represented by the flag of England, as the Laws in Wales act of 1535 annexed Wales following the 13th century conquest.

The daffodil and the leek are also symbols of Wales. The origins of the leek can be traced to the 16th century, while the daffodil became popular in the 19th century, encouraged by David Lloyd-George. This is attributed to confusion of the Welsh for leek (cenhinen) and that for daffodil (cenhinen Bedr or St. Peters leek). A report in 1916 gave preference to the leek, which has appeared on British £1 coins.[84]

"Hen Wlad fy Nhadau" ("Land of My Fathers") is the National Anthem of Wales, and is played at events such as football or rugby matches involving the Wales national team as well as the opening of the Welsh Assembly and other official occasions.

Saint David's Day, 1 March, is the national day,

Gallery
Nantclwyd-y-dre, Ruthin, thought to be the oldest town house in Wales
Hall of the Mountain Kings, Ogof Craig a Ffynnon, a cave in the Brecon Beacons
Llanddwyn Island old lighthouse with Gwynedd in background.
The University of Wales, Lampeter, the oldest higher education institution in Wales

Rhossili down and Rhossili Bay, Gower peninsula, Swansea
Millennium Stadium, Cardiff
Steelworks, Port Talbot
National Eisteddfod of Wales, 2007

Part of the Brecon Beacons, looking from the highest point Pen y Fan.
Aberaeron, Harbour
Marloes peninsula, Pembrokeshire coast
Snowdon, highest mountain in Wales

A Welsh mountain pony in the Brecon Beacons
A lake in the Brecon Beacons
The marina of Swansea, Wales's second city
Sunset in Aberystwyth, one of the cultural capitals of Wales

Llangollen Bridge watching over the River Dee
Overton's yew trees
St Winefride's Well, one of the Seven Wonders of Wales
The steeple of St Giles's Church in Wrexham

Gresford Bells at All Saints' Church, Gresford
Pistyll Rhaeadr is the tallest waterfall in Wales
Newport Transporter Bridge, built in 1906
Caernarfon Castle


Welsh people
Main article: Welsh people
See also
Capital of Wales
England and Wales
List of UK dialling codes covering Wales
Madoc
National Eisteddfod of Wales
Plaid Cymru
Welsh Labour
Welsh Conservative Party
Seven Wonders of Wales
Visit Wales
Wales Council for Voluntary Action
Wales–England border
Welsh language
Culture of Wales
Welsh nationalism
Welsh peers
Welsh placenames
Welsh Argentine
References
^ Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 100. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ Also spelled "Gymru", "Nghymru" or "Chymru" in certain contexts, as Welsh is a language with initial mutations – see Welsh morphology.
^ The Countries of the UK statistics.gov.uk, accessed 10 October, 2008
^ The part of the Atlantic Ocean that borders Wales is sometimes known as the Celtic Sea.
^ Davies, John, A History of Wales, Penguin, 1994, "Welsh Origins", p. 54, ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8
^ a b "BBC NEWS". BBC News Wales website. BBC Wales. 2007-04-26. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6586105.stm. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
^ a b "Rhagor". Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. Amgueddfa Cymru - National Museum Wales. 2007-04-18. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/?article_id=50. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales, Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008. p.448.
^ Fast facts: Home: Visit Wales - the Welsh Assembly Government's tourism team
^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press 2008
^ Why the Welsh voice is so musical, BBC News, 8 June 2006. Accessed 17 May 2008.
^ Tongue tied, BBC News. Accessed 17 May 2008
^ Gwynfor, Evans (1974). Land of my Fathers. Y Lolfa Cyf., Talybont. pp. 240 & 241. ISBN 0 86243 265 0.
^ Gwynfor, Evans (2000). The Fight for Welsh Freedom. Y Lolfa Cyf., Talybont. pp. 87. ISBN 0 86243 515 32.
^ a b c Illustrated Encyclopedia of Britain. London: Reader's Digest. 1999. p. 459. ISBN 0-276-42412-3. "A country and principality within the mainland of Britain ... about half a million"
^ The Oxford Illustrated Dictionary. Great Britain: Oxford University Press. 1976 [1975]. p. 949. "Wales (-lz). Principality occupying extreme W. of central southern portion of Gt Britain"
^ a b Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 71. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ Tolkien, John Ronald Reuel (1963). Angles and Britons: O'Donnell Lectures. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. English and Welsh, an O'Donnell Lecture delivered at Oxford on Oct. 21, 1955.
^ Gilleland, Michael (2007-12-12). "Laudator Temporis Acti: More on the Etymology of Walden". Laudator Temporis Acti website. Michael Gilleland. http://laudatortemporisacti.blogspot.com/2007/12/more-on-etymology-of-walden.html. Retrieved 2008-10-29.
^ Online Etymological Dictionary Cymric
^ a b Davies, John (1990/2007). A History of Wales. London: Penguin Books. pp. 68–69.
^ "Channel 4 - News - Red Lady skeleton 29,000 years old". Channel 4 website. Channel 4 - News. 2007-10-30. http://www.channel4.com/news/articles/science_technology/red+lady+skeleton+29000+years+old/979762. Retrieved 2008-10-30 : see Red Lady of Paviland.
^ a b c Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 4 - 6. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ "Overview: From Neolithic to Bronze Age, 8000–800 BC (Page 1 of 6)". BBC History website. BBC. 2006-09-05. http://www.bbc.co.uk/history/ancient/british_prehistory/overview_british_prehistory_01.shtml. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
^ "Genes link Celts to Basques". BBC News website. BBC. 2001-04-03. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/1256894.stm. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
^ "GGAT 72 Overviews". A Report for Cadw by Edith Evans BA PhD MIFA and Richard Lewis BA. Glamorgan-Gwent Archaeological Trust. 2003. http://www.ggat.org.uk/cadw/cadw_reports/pdfs/GGAT%2072%20Overviews.pdf. Retrieved 2008-12-30.
^ "Stones of Wales - Pentre Ifan Dolmen". Stone Pages website. Paola Arosio/Diego Meozzi. 2003. http://www.stonepages.com/wales/pentreifan.html. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
^ "Stones of Wales - Bryn Celli Ddu Burial chamber". Stone Pages website. Paola Arosio/Diego Meozzi. 2003. http://www.stonepages.com/wales/bryncelliddu.html. Retrieved 2008-11-17.
^ "Parc le Breos Burial Chamber; Parc CWM Long Cairn". The Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales website. Royal Commission on the Ancient and Historical Monuments of Wales. 2006. http://www.coflein.gov.uk/pls/portal/coflein.w_details?inumlink=6052756. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
^ "BBC Wales - History - Themes Prehistoric Wales: The Stone Age". BBC Wales website. BBC. 2008. http://www.bbc.co.uk/wales/history/sites/themes/periods/prehistoric02.shtml. Retrieved 2008-10-24.
^ "Your guide to Stonehenge, the World's Favourite Megalithic Stone Circle". Stonehenge.co.uk website. Longplayer SRS Ltd (trading as www.stonehenge.co.uk). 2008. http://www.stonehenge.co.uk/history.htm. Retrieved 2008-08-05.
^ Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. p. 17. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 26 & 27. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ For the original Middle Welsh text see, Ifor Williams (ed.), Breuddwyd Maxen (Bangor, 1920). Discussion of the tale and its context in, M.P. Charlesworth, The Lost Province (Gregynog Lectures series, 1948, 1949).
^ Ancient Britain Had Apartheid-Like Society, Study Suggests. National Geographic News. July 21, 2006.
^ a b Davies, John (1993). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 65–66. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ David Hill and Margaret Worthington, Offa's Dyke: history and guide, Tempus, 2003, ISBN 0-7524-1958-7
^ The earliest instance of Lloegyr occurs in the early 10th century prophetic poem Armes Prydein. It seems comparatively late as a place name, the nominative plural Lloegrwys, "men of Lloegr", being earlier and more common. The English were sometimes referred to as an entity in early poetry (Saeson, as today) but just as often as Eingl (Angles), Iwys (Wessex-men), etc. Lloegr and Sacson became the norm later when England emerged as a kingdom. As for its origins, some scholars have suggested that it originally referred only to Mercia – at that time a powerful kingdom and for centuries the main foe of the Welsh. It was then applied to the new kingdom of England as a whole (see for instance Rachel Bromwich (ed.), Trioedd Ynys Prydein, University of Wales Press, 1987). "The lost land" and other fanciful meanings, such as Geoffrey of Monmouth's monarch Locrinus, have no etymological basis. (See also Discussion, article 40)
^ Davies, John (1993). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 100. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ Davies, John (1993). A History of Wales. London: Penguin. pp. 128. ISBN 0-14-01-4581-8.
^ "Tribute to lost Welsh princess", bbc.co.uk date 12 June 2000, URL retrieved on 5 March 2007
^ "BBC - Liverpool - Features - Flooding Apology". BBC website. BBC Wales. 2005-10-19. http://www.bbc.co.uk/liverpool/content/articles/2005/10/17/feature_welsh_reservoir_feature.shtml. Retrieved 2008-10-18.
^ Gwynfor, Evans (2000). The Fight for Welsh Freedom. Y Lolfa Cyf., Talybont. pp. 152. ISBN 0 86243 515 32.
^ a b Clews, Roy (1980). To Dream of Freedom - The story of MAC and the Free Wales Army. Y Lolfa Cyf., Talybont. pp. 15, 21 & 26–31. ISBN 0 86243 586 2.
^ "BBC News - Wales - Mid Wales - Dam graffiti wall set to be saved". BBC News website. BBC News. 2006-10-17. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/6056566.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
^ BBC News | Wales | Details of Labour-Plaid Agreement
^ "UK Parliament -Parliament's role". United Kingdom Parliament website. United Kingdom Parliament. 2009-06-29. http://www.parliament.uk/about/how/role.cfm. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
^ a b "Welsh Assembly Government:Devolution timeline". Welsh Assembly Government website. Welsh Assembly Government. 2009. http://wales.gov.uk/about/10years/timeline/?lang=en. Retrieved 2009-08-31.
^ "Official Welsh Government biography of Morgan". http://new.wales.gov.uk/about/cabinet/cabinetm/rhodrimorgan?lang=en.
^ Results: Wales BBC News i June, 2005
^ [1]Welsh Assembly Government/Local Authorities
^ See Meic Stephens (ed.), Companion to Welsh Literature. The doggerel verse was composed in English, probably for the benefit of visitors from across Offa's Dyke.
^ metoffice.com – Temperature
^ "Met Office:Regional Climate: Wales". Met Office website. Met Office. 2009. http://www.metoffice.gov.uk/climate/uk/wl/. Retrieved 2009-10-06.
^ metoffice.gov.uk – Sunshine
^ metoffice.gov.uk – Rainfall
^ Clark, Ross (2006-10-28). "The wetter, the better". The Independent. http://www.telegraph.co.uk/property/3354276/The-wetter-the-better.html. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
^ Philip, Catherine (2005-07-28). "40 die as one year's rain falls in a day". The Times. http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/article548749.ece. Retrieved 2009-09-02.
^ [2]
^ "www.royalmint.gov.uk". Royal Mint website. Royal Mint. 2008-08-01. http://www.royalmint.gov.uk/Corporate/AboutUs/History/Llantrisant.aspx. Retrieved 2008-09-02.
^ "The New Designs Revealed". Royal Mint website. Royal Mint. 2008-09-30. http://www.royalmint.com/newdesigns/designsRevealed.aspx. Retrieved 2008-10-11.
^ Introduction to NHS Wales 1960's www.wales.nhs.uk
^ Introduction to NHS Wales - Staff www.wales.nhs.uk
^ National Statistics Online
^ wales.gov.uk
^ "English and Welsh are Races Apart", BBC, 30 June, 2002
^ "Who were the Celts? ... Rhagor". Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales website. Amgueddfa Cymru – National Museum Wales. 2007-05-04. http://www.museumwales.ac.uk/en/rhagor/article/1939/. Retrieved 2009-10-14.
^ National Statistics Online
^ 2006 Census ("U.S. Census Bureau 2006 Census Fact Sheet". http://factfinder.census.gov/servlet/DTTable?_bm=y&-state=dt&-context=dt&-reg=DEC_2000_SF4_U_PCT001:001. )
^ Ethnic origins, 2006 counts, for Canada, provinces and territories - 20% sample data. Statistics Canada.
^ A Bilingual Wales, Accessed 27 April 2008
^ 2004 Welsh Language Survey, www.bwrdd-yr-iaith.org.uk, Accessed 28 April 2008
^ 41,155 (1951 Census: Wales total monoglots)
^ BBC - Wales - History of religion : Multicultural Wales
^ Religious Populations - National Statistics Online
^ BBC Sport - British cyclists win three golds. Accessed on: 9 September 2008
^ BBC Sport - Results - Tuesday 9 September. Accessed on: 9 September 2008
^ Surfing In Wales
^ "Welsh language paper is unveiled". BBC News. 20 June 2007. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/6768879.stm. Retrieved 2007-08-27.
^ "Daily Welsh newspaper abandoned". BBC News Online. 15 February 2008. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/mid/7245774.stm.
^ http://www.aber.ac.uk/~merwww/english/lang/welsh.htm
^ "Wales: Cultural life: Music, literature and film". Britannica (Online ed.). 2006.
^ "BBC News - Wales - South West Wales - Ferry relaunch delayed until 2010". BBC News website. BBC News. 2009-05-06. http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/wales/south_west/8035237.stm. Retrieved 2009-06-21.
^ The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales pp189
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Renting
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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This article is about an agreement for payment for temporary use. For other uses, see Rent.
"Rentals" redirects here. For the rock band, see The Rentals.
See also: Lease
Renting is an agreement where a payment is made for the temporary use of a good, service or property owned by another person or company. The owner of the good, service or property may be referred to as the lessor and the party paying to use the property as the lessee or renter. The rental market has recently expanded to cover a diverse variety of goods and services including everything from lawnmowers and washing machines to handbags and jewellry.[1]

Contents [hide]
1 Reasons for renting
2 Growth of rental industry
3 Rental agreements
4 Rent-to-own
5 See also
6 References


[edit] Reasons for renting
There are many possible reasons for renting instead of buying, for example:

In many jurisdictions (including India, Spain, Australia, and the United States) rent used in a trade or business is tax deductible, whereas rent on a dwelling is not tax deductible in most jurisdictions.
Financial inadequacy, such as renting a house when one is unable to buy it. One may not wish to pay the full price that ownership would need, allowing for smaller payments over a specified period of time.
Reducing financial risk due to depreciation and transaction costs, especially for real estate which might be needed only for a short amount of time.
When something is needed only temporarily, as in the case of a special tool, a truck or a skip.
When something is needed that may or may not be already owned but is not in proximity for use, such as renting an automobile or bicycle when away on a trip.
Needing a cheaper alternative to buying, such as renting a movie: a person is unwilling to pay the full price for a movie, so they rent it for a lesser price, but give up the chance to view it again later.
The renter may want to leave the burden of upkeep of the property (mowing the lawn, shoveling snow, etc.) to the owner or his agents.
There is no need to worry about lifespan and maintenance.
Renting keeps off-balance-sheet the debt that would burden the balance sheet of a company in case the property would have been bought.
Renting may also have positive benefits for the environment. Experts believe we may now be witnessing the beginnings of a mega shift towards the Rental Society in which the unsustainable growth in production and consumption will be reversed. The ‘disposable mentality’ will give way to efficient use and this will serve to reduce the adverse impacts on the environment.[2]
[edit] Growth of rental industry
Short-term rental of all sorts of products (excluding real estate and holiday apartments) already represents an estimated €108 billion ($160 billion) annual market in Europe and is expected to grow further as the internet makes it easier to find specific items available for rent.[3] According to a poll by YouGov, 76% of people looking to rent would go to the internet first to find what they need; rising to 88% for those aged 25–34.[4]

It has been widely reported that the financial crisis of 2007–2009 may have contributed to the rapid growth of online rental marketplaces, such as erento, as consumers are more likely to consider renting instead of buying in times of financial hardship.[5] Environmental concerns, fast depreciation of goods, and a more transient workforce also mean that consumers are increasingly searching for rentals online.[3]

[edit] Rental agreements
There is typically an implied, explicit, or written rental agreement or contract involved to specify the terms of the rental, which are regulated and managed under contract law. Examples include:

Renting real estate (real property) for the purpose of housing tenure (where the lessee rents a residence to live in), parking space for a vehicle(s), storage space, whole or portions of properties for business, agricultural, institutional, or government use, or other reasons.
When renting real estate, the person(s) or party who lives in or occupies the real estate is often called a tenant, paying rent to the owner of the property, the lessor, often called a landlord (or landlady). The real estate rented may be all or part of almost any real estate, such as an apartment, house, building, business office(s) or suite, land, farm, or merely an inside or outside space to park a vehicle, or store things all under Real estate law.
The rental agreement for real estate is often called a lease, and usually involves specific property rights in real property, as opposed to chattels.
In India , the rental income on property is taxed under the head "income from house property". A deduction of 30 % is allowed from total rent which is charged to tax.
The time use of a chattel or other so called "personal property" is covered under general contract law, but the term lease also nowadays extends to long term rental contracts of more expensive non-Real properties such as automobiles, boats, planes, office equipment and so forth. The distinction in that case is long term versus short term rentals. Some non-real properties commonly available for rent or lease are:

The renting of motion pictures on VHS or DVD, of audio CDs, of computer programs on CD-ROM.
Renting transport equipment, such as an automobile, boat, or a bicycle.
Renting somewhat specialized tools, such as a chainsaw, laptop, IT equipment or something more substantial, such as a forklift.
Very specialized rental of equipment may include items as large as cranes, oil rigs and submarines.
Renting a deckchair or beach chair and umbrella.
Furniture
Designer handbags, jewelry, sunglasses and watches.
In various degrees, renting can involve buying services for various amounts of time, such as staying in a hotel, using a computer in an Internet cafe, or riding in a taxicab (some forms of English use the term "hiring" for this activity).

As seen from the examples, some rented goods are used on the spot, but usually they are taken along; to help guarantee that they are brought back, one or more of the following applies:

one shows an identity document
one signs a contract; any damage already present when renting may be noted down to avoid that the renter is blamed for it when the good is returned
one pays a damage deposit (a refundable fee that may be used in part to pay for damage caused by the renter)
if the customer has a credit account with the rental company, they may rent over several months (or years) and will receive a recurring or continuation invoice each rental period until they return the equipment. In this case deposits are rarely required.
In certain types of rental (sometimes known as operated or wet rental) the charge may be calculated by the rental charge + timesheets of operators or drivers supplied by the rental company to operate the equipment. This is particularly relevant for crane rental companies.
Sometimes the risk that the good is kept is reduced by it being a special model or having signs on it that can not easily be removed, making it obvious that it is owned by the rental company; this is especially effective for goods used in public places, but even when used at home it may help due to social control.

Persons and businesses that regularly rent goods from a particular company generally have an account with that company, which reduces the administrative procedure (transaction costs) on each occasion.

Signing out books from a library could be considered renting when there is a fee per book. However the term lending is more common.




[edit] Rent-to-own
Some merchants have rent-to-own (also called lease-purchase or hire purchase) programs, usually for expensive items such as houses or appliances. Houses however are more commonly sold using a mortgage rather than hire purchase, the difference being who the house legally belongs to during the payment period: the seller in the former case, and the buyer in the latter.




[edit] See also
Look up Rent in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.
Anti-Rent War
Bid rent theory
Leasing
Online DVD rental
Rental agreement
Rental car
Rental shop
Rent guarantee insurance
Rent strike
Rent to own
The Landlord's Game
Vacation rental
[edit] References
^ "If you want it, rent it ... from a 'must have' handbag to an Aston Martin", The Observer, 2009-01-04. Retrieved on 2009-09-09.
^ "Why buy it when you can rent it?", The Observer, 2004-06-27. Retrieved on 2009-09-09.
^ a b Schenker, Jennifer. "Tough Times? Rent, Don't Buy, with Erento", BusinessWeek, 2008-08-22. Retrieved on 2009-10-01.
^ Pollok, Murray. News Highlights, International Rental News, 2009-04-01. Retrieved on 2009-09-01.
^ Moshiri, Maryam. "Is renting the new buying?", BBC Breakfast News, 2009-04-27. Retrieved on 2009-05-01.
This article does not cite any references or sources.
Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (June 2007)