The largest city in Wales and also the capital, Cardiff is the main commercial centre for the region. It is ranked as the 10^th largest city in the United Kingdom with a population of 346.000 according to the 2011 census. There is a theory that the town gets its name from the combination between the Welsh word for “fort” (caer) with reference to the fort built by the Romans and a variation of the name of the River Taff that runs underneath Cardiff Castle. Cardiff became one of Britain’s most important ports after the Glamorganshire canal was built linking the mining city of Merthyr Tydfil with Cardiff and the Cardiff docks. Cardiff became the largest coal exporting port because of this. 

Cardiff is nowadays the place where most of the national cultural, sporting, administrative and financial institutions of Wales are gathered. The Cardiff Urban Area also includes the towns of Penarth and Dinas Powys increasing the population with an additional of 95.000 people. The inner city areas are divided into wards. The Western wards contain some of the largest and most expensive housing estates in the United Kingdom. Students and young professionals prefer the Northern and Eastern wards of Cardiff. The Southern wards of Cardiff have low levels of economic activity, the exception being Cardiff Bay. Besides the fact that Cardiff is a preferred destination by students who want to study abroad, there is also a very multicultural population. A study by the National Centre of Languages has found that Cardiff has speakers of 94 languages.

Cardiff is the seat of the National Assembly for Wales, which is the unicameral parliament of Wales with legislative powers. 28 countries have a diplomatic presence in Cardiff. The Senedd building in Cardiff Bay is the official home of the Debating Chamber and Committee Rooms. The building was inaugurated in 2006 and incorporates many environmentally friendly features. It is one of Cardiff’s main tourist attractions.

Over 18 million visitors come to Cardiff every year, curious about or attracted by this tourist destination. Cardiff has many attractions ranging from buildings to landmarks. Historic buildings with unique styles of architecture include Cardiff Castle, Cardiff University, Llandaff Cathedral, Castell Coch, Cardiff City Hall, Cardiff Crown Court, National Museum Cardiff. Besides the historic buildings Cardiff has plenty of modern buildings like The Senedd, Cardiff Central Library, Millennium Stadium, Wales Millennium Centre. Being a very important port Cardiff has attractions in the bay area, like the Norwegian Church for example. Cardiff has walks of special interest for tourists and hikers alike, such as the Centenary Walk, which runs for 3.7 km within Cardiff city centre. This route passes through many of Cardiff’s landmarks and historic buildings.

Cardiff has a maritime climate with mild weather. Summers are warm and sunny and during the winter temperatures rarely drop below freezing point. Cardiff uses an airport situated in Rhoose, a village approximately 16 km from Cardiff. The central railway station in Cardiff is the largest in Wales with over 11 million passengers a year.

 

 

Did you know? ..... 10 Interesting Facts about Cardiff

1. Cardiff is built on reclaimed marshland on a bed of Triassic stones.
2. The world’s first £1million cheque was signed in Cardiff’s coal exchange in 1907.
3. Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city since 1081.
4. Cardiff is one of the flattest cities in Britain and has more hours of sunlight than Milan.
5. In 1983 Cardiff was the first UK city to be twined with a city from China.
6. Opened in 1894, Spillers record shop in Cardiff is the oldest record shop in the world.
7. When the permanent collection of Doctor Who opened in Cardiff it was the only permanent collection in the UK dedicated to the TV show.
8. Up until the early 20^th century, the City of Cardiff was regarded as the greatest coal-shipping port on the globe.
9. After the Millennium Stadium was completed Cardiff was acknowledged as a sporting capital.
10. Three of the parks in Cardiff have achieved national Green Flag status.