City and County of Cardiff Dinas a Sir Caerdydd
Cardiff city centre looking west
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Y ddraig goch ddyry cychwyn (The red dragon will lead the way)
Location of the city of Cardiff (Light Green) within the Principality of Wales (Dark Green)
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Constituent country	Wales
Region	South Wales
Historic County	Glamorgan
Government
- Leader of Cardiff Council	Rodney Berman
- Welsh Assembly and UK Parliament Consituencies	Cardiff West, Cardiff South and Penarth, Cardiff North, Cardiff Central
- European Parliament	Wales
Area
- Urban	140 km² (54.1 sq mi)
Population (2006 local government estimates)
- City	317,500
- Density	4,392/km² (11,375.2/sq mi)
- Urban	327,706 (2,001)
- Demonym	Cardiffian
- Ethnicity	91.57% White 1.99% Mixed 3.96% S. Asian 1.28% Black 1.20% Chinese or other.
Time zone	GMT (UTC0)
- Summer (DST)	BST (UTC+1)
Post codes	CF3, CF5, CF10, CF11, CF14, CF15, CF23, CF24, CF99
Area code(s)	029
Website: http://www.cardiff.gov.uk/

Cardiff (English: Cardiff (help·info), Welsh: Caerdydd (info)) is the capital and largest city of Wales, and the main regional commercial centre. According to Census 2001 data, Cardiff was the 14th largest settlement in the United Kingdom,http://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/census2001/ks_ua_ew_part1.pdf and the 21st largest urban areahttp://www.statistics.gov.uk/downloads/theme_compendia/fom2005/03_FOPM_UrbanAreas.pdf. Recent local government estimates put the population of the unitary authority as 317,500.Cardiff Council 2006 Official Estimate. Retrieved on 2007-12-14. The city of Cardiff was previously part of the historic county of Glamorgan (and later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European citiesEurocities, Retrieved on 12 November. Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area, including Dinas Powys, Penarth and Radyr.

Cardiff is home to the National Assembly for Wales in Cardiff Bay and much of the media in Wales. Doctor Who and Torchwood along with other television series are filmed mostly within the City and County of Cardiff. It has the biggest media sector in the UK outside London, being home to a number of television studios and radio stations.The Film, TV and Multimedia Sector in Cardiff (PDF). Economic Development Division, Cardiff County Council (2003-12-01). Retrieved on 2008-01-17.

It was a small town until the early 19th century and came to prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955.

Etymology

The name Cardiff may be an Anglicisation of the Welsh name "Caerdydd". There is uncertainty concerning the origin of "Caerdydd" — "Caer" means "fort" or "castle," but although "Dydd" means "Day" in modern Welsh, it is unclear what was meant in this context. Some believe that "Dydd" or "Diff" was a corruption of "Taff", the river on which Cardiff Castle stands, in which case "Cardiff" would mean "the fort on the river Taff" (in Welsh the T mutates to D).

Others favour a link with Aulus Didius Gallus, as it is known that the Romans established a fort in Cardiff when he was governor of the nearby province, in which case Cardiff might mean "the Fort of Didius". A Norman castle still exists, within the site of the earlier Roman fort, but 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.

Slaters Commercial Directory states that the town was first named Caerdidi (after Didius), then became corrupted into Caer-Taffe (meaning Fort on the Taff), then Caerdaff, then Cardiff."GENUKI: UK & ireland Geneology - Cardiff. Retrieved on 2007-12-06.

Geography

Geology

Cardiff is a relatively flat city and its geographic features were influential in its development as the world\'s largest coal ports.Cardiff Bay Official Website. Retrieved on 2008-01-24. Most notably this included its proximity and easy access to the coal fields of the south Wales valleys.

Satellite image of Cardiff, showing vegetation and land cover. Barry is shown bottom left

Cardiff is built on reclaimed marshland on a bed of Triassic stones; this reclaimed marshland stretches from Chepstow to the Ely Estuary, which is the natural boundary of Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan. Triassic landscapes are usually shallow and low-lying which accounts and explains Cardiff\'s flatness. 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. 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. A widely used building stone in Cardiff is the surreal yellow-grey Liassic limestone rock of the Vale of Glamorgan, including the very rare "Sutton Stone", a conglomerate of lias limestone and carboniferous limestone that is, apart from Radyr Stone, the only free-stone in south-east Wales (freestones can be cut to a perfectly smooth surface). The yellowish complexion of the lias limestone used mainly in the city centre gives Cardiff an unusually sunny, light and breezy complexion for a city in Britain.

Cardiff is bordered to the west by the rural district of the Vale of Glamorgan, which is also known as The Garden of Cardiff,The Garden of Cardiff 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 (which are commuter towns of Cardiff), with its striped yellow-blue Jurassic "lias" limestone cliffs that thrust outwards towards the Bristol Channel. The Glamorgan coast is the only part of the Celtic Sea that has exposed Jurassic (blue lias) geology. This west facing stretch of coast, which takes the brunt of brutal Atlantic westerlies and has reefs, sandbanks and serrated cliffs aplenty (like Cornwall) was a ship graveyard during the age of sail; ships sailing up to Cardiff during the industrial era often never made it as far as Cardiff as most were wrecked around this hostile coastline during brutal west/south-westerly gales. Consequently, just like its Celtic cousin in Cornwall, smuggling, deliberate shipwrecking and attacks on ships became a way of life for many people living in the small coastal villages of the Vale.^{[citation needed]}

Destinations from CARDIFF
Llantrisant	Pontypridd, Brecon, Caerphilly, Aberdare	Newport, Chepstow
Maesteg, Neath, Bridgend	N W E S	Bristol Channel
Llantwit Major, Cardiff International Airport	Penarth, Dinas Powys	Bristol Channel

Cityscape

This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

See also: List of places in Cardiff

Modern-day Cardiff Bay

Capital Tower, Cardiff

Roughly speaking, "Inner Cardiff" can be considered to consist 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. The inner-city areas to the south of the A4161 road known as the "Southern Arc" are, with the exception of affluent and trendy Cardiff Bay, some of the poorest districts of Wales with low levels of economic activity and high ethnic minority populations. The proximity of these areas to Cardiff Bay have led some critics of the project to argue that the regeneration scheme has failed as it has done little to improve the economic prospects of local people, and may have worsened problems of exclusion and alienation.^{[neutrality disputed]} On the other hand Gabalfa, Plasnewydd and Cathays north of the \'arc\' have very large student populations, and Pontcanna north of Riverside and alongside Canton is a favourite for young professionals and media types. Penylan which lies to the north east side of Roath Park is an affluent area popular with those with older children and the retired.

"Suburban Cardiff" can be broken down into three distinct areas. 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, 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 3 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.

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. St. Fagans, home to the Museum of Welsh Life, is protected from further development.

Climate

Cardiff has a temperate climate where summers and winters are generally mild. More specifically Cardiff has an oceanic climate.

Cardiff is a heat island. The heavly built up areas of Cardiff, Barry and Newport with a population of about 600,000 are sometimes 4-5°C hotter than the surrounding rural areas of the Vale of Glamorgan, Cardiff North rural district and the South Wales Valleys.^{[citation needed]}

Cardiff has a relatively dry climate compared with most of Wales, [1] Met Office statistics with an average rainfall of 1,065 millimetres (41.9 in). It is also a relatively mild city,[2] Met Office statistics with an average January temperature of 4.5 °C and an average July temperature of 16 °C[3] Weather Statistics

Landmarks

Cardiff 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 and Cathays Park (including municipal buildings modelled on those in New Delhi, such as Cardiff City Hall, the National Museum and Cardiff University). A prominent future landmark in Cardiff Bay, Bay Pointe which is set to include Wales\' tallest building, has been granted planning permission."Wales\' tallest building approved", BBC Wales, 2008-02-28. Retrieved on 2008-03-03. 

Millennium Stadium North.jpg The Millennium Stadium	The Senedd building	Cardiff Castle clock tower.jpg Cardiff Castle	Llandaff Cathedral.JPG Llandaff Cathedral
The Wales Millennium Centre	Cardiff City Hall 01.jpg Cardiff City Hall	National Museum and Gallery Cardiff 01.jpg The National Museum	Cardiff University main building.jpg Cardiff University

History

See also: Timeline of Cardiff history

Roman period to the Middle Ages

The history of what is now Cardiff began with a Roman fort on the site, built in 75 CE.A Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan Chronology up to 1699. Bob Sanders. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. Later in the first century, it was reduced in size but later rebuilt in the third century to help defend against attacks from Hibernia. As Roman rule in Britannia ended near the start of the 5th century the fort was abandoned.

In 1091 Robert Fitzhamon began work on the castle keep within the walls of the old Roman fort. Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since. Cardiff history. Visit Cardiff. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. Soon a little town grew up in the shadow of the castle, made up primarily of settlers from England.Cardiff Timeline. Cardiffians. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. 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.A SHORT HISTORY OF CARDIFF. Tim Lambert. Retrieved on 2008-02-29. In 1126, Ralph "Prepositus de Kardi" took up office as the first ever Mayor of Cardiff.The Early Mayors of Cardiff. Cardiff Council. Retrieved on 2008-02-29.

Cardiff was a busy port in the Middle Ages, in 1327, it was declared a Staple port. In the early 12th century a wooden palisade was erected around the city to protect it. In the late 13th century this was replaced by a stone wall. The town had weekly markets and after 1340 Cardiff also had 2 annual fairs which drew traders from all around Glamorgan.

Between 1158 and 1315 Cardiff was attacked on several occasions. Amongst the various attackers of the castle were Ifor Bach, who captured the Earl of Gloucester who at the time held the castle. In 1315 Llywelyn Bren, Ifor Bach\'s great-grandson, also attacked Cardiff Castle as part of a rebellion. He was executed in the town in 1318.

In 1404 Owain Glyndwr burned Cardiff and took Cardiff Castle. As the town was still very small, most of the buildings were made of wood and the town was reduced to ashes. However, the town was rebuilt not long after and began to flourish once again.

As County Town of Glamorganshire

John Speed\'s map of Cardiff from 1610

In 1536, the Act of Union between England and Wales led to the creation of the shire of Glamorgan. Cardiff was made the county town. Around this same time the Herbert family became the most powerful family in the area. In 1538, Henry VIII closed the Dominican and Franciscan friaries in Cardiff, the remains of which were used as building materials. 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."

In 1542, Cardiff gained representation in the House of Commons for the first time. The next year, the English militia system was introduced. In 1551, William Herbert, Earl of Pembroke was created first Baron Cardiff.

Cardiff had become a Free Borough in 1542. In 1573, it was made a head port for collection of customs duties. In 1581, Elizabeth I granted Cardiff its first royal charter. By 1602 Pembrokeshire historian George Owen described Cardiff as "the fayrest towne in Wales yett not the welthiest. The town gained a second Royal Charter in 1608.A History Lovers Guide to Cardiff. GoogoBits.com. Retrieved on 2007-12-31. 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. It is the last major battle to occur in Wales, with a total death toll of about 200 (mostly Royalist) soldiers killed.

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. In 1778, he began renovations on Cardiff Castle.A Cardiff & Vale of Glamorgan Chronology 1700 - 1849. Bob Sanders. Retrieved on 2008-03-04.

Building of the Docks to Modern Cardiff

In 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". In 1815, a boat service between Cardiff and Bristol was established, running twice weekly. In 1821, the Cardiff Gas Works was established.

Castles

There is a second castle north of the city, called Castell Coch (Welsh: "Red Castle"). The current castle is an elaborately decorated Victorian folly designed by Burges for the Marquess and built in the 1870s. 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.

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.^{[citation needed]} As well as Cardiff Castle and Castell Coch, the remains of Castell Morgraig, Y Twmpath, 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.The Gatehouse: Treoda, Whitchurch (2007-10-8). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.

Capital city status

King Edward VII granted Cardiff city status on 28 October 1905. It was then 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.Cardiff as Capital of Wales: Formal Recognition by Government. The Times. 21 December 1955. Cardiff therefore celebrated two important anniversaries in 2005.

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.

On 1 March 2004, Cardiff was granted Fairtrade City status.

Demographics

Cardiff\'s population is growing. The local authority area had an estimated population of more than 317,500 in 2006 representing an increase of 12,000 since the 2001 Census figure of 305,353http://neighbourhood.statistics.gov.uk/dissemination/LeadTableView.do?a=3&b=276879&c=Cardiff&d=13&e=16&g=421924&i=1001x1003x1004&m=0&r=1&s=1204063245714&enc=1&dsFamilyId=75. At the current time it is one of the fastest growing cities in Northern Europe^{[citation needed]} 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 origin.

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.Cardiff Council Representations to ONS on the 2001 Census: Section 1 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-28.Cardiff Council Representations to ONS on the 2001 Census: Section 2 (PDF). Retrieved on 2007-12-28. If this work is given credence, a current official population of about 340,500.

Religion

Since 1922 Cardiff has included the suburban cathedral \'village\' of Llandaff, whose bishop is currently Archbishop of Wales. 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^{[citation needed]} and Jewish populations of the city (two synagogues, one in Cyncoed and one in Moira Terrace, as opposed to seven at the turn of the 20th century).JCR-UK - Cardiff Community (2005-10-14). Retrieved on 2008-01-23. There are a significant number of nonconformist chapels, an early-20th century Greek Orthodox church and eleven mosques.Cardiff, Llandaff & Roath chapels database. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.The Greek Orthodox Church in Great Britain. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.Muslim Directory - Mosques in Cardiff. Retrieved on 2008-01-23.

In the 2001 census 66.9% of the city\'s population described themselves as Christian, below the Welsh and UK average, while 3.7% described themselves as Muslim, significantly above the Welsh average but in line with the UK average. The proportion of people declaring themselves to be Hindu, Sikh and Jewish were all considerably higher than the Welsh averages, but less than the UK figures. 18.8% stated they had no religion, while 8.6% did not state a religion.Census 2001 - Profiles - Cardiff - Ethnicity & Religion (2003-02-19). Retrieved on 2008-01-23.

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.Ansari, Humayun (2004). The Infidel Within: Muslims in Briatin Since 1800. London: C. Hurst & Co, 429. ISBN 1-85065-685-1 (paperbound) / 1-85065-686-X (harbound).  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.From scholarship, sailors and sects to the mills and the mosques. (2002-06-18). Retrieved on 2007-07-12. Cardiff is now home to over 11,000 Muslims from a large variety of different nationalities and backgrounds.Census 2001 - Profiles - Cardiff.. Retrieved on 2007-07-12.

Economy

This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

As the capital city of Wales, Cardiff is the main engine of growth in the Welsh economy and conveys economic, social and cultural benefits across the wider region. 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.

Cardiff Central Market on St Mary Street in the city centre

Total employment in Cardiff rose from 149,000 in 1991 to 173,200 in 2001 and between 2000 and 2001 employment levels in the city grew by 3% – more than double the rate across Great Britain (1.3%). Following the decline of the city’s heavy industry in the latter part of the 20th century, the economy of Cardiff is now dominated by the service sector (see table of employment by industry below) with just 9% of employees – 15,650 individuals – engaged in manufacturing activities.

Public administration, education and health is the largest sector in Cardiff, providing employment for 32% of the city’s workforce. Cardiff is the main financial and business services centre in Wales and as such, the sector provides employment for 20% of the city’s workforce.

One in five employees (20.4%) in Cardiff are based in the distribution, hotels and restaurants sector, highlighting the growing retail and tourism industries in the city. However a major £675 million regeneration programme for Cardiff\'s St. David\'s Centre is currently underway. When completed in 2009, it will provide a total of 1.4 million square feet of shopping space, making it one of the largest shopping centres in the United Kingdom. St Davids 2 and Cardiff. Retrieved on 2008-01-03.

Industry

This section does not cite any references or sources. (January 2008) Please improve this section by adding citations to reliable sources. Unverifiable material may be challenged and removed.

Cardiff Barrage Entrance locks

What transformed Cardiff 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. The Ironmasters, the proprietors of the smelters in Dowlais and Merthyr, wanted to reduce the cost of carrying iron by road to ships berthed in the estuary of the River Taff at Cardiff. They sought permission of Parliament to build a 25-mile (40 km) long canal from Merthyr (510 feet above sea-level) to the Taff Estuary at Cardiff.

Work on building the Glamorganshire Canal began in 1790, took eight years and involved installing 50 locks. The Cardiff Sea Lock, which enabled barges to unload iron into sea-going ships, was built at Harrowby Street (Harrowby - a Viking place-name - had been the original Norse trading post in Cardiff). 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 world-wide demand for south Wales coal.

Cardiff\'s port, known as Tiger Bay, became the busiest port in the world and - for some time - the world\'s most important coal port. Indeed, Cardiff\'s Coal Exchange was reputedly the first host to a business deal for a million pounds Sterling.

The Tiger Bay area also housed one of the UK\'s earliest immigrant communities. After a long period of neglect as Cardiff Bay, it is now being regenerated as a popular area for arts, entertainment and nightlife. Much of the growth has been thanks to the building of the Cardiff Barrage.

Present day

Today, Cardiff is the principal finance and business services centre in Wales and a major UK city, and as such there is a strong representation of finance and business services in the local economy. In December 2003, 33,850 individuals were employed in the sector - higher than the proportion across both Wales (9.6%) and Great Britain (15.4%)^{[obsolete fact]}. Cardiff has one of the fastest growing economies and population in Europe^{[citation needed]} and is currently enjoying several regeneration projects like the $1.4billion 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 Swimming Pool, which opened on 12 January 2008.

Legal & General, Admiral Insurance, HBOS, Zurich, ING Direct,