Cardiff (Welsh: Caerdydd) is the capital and largest city of Wales, on the Bristol Channel coast at the mouth of the rivers Taff, Ely and Rhymney. The city and county covers 54 square miles (141 km2) and had a population of 362,310 at the 2021 census.
Cardiff became a city in 1905 and the capital of Wales in 1955. It is the seat of the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament, and the eleventh largest city in the United Kingdom.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Caerdydd |
| Area | 54 sq mi (141 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 362,310 |
| Density | 2,570 people per km2 (6,700 per sq mi) |
| Welsh speakers | 12.2% (2021 census) |
| City status | 1905 |
| Capital of Wales | 1955 |
| Historic county | Glamorgan |
| Council | Cardiff Council, County Hall, Atlantic Wharf |
Towns and Villages in Cardiff
Cardiff is a single continuous built-up area rather than a county of separate towns, so its 44 named places are city districts, suburbs and a handful of outlying villages. Creigiau, Pentyrch, Gwaelod-y-garth, Tongwynlais, St Fagans, Michaelston-super-Ely and Capel Llanilltern still read as villages with open country between them and the edge of the city.
- Adamsdown
- Birchgrove
- Butetown
- Capel Llanilltern
- Cathays
- Coryton
- Creigiau
- Culverhouse Cross
- Cyncoed
- Ely
- Grangetown
- Gwaelod-y-garth
- Heath
- Lisvane
- Llandaff
- Llanedeyrn
- Llanishen
- Llanrumney
- Maendy
- Michaelston-super-Ely
- Morganstown
- Pantmawr
- Pen-y-lan
- Pengam
- Pentrebane
- Pentwyn
- Pentyrch
- Plasnewydd
- Pontcanna
- Pontprennau
- Radyr
- Rhiwbina
- Riverside
- Roath
- Rumney
- Saint Fagans
- Saint Mellons
- Splott
- Taff’s Well
- Thornhill
- Tongwynlais
- Tremorfa
- Trowbridge
- Whitchurch
Geography
The city sits on flat coastal land where three rivers reach the Severn estuary. The Taff runs through the centre past the castle and Principality Stadium; the Ely comes in from the west; the Rhymney marks much of the eastern boundary.
To the north the ground rises to the wooded ridge of the Wenallt and Caerphilly Mountain, which separates the city from Caerphilly. Rhondda Cynon Taf lies to the north-west and Newport to the east. The Vale of Glamorgan, which has no page in this directory, wraps around the west and south-west.
Cardiff Bay was created in 1999 when a barrage across the mouths of the Taff and Ely turned tidal mudflats into a 200-hectare freshwater lake.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 362,310 residents, up about 4.7% on 2011 and the fastest growth of any Welsh authority in absolute terms. Roughly one Welsh resident in nine lives in Cardiff.
Welsh is spoken by 12.2% of residents aged three and over. Cardiff was one of only four Welsh authorities where the share rose between 2011 and 2021, up from 11.1%, helped by Welsh-medium schools such as Ysgol Gyfun Gymraeg Glantaf and Plasmawr.
The city is the most ethnically diverse part of Wales. Butetown and Grangetown, around the old docks, have been home to Somali, Yemeni, Caribbean and West African communities for over a century, making Cardiff’s one of the oldest multi-ethnic port populations in Britain.
Economy and Local Life
Government, higher education, media, finance and health dominate. The Senedd and Welsh Government are based in Cardiff Bay and Cathays Park; Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University and a University of South Wales campus together teach tens of thousands of students.
BBC Cymru Wales works from Central Square, and drama production at Roath Lock in the Bay has made the city a significant television centre. Admiral Group, Legal & General and a cluster of insurers and banks employ thousands in the city centre.
Retail is concentrated in the St David’s centre and the Victorian and Edwardian arcades off Queen Street and The Hayes. Principality Stadium, in the middle of the city, holds 73,900 and is the home of Welsh rugby.
History
The Romans built a fort where Cardiff Castle now stands, in about AD 55. The Normans raised a keep inside the Roman walls, and the medieval town that grew around it stayed small for 700 years.
Coal changed everything. The second Marquess of Bute opened the West Bute Dock in 1839, and the Taff Vale Railway brought steam coal down from the Rhondda and Merthyr. By 1913 Cardiff was exporting more coal than any port in the world, and the Coal Exchange in Mount Stuart Square set the global price.
The trade collapsed between the wars and the docks closed. Redevelopment of the bay from the 1990s produced the Wales Millennium Centre, the Senedd building and the Mermaid Quay waterfront. St Fagans National Museum of History, west of the city, is the national open-air museum of Welsh buildings and daily life.
Getting There
The M4 runs along the northern edge with junctions 29 to 33. The A470 comes down from the valleys to the city centre, and the A48(M) links the M4 to Eastern Avenue.
Cardiff Central is the busiest station in Wales, with direct trains to London Paddington, Bristol, Birmingham, Manchester and Swansea. Cardiff Queen Street is the hub for the Valley Lines, and around 20 local stations serve the suburbs. Cardiff Airport is at Rhoose, about 12 miles south-west, with a shuttle bus from Cardiff Central and a rail station at Rhoose Cardiff International Airport.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Cardiff?
362,310 at the 2021 census, making it the largest city in Wales.
When did Cardiff become the capital of Wales?
In 1955. It had been granted city status fifty years earlier, in 1905.
How many districts are there in Cardiff?
This directory lists 44 named districts, suburbs and outlying villages.
How many people in Cardiff speak Welsh?
12.2% of residents aged three and over at the 2021 census, up from 11.1% in 2011.
Which villages are inside the Cardiff boundary?
Creigiau, Pentyrch, Gwaelod-y-garth, Tongwynlais, St Fagans, Michaelston-super-Ely and Capel Llanilltern all sit within the county boundary but outside the continuous built-up area.