Neath Port Talbot (Welsh: Castell-nedd Port Talbot) is a county borough in south-west Wales, on Swansea Bay. It covers 170 square miles (441 km2), had 142,289 residents at the 2021 census, and is run from the Civic Centre in Port Talbot.
Neath and Port Talbot are the two main towns, with Briton Ferry, Pontardawe, Glynneath and Ystalyfera behind them. The coastal strip holds most of the people; the northern half is a fan of narrow mining valleys running down from the moors.
| Country | Wales, United Kingdom |
|---|---|
| Welsh name | Castell-nedd Port Talbot |
| Area | 170 sq mi (441 km2) |
| Population (2021) | 142,289 |
| Density | 323 people per km2 |
| Welsh speakers | 13.5% (2021 census) |
| Main towns | Neath, Port Talbot |
| Council | Neath Port Talbot Council |
| Postcodes | SA8 to SA13, SA18 |
Towns and Villages in Neath Port Talbot
The county borough has 95 named settlements. Welsh forms are in daily use across the north: Castell-nedd for Neath, Aberafan for Aberavon, Glyn-nedd for Glynneath. The list below runs alphabetically and includes both free-standing villages and the districts of Neath and Port Talbot.
- Aberavon
- Abercregan
- Aberdulais
- Abergarwed
- Abergwynfi
- Alltwen
- Baglan
- Banwen
- Blaengwrach
- Blaengwynfi
- Briton Ferry
- Bryn
- Bryn-coch
- Brynamman
- Brynhyfryd
- Cadoxton-Juxta-Neath
- Caerhendy
- Cilfrew
- Cilmaengwyn
- Cilybebyll
- Cimla
- Clyne
- Coedhirwaun
- Corlannau
- Croeserw
- Crymlyn Burrows
- Crynant
- Cwmafan
- Cwmgors
- Cwmgwrach
- Cwmllynfell
- Cwrt Sart
- Cwrt-y-defaid
- Cymmer
- Cynonville
- Duffryn
- Dyffryn Cellwen
- Dyffryn Clydach
- Efail-fach
- Eglwys Nunydd
- Fforest-goch
- Gellinudd
- Giants Grave
- Glyn-neath
- Glyncorrwg
- Godre’r-graig
- Goytre
- Gwaun-Cae-Gurwen
- Jersey Marine
- Llandarcy
- Llangiwg
- Llantwit
- Lletyharri
- Lower Brynamman
- Margam
- Melincourt
- Morfa Glas
- Mount Pleasant
- Nant-y-cafn
- Neath
- Neath Abbey
- Onllwyn
- Pantyffynnon
- Pen-Rhiw-fawr
- Pen-y-Bont
- Pen-y-bryn
- Pen-y-cae
- Pencaerau
- Penrhiwtyn
- Pentreclwydau
- Pontardawe
- Pontrhydyfen
- Pontwalby
- Port Talbot
- Resolven
- Rhos
- Rhyd-y-fro
- Rhydding
- Sandfields
- Seven Sisters
- Shelone
- Skewen
- Taibach
- Tairgwaith
- Tonmawr
- Tonna
- Tre-Forgan
- Trebanos
- Ty’n-y-caeau
- Tynewydd
- Velindre
- Warren Hill
- Ynysmaerdy
- Ynysmeudwy
- Ystalyfera
Geography
Four valleys define the borough. The Nedd (Neath) runs south-west from the waterfall country at Pontneddfechan through Glynneath and Resolven to Neath. The Afan drops from Blaengwynfi through Cymmer and Cwmafan to Port Talbot. The Dulais and the upper Tawe carry Crynant, Seven Sisters, Ystalyfera and Pontardawe.
Swansea lies west across the Loughor and Tawe, Carmarthenshire north-west, Powys north, Rhondda Cynon Taf east and Bridgend south-east. The northern boundary runs through Bannau Brycheiniog National Park, taking in the Waterfall Country around Sgwd yr Eira and the sandstone edge above Onllwyn.
The coast is 11 miles of dune and industry, from Crymlyn Burrows and Jersey Marine to Aberavon Sands and Margam Burrows.
Demographics
The 2021 census counted 142,289 usual residents, up from 139,812 in 2011. That makes Neath Port Talbot the eighth most populous local authority in Wales.
13.5% of residents aged three and over could speak Welsh in 2021, the ninth highest share in Wales. The language is strongest in the Swansea and Amman valley villages in the north, around Cwmllynfell, Ystalyfera and Gwaun-cae-Gurwen, and weakest along the coast.
Economy and Local Life
Steel has defined the borough since Abbey Works opened at Margam in 1951. Tata Steel’s Port Talbot plant remains the largest steelworks in Britain, but its two blast furnaces closed in September 2024, cutting around 2,800 jobs; an electric arc furnace is being built on the same site to melt scrap instead of smelting ore.
Beyond steel the borough runs on public services, distribution along the M4 corridor, and engineering at Baglan and Neath Abbey. Deep coal mining has gone, and the old colliery ground now carries forestry, wind farms and the mountain-bike trails at Afan Forest Park. Margam Country Park and Aberavon seafront take most of the visitors.
History
The Romans built the fort of Nidum at Neath around AD 74. Neath Abbey, founded in 1130, was described by the Tudor traveller John Leland as the fairest abbey in all Wales; its ruins stand beside the later ironworks.
Copper smelting reached the lower Neath valley in the 1690s and coal followed the canals: the Neath Canal opened in 1795, the Tennant Canal in 1824, the Swansea Canal in 1798. Port Talbot took its name from the Talbot family of Margam, who built the docks in the 1830s.
Pontrhydyfen produced the actors Richard Burton and Ivor Emmanuel and the soprano Rebecca Evans. The borough took its present form in 1996 from the districts of Neath, Port Talbot and part of Lliw Valley.
Getting There
The M4 crosses the borough at junctions 38 to 43, running along the coast between Port Talbot and Briton Ferry. The A465 Heads of the Valleys road climbs from Neath through Glynneath to Hirwaun and Merthyr. The A4067 follows the Tawe to Pontardawe and Ystradgynlais; the A4107 runs the Afan valley to Cymmer.
Port Talbot Parkway, Neath, Briton Ferry, Baglan and Skewen are all on the South Wales Main Line, with Port Talbot about three hours from London Paddington. There is no passenger rail in the northern valleys; buses run from Neath and Swansea. Cardiff Airport is about 35 miles east.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the population of Neath Port Talbot?
142,289 at the 2021 census, the eighth largest of the 22 Welsh local authorities.
What is the largest town in Neath Port Talbot?
Neath, counting its full built-up area, with Port Talbot close behind. Briton Ferry, Pontardawe, Glynneath and Ystalyfera are the next largest.
How many villages are there in Neath Port Talbot?
95 named settlements are listed above, most of them valley villages of a few hundred to a few thousand people.
Which council covers Neath Port Talbot?
Neath Port Talbot Council, based at the Civic Centre in Port Talbot.
What are the postcodes for Neath Port Talbot?
SA10 to SA13 cover Neath, Port Talbot and the coast; SA8 and SA9 cover Pontardawe and the Swansea valley; SA18 reaches the Amman valley villages.
Where is Neath Port Talbot?
On the north side of Swansea Bay in south-west Wales, between Swansea and Bridgend, with its valleys running north to the edge of Bannau Brycheiniog National Park.