Finding a hotel in Cardiff

The population is 305,353 and its area is area 140 km² It is the capital and largest city of Wales. and since 1996 has been administered by Cardiff County Council. 11% of the population speak Welsh.

Geography

It is located in South Wales, on the Taff River near its mouth on the Bristol Channel, in the traditional county of Glamorgan. People from Cardiff are called Cardiffians.

Industry

Modern industries include retailing, services, engineering, oil and gasoline distribution, and food processing. Studios of the British Broadcasting Corporation are located in Cardiff, which is also the centre of the Welsh-language broadcasting service. After a long period of neglect, as Cardiff Bay it is now being revived as a popular area for arts, entertainment and nightlife. Much of the growth has been thanks to the building of the Cardiff Barrage.

History

It was a small town until the early nineteenth century and came to prominence following the arrival of industry in the region and the use of Cardiff as a major port for the transport of coal. Cardiff was made a city in 1905 and was proclaimed capital of Wales on December 20, 1955. Cardiff's port, known as Tiger Bay, was once one of the busiest ports in the world. The name Cardiff is an Anglicisation of Welsh name "Caerdydd". The Romans under Antonius Didius established a fort in Cardiff. It is now believed that Cardiff means the fort of Antonius Didius (caer is the Celtic word for fort). The Norman Cardiff Castle, built in 1090, stands on the site the earlier Roman fort, but was substantially altered and extended during the Victorian period by the Marquess of Bute and the architect William Burges. There is a second castle to the north west of the city center, called Castell Coch or the Red Castle. Until the early 20th century it was one of the greatest coal-shipping ports in the world. The construction of docks by the 5th marquess of Bute in 1839 stimulated the city's growth. Robert, duke of Normandy, was imprisoned (1126-34) in the castle. Owen Glendower partly destroyed it in 1404.