| The town Cardiff is the capital and largest | | | | and business services in the local economy. |
| city in Wales. It is located on the south | | | | |
| coast of the country. It is bordered to the | | | | The city has a chequered linguistic history |
| west by the rural district known as the Vale | | | | with Latin, English, Welsh, and Norse |
| of Glamorgan, to the east by the city of | | | | dominating at different times. The population |
| Newport, to the north by the South Wales | | | | is a growing one. |
| Valleys and to the south by the Bristol | | | | |
| Channel. | | | | A major tourist attraction is situated in the |
| | | | heart of the city centre, near to the main |
| The River Taff winds through the centre of | | | | shopping streets of Queen St and St Marys St |
| the city and together with the River Ely | | | | is Cardiff Castle. |
| flows into the freshwater lake of Cardiff | | | | |
| Bay. A third river, the Rhymney flows | | | | Other tourist attractions include the Cardiff |
| through the east of the city entering | | | | Bay regeneration sites which include the |
| directly into the Bristol Channel. A fourth | | | | recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and |
| river is the Lleucu. | | | | the National Assembly for Wales as well as |
| | | | many other cultural and sites. |
| It was a small town until the early | | | | |
| nineteenth century and came to prominence as | | | | The New Theatre was founded in 1906 and |
| a major port for the transport of coal | | | | completely refurbished in the 1980s. Until |
| following the arrival of industry in the | | | | the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in |
| region. It eventually grew to become the | | | | 2004, it was the premier venue in Wales for |
| largest city in Wales and serves as a major | | | | touring theatre and dance companies and is |
| centre of culture, sport and history in the | | | | located in the city centre. |
| United Kingdom. | | | | |
| | | | Other venues which are popular for gigs |
| Today, Cardiff is the principal finance and | | | | include the International Arena and the |
| business services centre in Wales and as such | | | | Millennium Stadium. |
| there is a strong representation of finance | | | | |