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Glamorgan or Glamorganshire ( ) is one of the thirteen historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It was originally an early medieval kingdom of varying names and boundaries until taken over by the Normans as a lordship.BBC Wales: South East: Glamorgan Glamorgan is latterly represented by the three preserved counties of West Glamorgan, Mid Glamorgan and South Glamorgan. The name also survives in that of the county borough of the Vale of Glamorgan.

Geography

The county of Glamorgan fell into several distinct regions: the industrial valleys, the agricultural Vale of Glamorgan, and the scenic Gower peninsula.

The county was bounded to the north by Brecknockshire, east by Monmouthshire, south by the Bristol Channel, and west by Carmarthenshire and Carmarthen Bay. Its total area was 2,100 km², and the total population of the three preserved counties of Glamorgan in 1991 was 1,288,309. In 2001 it was around 1.4 million and in 2008 it is about 2.0-2.2 millionFact: date=February 2008. The historic county of Glamorgan is one of the fastest growing areas in the UK in populationFact: date=December 2007. Its highest point is at Craig y Llyn (600 m).

Glamorgan was the most populous and industrialised countyFact: date=March 2008 in Wales. The northern part of the county was a mountainous area, dissected by deep narrow valleys, with urbanisation typified by ribbon development. At one time the coal industry was dominant, but the last deep mine, Tower Colliery at Hirwaun closed in January 2008. A few small drift mines like Unity Mine, formerly Pentreclwydau South, near Glynneath remain. The Vale of Glamorgan, a lowland area mainly comprising farmland and small villages stretched across most of the south of the county from Porthcawl to Cardiff. Further west, beyond Swansea, lay the Gower peninsula, an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.

The major rivers of Glamorgan included the River Taff, the Ely, the Ogmore, the Neath, Dulais, the Tawe, the Rhymney (which formed the border with Monmouthshire), and the Loughor (which formed the border with Carmarthenshire). The main towns included Aberdare, Barry, Bridgend, Cardiff, Caerphilly, Cowbridge, Maesteg, Merthyr Tydfil, Mountain Ash, Neath, Penarth, Pontypridd, Porthcawl, Port Talbot, and Swansea.

Despite the decline in the coal industry, the area remains heavily populated with, particularly around Cardiff, a wide and diverse economic base including public administration, agriculture, light industry, manufacturing, service sector, and tourism..

Places of interest

Places of special interest include:

• Aberdulais Falls
• Barry Island pleasure beach
• Caerphilly Castle
• Cardiff Castle
• Castell Coch, Tongwynlais
• Dare Valley Country Park,
• Dunraven Park, Southerndown
• Ewenny Priory
• Gower peninsula
• Llandaff Cathedral
• Llantwit Major
• Museum of Welsh Life, St. Fagans
• National Museum of Wales, Cardiff
• National Waterfront Museum, Swansea
• Neath Abbey
• Old Beaupre Castle
• Ogmore Castle
• Oxwich Castle
• Margam Country Park,
• Penscynor Wildlife Park, Cilfrew
• Tinkinswood burial chamber
• Vale of Glamorgan Railway
• Weobley Castle, Gower peninsula
• Windmill Farm, Llansannor