Cardiff ( IPAEng: 'kɑːdɪf, ) is the capital and the largest city and county in Wales. As well as being the political capital, it is Wales's centre for business, education, sport, tourism, culture, media and government. According to recent local government estimates, the population of the unitary authority area is 317,500.

The city of Cardiff is the county town of the historic county of Glamorgan (later South Glamorgan). Cardiff is part of the Eurocities network of the largest European cities. Cardiff Urban Area covers a slightly larger area, including Dinas Powys, Penarth and Radyr. It was a small town until the early 19th century and came to prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955. Since the 1990s Cardiff has seen significant development with a new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay which contains the new Welsh Assembly Building, and the city centre is undergoing a major redevelopment. International sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (rugby union and football) and SWALEC Stadium (cricket). Cardiff is a significant tourist centre with 11.7 million visitors in 2006.

History

main: Timeline of Cardiff history

Origins of the name

In the past, antiquarians such as William Camden suggested that the name Cardiff might derive from the name "Caer-Didi" ("the Fort of Didius") given in honour of Aulus Didius Gallus, governor of a nearby province at the time when the Romans established a fort at Cardiff. Although some websites repeat this theory as fact, it is disputed by modern scholars on linguistic grounds, with Professor Gwynedd Pierce of Cardiff University recently describing it as "rubbish".

Roman period to the Middle Ages

The history of what is now Cardiff began with a Roman fort on the site, built in 75 CE. As Roman rule in Britannia ended near the start of the 5th century the fort was abandoned. image:John Speed's map of Cardiff 1610.jpg In 1091 Robert Fitzhamon began work on the castle keep within the walls of the old Roman fort. Cardiff Castle has been at the heart of the city ever since. The castle was substantially altered and extended during the Victorian period by John Crichton-Stuart, 3rd Marquess of Bute, and the architect William Burges. Original Roman work can, however, still be distinguished in the wall facings.