Cardiff

Cardiff (Caerdydd in Welsh) is the capital of Wales. It is located in the south-east of the country and is its largest city. It was a relatively small town until the early nineteenth century and came to prominence quite suddenly as a result of the influx of industry into the region and the use of Cardiff as a major port for the transport of coal. Cardiff's port, known as Tiger Bay[?], was once one of the busiest ports in the world, and although it had a long period of neglect, is now being revived as a popular area for arts, entertainment and nightlife. At the 1991 census, the population of Cardiff was about 269,000.

Cardiff was probably named after a Norman family dominant in the area in medieval times. A Norman castle still exists, on the site of an earlier Roman fort, but was substantially altered and extended during the Victorian period by the Marquess of Bute[?] and the architect, William Burges[?].

Apart from the castle, the city is home to: the National Assembly for Wales (recently renamed the Welsh Assembly Government[?]), St. Davids Hall[?], the Millennium Stadium, the National Museum of Wales, Cathays Park (including municipal buildings modelled on those in New Delhi ), Chip Alley[?], Wally's Delicatessen[?], and Spillers Records.

Cardiff is also a place in the State of California in the United States of America: see Cardiff, California[?]