:''For other uses please see
Ceredigion (disambiguation)''
'Ceredigion' is a county and
principal area in mid
Wales. It is more-or-less identical in area to the historic county of
Cardiganshire.
Geography
:''See also:
List of places in Ceredigion''
Ceredigion is a coastal county, bordered by
Cardigan Bay to the west,
Gwynedd to the north,
Powys to the east,
Carmarthenshire to the south, and
Pembrokeshire to the south-west.
Its area is 440,630 acres (1783 km²). The population of the county is 64,000.
The main settlements are
Aberaeron,
Aberarth,
Aberystwyth,
Cardigan,
Lampeter,
Llanddewi Brefi,
Llandysul,
Llanilar,
Llanrhystud,
New Quay,
Penparcau and
Tregaron.
The
Cambrian Mountains cover much of the east of the county; this large area forms part of
the desert of Wales. In the south and west the surface is less elevated. The highest point is
Plynlimon at 2,467 feet (752 m), where five rivers have their source: the
Severn, the
Wye, the Dulas, the Llyfnant and
River Rheidol, the last of which meets the
Afon Mynach in a 300 foot (100 m) plunge at the
Devil's Bridge chasm. The 50 miles (80 km) of coastline has many sandy beaches. The largest river is the
River Teifi which forms the border with Carmarthenshire and Pembrokeshire for part of its length. Other significant rivers include the
River Aeron which has its estuary at
Aberaeron, the
River Ystwyth and the
River Rheidol both of which reach the sea in
Aberystwyth harbour.
For a county of such a small population, it may be considered unusual that two
universities are within the county boundaries: the
University of Wales, Aberystwyth and the
University of Wales, Lampeter. The
National Library of Wales, which was founded in 1907, is located in Aberystwyth.
The county lacks any large commercial areas. The nearest substantial settlements are located atleast 1 hour 45 minutes drive away. From the largest town,
Aberystwyth:
Swansea, to the south, is 70 miles away;
Shrewsbury, in
Shropshire,
England, to the east, is 75 miles away; and
Wrexham, to the north, is approximately 80 miles away. The capital,
Cardiff, is over 100 miles away from most regions of the county.
History
:''See
Cardiganshire for historic information''
The name Ceredigion means 'Land of
Ceredig', who was a son of
Cunedda, a chieftain who re-conquered much of Wales from the Irish around the
5th Century CE.
Places of interest
★
Aberystwyth Castle
★
Aberystwyth Electric Cliff Railway,
★ Ceredigion Museum, Aberystwyth -
★
Devil's Bridge -
★
Llywernog Silver Lead Mine
★
Nanteos Mansion
★
Strata Florida Abbey -
★
Vale of Rheidol Railway -
★
Welsh Gold Centre
Tregaron
Culture and society
Ceredigion has a very high proportion of
Welsh speakers in the population; only
Gwynedd and
Anglesey have a higher proportion. Ceredigion also has a significant number of non-Welsh speakers, most of whom were born outside Wales. These tend to be more concentrated in and around the two university towns and along the coast, e.g. in
Borth, only 40% of the population was born in Wales and barely 36% of residents are Welsh-speaking. However non-Welsh speakers are now to be found in large numbers in every community.
The populace of Cerdigion are affectionately or dispargingly known as 'Cardis' in other parts of Wales, especially in South Wales and they tend to be the butt of some jokes.
In terms of sheer numbers, the high proportions of both English and Welsh speakers makes the county one of the most ethnically divided areas in Britain. However, the range of diversity is low, with very few residents having recent origins or ancestors from beyond British shores.
Government
:''See also:
Ceredigion County Council''
Between
1888 and
1974, the county was governed by Cardiganshire county council, and on local government reorganisation in
1974, a new Ceredigion district council was formed in the
administrative county of Dyfed. On
April 1,
1996, Ceredigion district was made a
unitary authority, under the name of Cardiganshire, only to change its name back to 'Ceredigion' on
April 2.
A
referendum was held on
May 20,
2004 on whether to have a
directly-elected mayor for the county; this was rejected by a large majority.
External links
★
Ceredigion County Council
★
Ceredigion Tourist Information
★
Tourist Information from the Welsh Assembly Government
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