The Cardiff–Newport metropolitan area is a metropolitan area in south east Wales in the United Kingdom. It includes the cities of Cardiff and Newport, with a number of towns in the South Wales Valleys, including Merthyr Tydfil, Pontypridd, Caerphilly, Bridgend and Ebbw Vale. With these outlying settlements the metropolitan area has a population of 1.09 million.[1] Also referred to as the "Cardiff and South Wales Valley metropolitan area", it corresponds to the preserved counties of Gwent and South Glamorgan. It is the largest metropolitan area in Wales, with the next largest being centred on the Swansea Urban Area.
Cardiff has been the official capital of Wales since 1955 and a city since 1905. The other city in the area, Newport, only became one in 2002. The towns of Bridgend, Caerphilly, Ebbw Vale, Merthyr Tydfil and Pontypridd grew rapidly during the industrial revolution, with industry focused on ironmaking and coal mining, while the cities of Newport and Cardiff grew on the backs of the shipping industry.
| Subdivision[2] | Population (2011 census) |
|---|---|
| Cardiff | 353,000 |
| Newport | 153,302 |
| Bridgend | 49,404 |
| Merthyr Tydfil | 43,820 |
| Caerphilly | 41,402 |
| Pontypridd | 32,694 |
| Ebbw Vale | 18,558 |