Here are some facts about Cardiff.
- Cardiff is the capital of Wales. The city is located in the south of the country at the mouth of the River Severn, about 300 km from London.
- Although Cardiff is the UK’s 10th largest city, with a population of about 346,000, it is one of the smallest European capitals. It became the capital in 1955, making it one of the newest capital cities.
- The city’s major tourist attractions include Cardiff Castle, the National Gallery of Wales, the Millennium Centre and the renovated and historic docks area.
- Cardiff is well known for its sport, especially rugby.
- Cardiff’s Millennium Stadium has one of the largest sliding roofs in the world. It can seat 74,000 and has hosted the Rolling Stones and Neil Diamond, as well as rugby and football matches and other sporting events.
- St. David’s Centre is one of the largest shopping centres in the UK.
- About 18 million tourists visit the city each year, for the shopping, sights, museums and culture.
- Cardiff Castle dates from the 11th century and was used as an air raid shelter during World War II. All of the statues around the castle are of animals.
- Cardiff claims to have more castles than any other city in the world. The remains of several other castles exist.
- Spiller’s record shop in Cardiff, dates from 1894 and is the world’s oldest record store. The shop originally sold wax cylinders for the newly invented phonograph.
- About ten percent of the people in Cardiff speak Welsh. The city attracts many foreign students and almost 100 different languages are spoken in Cardiff.
- Many famous people have come from Cardiff, including the singer Shirley Bassey, the comedian Griff Rhys-Jones and the writer Roald Dahl. One of the most infamous pirates, Henry Morgan, was born there.
