West Wales
West Wales (Welsh: Gorllewin Cymru) is not clearly defined as a particular region of Wales. Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth[1]:87, 95 and was called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics (NUTS).[2] Other definitions include Swansea and Neath Port Talbot but exclude Ceredigion.[3][4] The "West Wales and the Valleys" NUTS area includes more westerly parts of North Wales.[2]
The preserved county of Dyfed covers what is generally considered to be West Wales; between 1974 and 1996, Dyfed was a county, with a county council and six district councils.
Historic use
Historically, the term West Wales was applied to the Kingdom of Cornwall during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy.[5] The Old English word Wealas, a Germanic term for inhabitants of the Western Roman Empire, which the Anglo-Saxons came to apply especially to the Britons, gave its name to Wales and is also the origin of the second syllable in the name Cornwall.
Railways
Mainlines
- West Wales Line
- Heart of Wales Line
- Cambrian Line
Heritage lines
See also
Notes
- Davies, John (1994). A History of Wales. Penguin History. ISBN 978-0-14-014581-6.
- ONS NUTS guide to Wales statistical groupings
- West Wales Chamber of Commerce
- Future Skills Wales Project Summary Report for West Wales 1998-2007
- The Historical Atlas by William R. Shepherd, 1926