Local government in Wales
For local government purposes, Wales is divided into 9 counties, 3 cities, and 10 county boroughs. Collectively these are known as the principal areas of Wales.
They succeded what are now known as the preserved counties of Wales as local government boundaries on April 1, 1996. The pre-1974 divisions were based on the traditional counties of Wales but several areas were independent county boroughs.
See: List of Welsh principal areas by population
| Subdivisions of Wales | |
|
areas are Counties unless stated
|  |
History
In 1974 new administrative regions of Wales called counties were created to replace the previous system of 13 counties and 4 county boroughs. These were two-tier authorities.
The traditional Counties are as follows
- Angelsey
- Breconshire/Brecknockshire
- Cardiganshire
- Carmarthenshire
- Caernarfonshire
- Denbighshire
- Flintshire
- Glamorgan
- Merionethshire
- Monmouthshire
- Montgomeryshire
- Pembrokeshire
- Radnorshire
County Boroughs
- Cardiff
- Wrexham
- Swansea
- Merthyr Tydfil
The post-1974 arrangements were as follows
The makeup of these districts into the current UAs is as follows
| UA | Previous districts |
|---|---|
| Angelsey | Angelsey |
| Bleanau Gwent | most of Bleanau Gwent |
| Bridgend | Most of Ogwy |
| Caerphilly | Islwyn and Rhymney Valley |
| Camarthenshire | Camarthen, Llanelli, Dinefwr |
| Cardiff | Cardiff, part of Taff-Ely |
| Ceredigion | Arfon, Dwyfor, Meirionnydd |
| Conwy | Aberconwy, most of Colwyn |
| Denbighshire | Rhuddlan, bits of Glyndwyr and part of Colwyn |
| Flintshire | Alyn, Deeside, Delyn |
| Monmouthshire | Monmouth, bit of Blaenau Gwent |
| Neath Port Talbot | Neath, Port Talbot, and bits of Lliw Valley |
| Newport | Newport |
| Pembrokeshire | Preseli, South Pembrokeshire |
| Powys | Montgomeryshire, Radnorshire, Brecknock, part of Glyndwyr |
| Rhondda Cynon Taf | Rhondda, Cynon Valley, most of Taff-Ely |
| Swansea | Swansea, bits of Lliw Valley |
| Torfaen | Torfaen |
| Vale of Glamorgan | most of Vale of Glamorgan |
| Wrexham | most of Wrexham, bits of Glyndwyr |
See also: Subdivisions of the United Kingdom, Counties of Wales
References
- CIA World Factbook 2002