๐ฐ Introduction
Welcome to Cardiff, the amazing capital city of Wales! ๐ Cardiff is a magical place where ancient castles meet modern buildings, where famous TV shows are filmed on the streets, and where you can hear people speaking two different languages - English and Welsh! It's like stepping into a real-life fairy tale mixed with exciting adventures. Get ready to discover why Cardiff is one of the coolest cities in the United Kingdom!
๐บ๏ธ Where Is Cardiff?
Cardiff sits on the beautiful coast of South Wales, right where the River Taff meets the sea! Cardiff is the main commercial centre of Wales as well as the base for the Senedd, the Welsh Parliament. The city is located in the southeastern part of Wales, about 150 miles west of London. You can even see the Bristol Channel (part of the sea) from many parts of the city! During the 1990s the old docks were redeveloped by the construction of Cardiff Bay Barrage, creating a 500 acre freshwater lake and a stunning new waterfront location. Cardiff Bay is now home to new institutions that showcase Cardiff to the world, foremost among these is the Senedd building which houses the Welsh Parliament.
๐ฅ How Many People Live There?
Cardiff is home to lots of people! Cardiff had a population of 383,919 in 2024
- that's almost 400,000 people living in the city! To put that in perspective, imagine if every person in your school had about 1,000 friends - that's how many people call Cardiff home. The city is the eleventh largest in the United Kingdom. The city is growing too - The local authority in Wales with the largest percentage population increase between mid-2022 and mid-2023 was Cardiff, an increase of 3.4%. This was the second largest increase of any local authority in Wales and England between mid-2022 and mid-2023.
๐๏ธ Special Places to See
Cardiff has two absolutely incredible places you must know about!
Cardiff Castle is like something from a fairy tale! The history of Cardiff Castle spans 2,000 years. The site has hosted a Roman fort, a medieval keep and a noble castle.
Built around the remains of a 13th century castle, the fantastical building features remnants of its original construction topped with whimsical elements designed to look like a fairy tale castle. Conical towers, decorative trellises and an elaborate chimney piece will delight you at this picturesque destination. You can even take tours and see how it was used in famous TV shows like Doctor Who!
Wales Millennium Centre is another super special building! The centrepiece and symbol of Cardiff Bay's regeneration is the ยฃ106-million Wales Millennium Centre, an architectural masterpiece of stacked Welsh slate in shades of purple, green and grey topped with an overarching bronzed steel shell. Designed by Welsh architect Jonathan Adams, it opened in 2004 as Wales' premier arts complex, housing major cultural organisations such as the Welsh National Opera, National Dance Company, BBC National Orchestra of Wales, Literature Wales, HiJinx Theatre and Tลท Cerdd (Music Centre Wales).
๐ฃ๏ธ Language and Food
People in Cardiff speak two languages! Most people speak English (just like you might!), but many also speak Welsh, which is the traditional language of Wales. Welsh is now spoken by 11% of Cardiffians. Welsh sounds completely different from English and has lots of interesting sounds and letters!
Cardiff has some delicious traditional foods too! Dishes such as cawl, Welsh rarebit, laverbread, Welsh cakes, bara brith (literally "speckled bread") or the Glamorgan sausage have all been regarded as symbols of Welsh food. Cawl, pronounced in a similar way to the English word "cowl", can be regarded as Wales' national dish. Welsh cakes are like sweet, spiced cookies that are perfect for a snack, and cawl is a hearty soup that's perfect for cold days!
๐ค A Famous Musician from Cardiff
Cardiff is the birthplace of Dame Shirley Bassey, one of the most famous singers in the world! ๐ Born in Cardiff, Bassey began performing as a teenager in 1953. In 1959, she became the first Welsh person to gain a number-one single on the UK Singles Chart. She became well known for recording theme songs of the James Bond films Goldfinger (1964), Diamonds Are Forever (1971), and Moonraker (1979).
Bassey was born in Bute Street in Tiger Bay, Butetown, January 8, 1937, and grew up in the working-class Splott area of Cardiff. She would go on to release 70 albums and sell nearly 140 million records over seven decades, becoming the first Welsh singer to score a number one single with As I Love You in 1959. Her powerful voice made her famous all around the world, and she's still remembered as one of Cardiff's greatest stars!
๐งช A Scientist from Cardiff
Cardiff was also the birthplace of Brian Josephson, a brilliant scientist who won the Nobel Prize! ๐ Brian David Josephson was born on 4 January 1940 in Cardiff, Wales, to Jewish parents, Abraham Josephson and Mimi Weisbard. Josephson was 22-years-old when he did the work on quantum tunnelling that earned him the Nobel Prize in Physics in 1973. He shared the 1973 Nobel Prize in Physics with Leo Esaki and Ivar Giaever for his discovery of the Josephson effect, made in 1962 when he was a Ph.D. student at Cambridge.
The discovery of the Josephson effect led to many important things in physics. SQUIDs are Superconducting QUantum Interference Devices. They are used in geology to make very sensitive measurements. They are also used in medicine and in computers. Imagine - a discovery made by a young student from Cardiff now helps doctors and scientists all over the world!
๐บ Fun Fact About Cardiff
Here's the coolest fact about Cardiff: it's the secret filming location for Doctor Who! ๐ For more than 15 years, the production of Doctor Who has been based in Cardiff, the capital of Wales. With its diverse architecture and landscapes, Cardiff and South Wales have been a vital component in creating the amazing worlds that the famous Time Lord inhabits.
Your uni city isn't just any city - it's the unofficial capital of the Doctor Who universe. Since 2005, Cardiff has been the show's production base, and honestly, you can't walk ten minutes without stumbling onto a filming location. So when you watch Doctor Who on TV, you're probably seeing the streets of Cardiff dressed up to look like alien planets and futuristic worlds! The city's buildings and landmarks have appeared in dozens of episodes, making Cardiff famous among fans all over the world. How amazing is it that a real city can transform into anywhere in time and space? โจ
Cardiff truly is a city where history, science, music, and magic all come together to create something extraordinary! ๐ญ