The South Wales Valleys are a number of industrialised valleys in South Wales. Many of them running roughly parallel to each other, they stretch from eastern Carmarthenshire in the west to western Monmouthshire in the east. Located in roughly the centre is the famous Rhondda valley. Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales (Welsh: ) is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: ) is a county in Wales. ... A compass rose with west highlighted This article refers to the cardinal direction; for other uses see West (disambiguation). ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is both a principal area and a traditional county in south-east Wales. ... The Experimental Advanced Superconducting Tokamak (EAST, internally called HT-7U) is a project being undertaken to construct an experimental superconducting tokamak magnetic fusion energy reactor in Hefei, the capital city of Anhui Province, in eastern China. ... Rhondda Cynon Taff (Welsh: Rhondda Cynon Tâf) is a county borough in Glamorgan, South Wales. ...

The term "Valleys" is often incorrectly used as a synonym for Wales. As the Valleys are a closely defined area, this is wholly inaccurate. The term "The valleys" are sometimes also used to describe the Rhondda Valleys. These are correctly defined as plural, as they are separate and have distinct communities. The Rhondda Valleys are accurately described as plural, as the Rhondda splits at Porth into two valleys the Big and Small Rhondda - or Rhondda Fawr and Rhondda Fach respectively, the two valleys forming a "Y". This article is about the country. ... For other uses, see Porth (disambiguation). ... The River Rhondda (Welsh: ) is a river in south-east Wales which has two major tributaries; the Rhondda Fawr (English: ) and the Rhondda Fach (English: ). Despite their names, both tributaries are about the same length. ... The River Rhondda (Welsh: ) is a river in south-east Wales which has two major tributaries; the Rhondda Fawr (English: ) and the Rhondda Fach (English: ). Despite their names, both tributaries are about the same length. ...

Lossity of Perthcelyn

Image File history File links Size of this preview: 499 × 316 pixelsFull resolution (499 × 316 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I own the Copyright and release it for Wikipedia under GNUs FDL. The image originally appeared on Aberdare Blog, http://blog. ... Image File history File links Size of this preview: 499 × 316 pixelsFull resolution (499 × 316 pixel, file size: 49 KB, MIME type: image/jpeg) I own the Copyright and release it for Wikipedia under GNUs FDL. The image originally appeared on Aberdare Blog, http://blog. ...

History

Until the mid-nineteenth century, the south Wales valleys were lightly inhabited (as was most of Wales) and known for their natural beauty. The Industrial Revolution changed this as the valleys became important centres for both the coal mining and iron industries. Merthyr Tydfil, at the northern end of the Taff valley became Wales's largest town thanks to its growing iron works at Dowlais and Cyfarthfa. Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Watt steam engine. ... Surface coal mining in Wyoming. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ... Merthyr Tydfil (Welsh: ) is a town and county borough in Wales, with a population of about 55,000. ... The River Taff is a large river in South Wales. ... General Name, Symbol, Number iron, Fe, 26 Chemical series transition metals Group, Period, Block 8, 4, d Appearance lustrous metallic with a grayish tinge Standard atomic weight 55. ...

Although iron was the first industry to develop, the valleys would become most famous for their coal mines. These attracted huge numbers of people from rural areas to the valleys. This meant that many rows of terraced housing were built along the valley sides to accommodate the influx. The coal mined in the valleys was transported south along railways and canals to ports on the Bristol Channel, notably Cardiff, Newport and Swansea. Cardiff was soon among the most important coal ports in the world and Swansea among the most important steel ports. Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Sign in a rural area in Dalarna, Sweden Qichun, a rural town in Hubei province, China An artists rendering of an aerial view of the Maryland countryside: Jane Frank (Jane Schenthal Frank, 1918-1986), Aerial Series: Ploughed Fields, Maryland, 1974, acrylic and mixed materials on apertured double canvas, 52... A street of British Victorian/Edwardian terraced homes. ... Coal Coal (IPA: ) is a fossil fuel formed in swamp ecosystems where plant remains were saved by water and mud from oxidization and biodegradation. ... The Canal du Midi, Toulouse, France Canals are man-made channels for water. ... Seaport, a painting by Claude Lorrain, 1638 The Port of Wellington at night. ... The location of the Bristol Channel The Severn Bridge and Bristol Channel, looking northwestward from England towards Wales The Bristol Channel coast at Ilfracombe, North Devon, looking west towards Lee Bay The Bristol Channel is a major inlet in the island of Great Britain, separating South Wales from South West... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Newport (Welsh: ) is the third-largest city within Wales (after Cardiff and Swansea), in the United Kingdom. ... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... Antarctica Oceania Africa Asia Europe North America South America Middle East Caribbean Central Asia East Asia North Asia South Asia Southeast Asia SW. Asia Australasia Melanesia Micronesia Polynesia Central America Latin America Northern America Americas C. Africa E. Africa N. Africa Southern Africa W. Africa C. Europe E. Europe N... For other places with the same name, see Swansea (disambiguation). ...

Decline

The Second World War marked the beginning of the end of these heavy industries in the Valleys. Steel works and coal mines began to close, despite nationalisation by the UK government. In 1966, the village of Aberfan in the Taff valley suffered one of the worst disasters in Welsh history. A mine waste tip on the top of the mountain slid down the valley side and destroyed the village primary school, killing 144 people, 116 of them children. Combatants Allied powers: China France Great Britain Soviet Union United States and others Axis powers: Germany Italy Japan and others Commanders Chiang Kai-shek Charles de Gaulle Winston Churchill Joseph Stalin Franklin Roosevelt Adolf Hitler Benito Mussolini Hideki Tōjō Casualties Military dead: 17,000,000 Civilian dead: 33,000... Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning compared to light industry. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... Nationalization is the act of taking assets into state ownership. ... 1966 (MCMLXVI) was a common year starting on Saturday (the link is to a full 1966 calendar). ... Aberfan (in Welsh, the f is pronounced like the v in English) is a small village 5 miles (8 km) south of Merthyr Tydfil in South Wales. ... The River Taff is a large river in South Wales. ... This article or section does not cite its references or sources. ... Primary or elementary education is the first years of formal, structured education that occurs during childhood. ...

In 1979, Margaret Thatcher became Prime Minister of the United Kingdom. Her policies of free market economics soon clashed with the loss-making, government-owned National Coal Board. In 1984 and 1985, after the government announced plans to close many mines across the UK, mineworkers went on strike. The ultimate failure of this strike led to the virtual destruction of the UK's coal industry. Today, the only deep coal mine left in the valleys is Tower Colliery in the Cynon Valley. This was bought by the workers in 1994, despite government attempts to close it. In the new millennium, the last of the steel industry closed, as Corus Group (formerly British Steel) closed its plant in Ebbw Vale. For the song by the Smashing Pumpkins, see 1979 (song). ... Margaret Hilda Thatcher, Baroness Thatcher, LG, OM, PC (born October 13, 1925), former Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, in office from 1979 to 1990. ... A prime minister is the very most senior minister of a cabinet in the executive branch of government in a parliamentary system. ... Margaret Thatcher Thatcherism is the system of political thought attributed to the governments of Margaret Thatcher, British Prime Minister from 1979 to 1990. ... A free market is an idealized market, where all economic decisions and actions by individuals regarding transfer of money, goods, and services are voluntary, and are therefore devoid of coercion and theft (some definitions of coercion are inclusive of theft). Colloquially and loosely, a free market economy is an economy... The National Coal Board (NCB) was the nationalised British coal mining company. ... 1984 (MCMLXXXIV) was a leap year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. ... 1985 (MCMLXXXV) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The miners strike of 1984-5 was a major piece of industrial action affecting the British coal industry. ... Tower Colliery is the oldest, continuously worked deep-coal mine in the United Kingdom, and possibly the world, and the only mine of its kind which remains in the South Wales Valleys. ... Categories: UK geography stubs ... In classical economics and all micro-economics labour is one of three factors of production, the others being land and capital. ... 1994 (MCMXCIV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated as the International Year of the Family and the International Year of the Sport and the Olympic Ideal by United Nations. ... The steel cable of a colliery winding tower. ... For other uses, see Corus. ... British Steel is a large British steel producer, privatised in 1988 under the Thatcher government. ... For the Ebbw Vale in Australia, see Ebbw Vale railway station, Brisbane. ...

The valleys today

The closure of the heavy industries led to very high unemployment in the valleys and whilst measured unemployment has fallen considerably since the early 1990s, high levels of economic inactivity remain, particularly in the upper sections of the Valleys. In the 1990s, the government attracted light industries to try and reduce the level of unemployment. Many of these companies were from the Far East although these are increasingly being replaced by European and American owned operations. However, the economy remains weak and virtually the entire area is poor enough to qualify for European Union Objective 1 funding. Official statistics are somewhat misleading however in suggesting a rather uniform level of underperformance. The lower Valleys have typically performed more strongly economically, with the lower Taff and Ely Valleys in particular attracting inward investment and migration from firms and families priced out of Cardiff. Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning compared to light industry. ... An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ... The 1990s decade refers to the years from the start of 1990 to the end of 1999. ... Heavy industry does not have a single fixed meaning compared to light industry. ... An 1837 political cartoon about unemployment in the United States. ... The far east as a cultural block includes East Asia, Southeast Asia, Northeast Asia and South Asia. ... Objective 1 regions are officially designated NUTS level 2 regions within the European Union where per capita GDP is less than 75% of that of the wider union; they also include certain very low population areas in Sweden and Finland and some outlying (i. ...

Culture

The south Wales valleys became a symbol of the whole of Wales for many foreign people (including those in the other parts of the United Kingdom). Some visitors to other parts of Wales are surprised when they do not find coal mines and terraced housing. The valleys do, however, contain a large percentage of the Welsh population and remain an important centre of Welsh culture, despite the growing domination of Cardiff. The UK parliament's first Labour Party (Socialist) MP, Keir Hardie was elected from the area and the Valleys remain a stronghold of Labour Party power. Rugby union is very popular and rugby pitches can be seen along the valley floors. Football is also popular in the valleys, as in the rest of the British Isles. English is the everyday language, except for the western valleys around Ammanford and the Upper Swansea valley, where Welsh is still widely spoken. This article is about the country. ... Wyoming coal mine Coal mining is the mining of coal. ... A street of British Victorian/Edwardian terraced homes. ... This is a list of principal areas of Wales ordered by population. ... Daffodils. ... Cardiff (English:  Welsh: ) is the capital, largest and core city of Wales. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... Socialism is a social and economic system (or the political philosophy advocating such a system) in which the economic means of production are owned and controlled collectively by the people. ... A Member of Parliament, or MP, is a representative elected by the voters to a parliament. ... James Keir Hardie (August 15, 1856 - September 26, 1915) was a Scottish socialist and labour leader, and one of the first two Labour Party (Members of Parliament (MPs) elected to the UK Parliament after the establishment of the Labour Party. ... The Labour Party has been, since its founding in the early 20th century, the principal political party of the left in England, Scotland and Wales. ... A rugby union scrum. ... This article or section is not written in the formal tone expected of an encyclopedia article. ... Football (soccer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia /**/ @import /skins-1. ... The English language is a West Germanic language that originates in England. ... Ammanford (Welsh: Rhydaman) is the fourth largest town in the county of Carmarthenshire, Wales with a population 5,299 according to the 2001 census. ... Welsh redirects here, and this article describes the Welsh language. ...

The geographical shape of the valleys have their effect on culture. Many roads stretch along valleys connecting the different settlements in the valley. Consequently the different towns in a valley are more closely associated with each other than they are with towns in the neighbouring valley, even when the towns in the neighbouring valley are closer on the map. When describing where he or she comes from, a valleys resident is far more like to explain in terms of which valley it is than in which borough council or unitary authority it lies. The Heads of the Valleys road, the A465 road, is significant due to its connection of valleys with each other, and there are hopes that the dualling of this road will improve the economic performance of the region as the road becomes the main thoroughfare to Swansea and West Wales from the Midlands and North of England. The A465 is a major road in South Wales. ...

Transport

In terms of rail transport, the south of the Valleys is served by the South Wales Main Line. The many settlements in the Valleys are served by an extensive commuter network known as the Valley Lines. The South Wales Main Line is a branch of the Great Western Main Line. ... British Rail Class 143 unit, no. ...

List of important valleys in South Wales

From west to east:

• Loughor Valley (forms border between Carmarthenshire in West Wales and Glamorgan in South Wales)
• Llynfi
• Tawe Valley
• Swansea Valley
• Vale of Neath
• Afan Valley
• Ogmore Vale
• Ely Valley
• Rhondda Valleys
• Cynon Valley
• Taff Valley
• Rhymney Valley (forms border between Glamorgan and Monmouthshire)
• Sirhowy Valley
• Ebbw Valley
• Ebbw Fach Valley
• Llwyd Valley
• Vale of Usk
• Wye Valley (forms border between Monmouthshire in South Wales and Gloucestershire in South West England)

The River Loughor (Welsh: Afon Llwchwr) has is source at an underground lake at the Black Mountain and meets the sea at the Loughor estuary the where it separates the south coast of Carmarthenshire with the north coast of the Gower Peninsula Categories: | | | ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: ) is a county in Wales. ... West Wales is the west area of Wales bordered by South Wales to the east. ... Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: ) is one of thirteen historic counties and former administrative counties of Wales. ... Approximate extent of South Wales South Wales (Welsh: ) is an area of Wales bordered by England and the Bristol Channel to the east and south, and Mid Wales and West Wales to the north and west. ... The River Llynfi (Afon Llynfi in Welsh) is one of three main tributaries of the River Ogmore. ... the River Tawe is a river in south Wales which meets the sea at Swansea (Abertawe in Welsh). ... The upper reaches of the River Tawe area in South Wales, upstream from the second largest city in Wales, Swansea Main industries in the past included coal, iron but now a large unemployment. ... River Neath (Afon Nedd in Welsh) is a river in south Wales running south west from its source to its confluence with Swansea Bay below Briton Ferry. ... Afan is a river of South Wales, whose valley formed the territory of the medieval Lords of Afan. ... The River Ogmore ( Afon Ogwr in Welsh) is a river in South Wales popular with anglers. ... The River Ely is a small river in south Wales. ... The River Rhondda (Welsh: ) is a river in south-east Wales which has two major tributaries; the Rhondda Fawr (English: ) and the Rhondda Fach (English: ). Despite their names, both tributaries are about the same length. ... The River Cynon is a river in South Wales and is one of the larger tributaries of the River Taff. ... The River Taff is a large river in South Wales. ... The Rhymney River is a river in the Rhymney Valley, south Wales, flowing into the Bristol Channel. ... Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: ) is one of thirteen historic counties and former administrative counties of Wales. ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is both a principal area and a traditional county in south-east Wales. ... The Sirhowy Valley is located in South Wales. ... The Ebbw River (Welsh: Afon Ebwy) is a river in south Wales. ... Afon Llwyd is a small river in South Wales which flows from its source north of Blaenavon, through Abersychan, Pontypool and Cwmbran before flowing into the River Usk at Caerleon, which subsequently flows into the Bristol Channel in Newport. ... The River Usk, Afon Wysg in Welsh, rises in the mountains of mid-Wales then flows south-east through Abergavenny and the eponymous town of Usk to the Roman legionary fortress of Caerleon and the Bristol Channel at Newport. ... Tintern Abbey in the Wye Valley, viewed from the Devils Pulpit near Tidenham The Wye Valley Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB) is an internationally important protected landscape area straddling the border between England and Wales. ... Monmouthshire (Welsh: Sir Fynwy) is both a principal area and a traditional county in south-east Wales. ... Gloucestershire (pronounced ; GLOSS-ter-sher) is a county in South West England. ... South West England is one of the regions of England. ...

See also

• Maesteg
• A465 road
• Glamorgan
• Carmarthenshire

Maesteg is a Welsh town located at the northernmost end of the Llynfi Valley in the north of the Welsh county borough of Bridgend (Pen-y-Bont ar Ogwr) in the traditional county of Glamorgan (Morgannwg). ... The A465 is a major road in South Wales. ... Glamorgan or Glamorganshire (Welsh: ) is one of thirteen historic counties and former administrative counties of Wales. ... Carmarthenshire (Welsh: ) is a county in Wales. ...

External links

• The industrialisation of the South Wales Valleys
• South Wales Valleys tourist site
• Aberdare Blog - Strong Views from the Valleys
• Welsh mining history
• Old and New Library Images from the Valleys