The Unitary Authorities of the Welsh Principal Areas are the subdivisions of Wales, United Kingdom. They succeded what are now known as the preserved counties of Wales as local government boundaries in 1994, which were introduced to replaced the administrative counties of Wales in 1974. The previous divisions were based on the traditional counties of Wales but several areas were independent county boroughs.

The areas are administratively identical, but style themselves variously.

Table of contents

1 List 1.1 Cities 1.2 County Boroughs 1.3 Counties 2 History 3 References

List

Cities

• Cardiff
• Swansea
• Newport

County Boroughs

• Blaenau Gwent
• Bridgend
• Caerphilly
• Conwy
• Merthyr Tydfil
• Neath Port Talbot
• Rhondda Cynon Taf
• Torfaen
• Vale of Glamorgan
• Wrexham

Counties

• Anglesey
• Ceredigion
• Carmarthenshire
• Denbighshire
• Flintshire
• Gwynedd
• Flintshire
• Pembrokeshire
• Powys

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. These and there districts were as follows

• Clwyd
  • Alyn and Deeside
  • Colwyn
  • Delyn
  • Glyndwr
  • Rhuddlan
  • Wrexham
• Dyfed
  • Camarthen
  • Ceredigion
  • Dinefwr
  • Llanelli
  • Preseli
  • South Pembroke
• Gwent
  • Blaenau Gwent
  • Islwyn
  • Monmouth
  • Newport
  • Torfaen
• Gwynedd
  • Aberconwy
  • Arfon
  • Dwyfor
  • Meirionnydd
  • Ynys Môn
• Mid Glamorgan
  • Cynon Valley
  • Ogwr
  • Merthyr Valley
  • Rhondda
  • Rhymney Valley
  • Taff-Ely
• Powys
  • Brecon
  • Montgomery
  • Radnor
• South Glamorgan
  • Cardiff
  • Vale of Glamorgan
• West Glamorgan
  • Lliw Valley
  • Neath
  • Port Talbot
  • Swansea

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