Cardiff

is the capital and largest city in Wales and the tenth largest city in the United Kingdom The city is the country's chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly for Wales.

Cardiff is a significant tourist centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked sixth in the world in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.

Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed the capital of Wales in 1955  A new waterfront area at Cardiff Bay contains the Senedd building, home to the Welsh Assembly and the Wales Millennium Centre arts complex

Climate Cardiff lies within the north temperate zone and has an essentially maritime climate, characterised by mild weather that is often cloudy, wet and windy

Language In addition to English and Welsh, the diversity of Cardiff's population (including foreign students) means that a large number of languages are spoken within the city. One study has found that Cardiff has speakers of at least 94 languages, with Somali, Urdu, Bengali and Arabic being the most commonly spoken foreign languages

Education Cardiff is home to four major institutions of higher education: Cardiff University, Cardiff Metropolitan University, University of South Wales and the Royal Welsh College of Music & Drama.

Sporting venues in the city include the Millennium Stadium (the national stadium for the Wales national rugby union team)

SWALEC Stadium (the home of Glamorgan County Cricket Club)

Cardiff Arms Park (the home of Cardiff Blues and Cardiff RFC rugby union teams)

Cardiff has many landmark buildings such as the Millennium Stadium Pierhead Building the Welsh National Museum the Senedd, the home of the National Assembly for Wales. Cardiff is also famous for Cardiff Castle St David's Hall Llandaff Cathedral the Wales Millennium Centre.

The Cardiff Big Weekend has taken place annually since 1995 as part of the Cardiff Festival organised by Cardiff Council. Billed as the UK’s biggest free outdoor music festival, it offers three days of quality live music and entertainment. Alongside the live music stage runs the UK’s largest travelling funfair around Cardiff's Civic Centre. Each night comes to a close with a firework finale. There is always an eclectic line of up and coming artists, world music and established artists, and traditionally the Friday night has always had a strong presence of Welsh bands.

Thank you