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Swansea (Welsh: Abertawe, "mouth of the Tawe") is a city and county in South Wales, situated on the coast immediately to the east of the Gower peninsula. The name Swansea is believed to come from "Sweyn's Ey" ("ey" being a Germanic word for "island") and to have originated in the period when the Vikings plundered the south Wales coast.
From 1 April 1996, the City of Swansea became part of a larger administrative region, covering the western part of the former administrative county of West Glamorgan[1]. This region is administered by a unitary authority formally named: City and County of Swansea (Welsh: Dinas a Sir Abertawe) . The city and county covers an area of land of some 378 km, including a large amount of open countryside, towns like Gorseinon and Loughor, and the Gower peninsula. A healthy proportion of the population of the unitary authority area are Welsh speakers: 13.4% at the 2001 census, as compared with 11% for the capital city, Cardiff.
Swansea is Wales' second city, and it grew to its present importance during the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, becoming a centre of heavy industry. However, it did not enjoy the same degree of immigration as Cardiff and the eastern valleys. Consequently, it retains close links with agriculture and rural life. The population of the City and County of Swansea in Mid 2004 is about 225,000
In addition to being a holiday resort, Swansea is also a commercial centre, and the recently regenerated dock areas are home to some cutting-edge hi-tech industries. One of the most well-known employers in Swansea is the Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency. Whilst the city itself has a long history, many of the city centre buildings are post-war as much of the centre was destroyed by World War II bombing in the so-called Three Nights' Blitz. Within the city centre, sites worth a visit are the ruins of the castle, the Marina, the Glynn Vivian Art Gallery, Swansea Museum, the Dylan Thomas Centre, the Environmental Centre, and the Central Market, which is the largest covered market in Wales. It backs onto the Quadrant shopping centre which was built in the 1970s.
Wind Street is the city's main watering hole and also the location of many high quality restaurants. Many of these buildings were originally banks, with one being the old central Post Office and thus they are substantially larger than some of the other city centre pubs. Discos and clubs line the Kingsway and this street is one of two hubs of central Swansea nightlife. The other being the aforementioned Wind Street. St Helen's Road connects the city centre with the Brynmill area, and has many Indian and Bangladeshi restaurants and shops on it: convenient when walking back from the Kingsway to Brynmill in the evening.
Swansea was granted city status in 1969, to mark Prince Charles's investiture as the Prince of Wales. It obtained the further right to a have Lord Mayor in 1982.
Many areas of the city have seen changes within the early part of the 21st century. The Wales National Pool, of Olympic size, was completed. A new multi-million pound National Waterfront Museum has been built and is due to open in October 2005. Out-of-town retail parks increased in the first years of the new century: in addition to the Enterprise Park there arose new developments at Fforestfach and next to the New Stadium in Landore.
Swansea's diverse and interesting past has helped weave a city of character and charm, which has produced many famous personalities. On the literary stage, the poet Dylan Thomas is perhaps the most well known. He was born in the town and grew up at 5 Cwmdonkin Drive, Uplands. There is a memorial to him in the nearby Cwmdonkin Park. The actress Catherine Zeta-Jones is probably the most famous of the city's recent cultural exports, and she maintains close links with the city. Author Mary Balogh, singer/songwriter Mal Pope, scriptwriter and producer Russell T. Davies and entertainer Sir Harry Secombe were also born and raised in the city, as was the current Archbishop of Canterbury, Rowan Williams.
Perhaps the city's most celebrated personality is Jack - a black labrador. During his seven years of life, he managed to save twenty-seven people from drowning in the murky waters of Swansea docks. There is a monument to commemorate Jack's gallant efforts on the foreshore near the St. Helen's stadium. People from Swansea are known locally as Swansea Jacks, or just Jacks. The source of this nickname is not clear. Some attribute it to Swansea Jack, the life-saving dog. Others point to Swansea's long history as a port and the use of the word jack to indicate a sailor.
Sport
There are a number of sporting venues in Swansea. St Helen's is a cricket ground which is one of the homes of Glamorgan County Cricket Club. It was in this ground that Sir Garfield Sobers hit six sixes in one over: the first time this was achieved in a game of first-class cricket. One ball is reputed to have landed in the Cricketers' pub just outside the ground. The stadium is metres from the coast of Swansea Bay. There are several rugby clubs in and around Swansea. These include Uplands, Dunvant and Bonymaen, as well as the All-Whites, Swansea Rugby Football Club. In 2003, Swansea RFC became a feeder club for the Ospreys regional rugby club. Swansea RFC remains at St Helen's, but the Ospreys moved to the New Stadium, Swansea in Landore for the start of the 2005-2006 season. Swansea City A.F.C., the Swans, moved from the Vetch Field to the New Stadium at the same time. The final Ospreys match at St Helen's was played on the same day as the final Swans league game at the Vetch: April 30, 2005. The first game at the new stadium was on July 23: a football friendly between the Swans and Fulham.
The Swans' football following are known as the Jack Army due to the regional nickname for people from Swansea. Strong local rivalries exist between Swansea and Cardiff in football and between Swansea and Llanelli in rugby. Swansea/Neath rugby games used also to be a hotly-contested match, such that there was some debate about whether a regional team incorporating both areas was possible. The Neath-Swansea Ospreys in fact came fifth in the Celtic League in their first year of existence as a regional team, and won the league in their second year.
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