Welsh industry is based on the coalfields of the south. At one time metallic ores were mined, but these are now exhausted. Coal is mined in a number of valleys, most significantly the Rhondda Valley. The coal is largely used in the iron and steel industry of southern Wales. The drop in demand for steel and coal, however, resulted in the closing of some plants and coal mines and the reorganization of others.
Unemployment is high, but attempts to introduce new light industries have met with some success.
There is a large petroleum-refining complex at Milford Haven and a chemicals and engineering industry in the Swansea area. Transportation and communications are organized along the same lines as in England. The mountainous nature of the country makes access to some areas difficult. The Welsh elect members to the British Parliament, which meets in London. A Welsh Office, headed by a secretary of state for Wales, handles Welsh affairs.