Swansea

**Swansea** (Welsh: **Abertawe**), officially the **City and County of Swansea** (Welsh: **Dinas a Sir Abertawe**), is a city and county in Wales. It is Wales' second largest city and the largest is Cardiff. It is in the country's south coast. It has a temperate oceanic climate, with the most rain of any city in the United Kingdom. The city has a population of around 240,000.

## History

Swansea was built in the early 12th century by the Normans. A castle was built here and a town started to form around it.

## Infobox (settlement)

- **official name**: Swansea
- **native name**: Dinas a Sir Abertawe
- **settlement type**: Administrative divisions of Wales, Principal area & City status in the United Kingdom, City
- **motto**: Floreat Swansea
- **image skyline**: Meridian Tower Swansea Skyline.jpg
- **image size**: 260px
- **image caption**: A view of the Swansea coastline, near the city centre.
- **website**: http://www.swansea.gov.uk/
- **shield size**: 125px
- **image map**: Swansea UK location map.svg
- **mapsize**: 250px
- **map caption**: City and County of Swansea
and (inset) within Wales
- **subdivision type**: List of sovereign states, Sovereign state
- **subdivision name**: United Kingdom
- **subdivision type1**: Constituent country
- **subdivision name1**: Wales
- **subdivision type2**: Preserved counties of Wales, Ceremonial county
- **subdivision name2**: West Glamorgan
- **subdivision type3**: Historic counties of Wales, Historic county
- **subdivision name3**: Glamorganshire
- **subdivision type4**: Admin HQ
- **subdivision name4**: Guildhall, Swansea, Swansea Guildhall
- **government type**: Administrative divisions of Wales, Principal area, City status in the United Kingdom, City
- **leader title**: Leader of
 City and County of Swansea council, Swansea Council
- **leader name**: David Phillips
- **leader title1**: Welsh Assembly and UK Parliament constituency, UK Parliament Constituencies
- **leader name1**: Swansea East (disambiguation), Swansea East,
Swansea West (disambiguation), Swansea West,
Gower (UK Parliament constituency), Gower
- **leader title2**: European Parliament
- **leader name2**: Wales
- **leader title3**: MPs elected in the UK general election, 2005, MPs
- **leader name3**: Martin Caton Labour Party (UK), (Lab),
Sian James (politician), Sian James Labour Party (UK), (Lab),
Geraint Davies (Labour politician), Geraint Davies Labour Party (UK), (Lab)
- **leader title4**: National Assembly for Wales election, 2011, AMs
- **leader name4**: Edwina Hart Labour Party (UK), (Lab),
Mike Hedges (Welsh Politician), Mike Hedges Labour Party (UK), (Lab),
Julie James Labour Party (UK), (Lab)
- **established title2**: Town charter
- **established date2**: 1158–1184
- **established title3**: City status in the United Kingdom, City status
- **established date3**: 1969
- **area total km2**: 378
- **population as of**: 2011, urban area figures from 2001
- **population total**: 270,506
- **population urban**: 169,880
- **population density km2**: 601
- **population blank1 title**: Demonym
- **population blank2 title**: Ethnicity
- **population blank2**: 97.8% White
1.2% S. Asian
0.3% Afro-Caribbean
0.3% Chinese
- **timezone**: Greenwich Mean Time, GMT
- **utc offset**: 0
- **timezone dst**: British Summer Time, BST
- **utc offset dst**: +1
- **postal code type**: Post codes
- **postal code**: SA postcode area, SA1-SA7
- **area code**: List of Wales dialling codes, 01792
- **blank7 name**: Vehicle registration plates of the United Kingdom#Current system, Vehicle area codes
- **blank7 info**: CP, CR, CS, CT, CU, CV
- **blank name**: ISO 3166-2:GB, ISO 3166-2
- **blank info**: GB-SWA
- **blank1 name**: ONS coding system, ONS code
- **blank1 info**: 00NX (ONS)
W06000011 (GSS)
- **blank2 name**: British national grid reference system, OS grid reference
- **blank3 name**: Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, NUTS 3
- **blank3 info**: UKL18
- **blank4 name**: Police Force
- **blank4 info**: South Wales Police
- **blank5 name**: Fire Service
- **blank5 info**: Mid and West Wales Fire and Rescue Service
- **blank6 name**: Ambulance Service
- **blank6 info**: Welsh Ambulance Service