Geography of Cardiff facts for kids

Cardiff, the capital city of Wales, is mostly flat in its center. It is surrounded by hills on its edges to the east, north, and west. Its natural features were very important in helping it grow into the world's biggest port for coal. This was mainly because it was close to and had easy access to the coal fields in the south Wales valleys.

How Cardiff Was Built: Rocks and Land

Cardiff is built on land that used to be marsh (wet, swampy ground). This land was filled in and now sits on top of Triassic rocks. This reclaimed marshland stretches from Chepstow all the way to the Ely Estuary. The Ely Estuary is the natural border between Cardiff and the Vale of Glamorgan.

Triassic landscapes in this part of the world are usually flat and low. This helps explain why the center of Cardiff is so flat. The common Triassic rocks, like marl (a type of soil), sand, and conglomerate (rock made of pebbles), are used a lot for building in Cardiff. Many of these Triassic rocks have a purple color, especially the coastal marl found near Penarth.

One special Triassic rock used in Cardiff is "Radyr Stone." This is a type of freestone, which means it can be cut easily in any direction. As its name suggests, it comes from the Radyr area. Cardiff has also brought in building materials from other places. For example, Devonian sandstones, also known as the Old Red Sandstone, came from the Brecon Beacons.

The famous buildings in Cathays Park, which is the city's civic center, are made from Portland stone. This stone was brought all the way from Dorset in England. Another widely used building stone in Cardiff is the yellow-grey Liassic limestone rock from the Vale of Glamorgan. This includes a very rare stone called "Sutton Stone," which is a mix of lias limestone and carboniferous limestone.

Cardiff's Surroundings: Rivers and Coast

Cardiff is surrounded by different areas. To the west, you'll find the countryside of the Vale of Glamorgan. This area is sometimes called "The Garden of Cardiff." To the east is the city of Newport. To the north are the South Wales Valleys. To the south, Cardiff meets the Severn Estuary and the Bristol Channel.

The River Taff flows through the middle of the city. It joins with the River Ely and both flow into the freshwater lake of Cardiff Bay. A third river, the Rhymney, flows through the eastern part of the city. It goes directly into the Severn Estuary.

The coastline to the west of Cardiff has reefs, sandbanks, and jagged cliffs. This area was once known as a "ship graveyard." During the time when Cardiff was a busy industrial port, many ships sailing towards the city would crash along this difficult coast. This often happened during strong west or south-westerly storms.

Exploring Cardiff: Inner City to Countryside

Cardiff can be divided into different parts, from the busy city center to quiet rural villages.

"Inner Cardiff" includes several areas like Penylan, Plasnewydd, Gabalfa, Roath, Cathays, Adamsdown, and Splott to the north and east of the city center. To the south and west are Butetown, Grangetown, Riverside, and Canton.

The inner-city areas south of the A4161 road are generally poorer parts of Wales, except for Cardiff Bay. These areas have lower levels of economic activity. However, areas like Gabalfa, Plasnewydd, and Cathays, which are north of this road, have many students living there. Pontcanna, located near Riverside and Canton, is popular with students and young professionals. Penylan, to the north-east of Roath Park, is a wealthier area liked by families with older children and retired people.

"Suburban Cardiff" has three main sections. To the west are Ely, Caerau, and Fairwater. These areas have some of the largest housing estates in the UK. Most of this area is economically disadvantaged, with many unemployed households. However, Culverhouse Cross in the west is a more affluent part of the city.

An arc of middle-class suburbs stretches from the north-west to the north-east of the center. These include Radyr, Llandaff, Llandaff North, Whitchurch & Tongwynlais, Rhiwbina, Heath, Llanishen, Thornhill, Lisvane, and Cyncoed. In particular, Cyncoed, Radyr, and Lisvane have some of the most expensive homes in Wales.

Further to the east are areas like Pontprennau & Old St Mellons, Rumney, Pentwyn, Llanrumney, and Trowbridge. The last three mostly have public housing, though new private homes are being built in Trowbridge. Pontprennau is Cardiff's newest suburb, while Old St Mellons has a history going back to the Norman Conquest in the 11th century.

To the north-west of the city is "Rural Cardiff." This area has villages like St. Fagans, Creigiau, Pentyrch, Tongwynlais, and Gwaelod-y-garth. St. Fagans, home to the Museum of Welsh Life, is protected from new building developments.

Since the year 2000, Cardiff has seen many changes in the size and height of its buildings. The city center now has its first tall apartment buildings. More tall buildings have been built in the city center and Cardiff Bay, and even more are planned. A fancy hotel called Bayscape has been approved for building at the Cardiff International Sports Village. When finished, it will be the tallest building in Wales.

Cardiff's Weather: What to Expect

Cardiff is located in the north temperate zone. This means it has a maritime climate, which is weather influenced by the sea. This type of climate usually brings mild weather that is often cloudy, wet, and windy.

Summers in Cardiff are generally warm and sunny. The highest temperatures usually range between 19°C (66°F) and 22°C (72°F). Winters tend to be quite wet, but it rarely rains too much, and the temperature usually stays above freezing point. Spring and autumn feel quite similar, and temperatures usually stay above 14°C (57°F). This is also the average daytime temperature for the whole year. Rain can happen at any time of year, but summer showers are usually shorter.

The northern part of Cardiff county is higher up and further inland. For example, Garth Hill (Mynydd y Garth), about 7 kilometers (4 miles) north-west of Cardiff city center, is 307 meters (1,007 feet) high. This area tends to be cooler and wetter than the city center.

Sunshine Hours

Cardiff gets about 1518 hours of sunshine in an average year. This is more than the average for all of Wales, which is 1388.7 hours. July is the sunniest month in Cardiff, with an average of 203.4 hours of sunshine. This is also more than the Wales average of 183.3 hours for July. December is the least sunny month, with only 44.6 hours of sunshine, compared to 38.5 hours for Wales.

Rainfall

Cardiff generally gets less rainfall than Wales as a whole.

On average, it rains in Cardiff on 146 days each year. The total annual rainfall is about 1111.7 millimeters (43.77 inches). Looking at the monthly rainfall, from September to January, Cardiff usually gets more than 100 millimeters (3.9 inches) of rain each month. December is the wettest month, with about 128 millimeters (5.0 inches) of rain. Cardiff's driest months are from April to July, with rainfall usually between 60.5 millimeters (2.38 inches) and 65.9 millimeters (2.59 inches).

In Wales as a whole, it rains on about 165.5 days each year. The total annual rainfall is about 1435.9 millimeters (56.53 inches). From September to January, Wales usually gets more than 120.0 millimeters (4.72 inches) of rain each month. December is the wettest month for Wales, with about 173.3 millimeters (6.82 inches) of rain. Wales's driest months are from April to July, with rainfall usually between 78.4 millimeters (3.09 inches) and 85.9 millimeters (3.38 inches).

Images for kids

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  City centre apartment and hotel towers

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  Stadium House and South Gate House