Historic county of Wales
Cardiganshire
Ceredigion / Sir Aberteifi
Cardigan Bay west, Cambrian uplands east, Teifi along the south.
Cardiganshire / Ceredigion / Sir Aberteifi occupies a long sweep of the west Welsh coast between Cardigan Bay and the rising country of the Cambrian Mountains. The coast is varied rather than uniform: cliffs, beaches, river mouths and small bays alternate along its length.
Eastwards the land rises into increasingly open upland, while the Teifi and its tributaries organise much of the southern country. Coast, pastoral interior, mountain edge and river valley therefore give Cardiganshire a strong west-to-east structure.
- Welsh 5th century kingdom
- Formed of the ancient Welsh Cantrefs of Ceredigion and Penweddig
- Vale of Rheidol Railway
- Area 693 sq mi 1,795 km²
- Population: 75,784
- County top: Plynlimon 2,467 ft / 752 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 101.8 people per sq mi (39.3 people per km²)
- Population
- 70,571
Cardigan Bay
The bay gives the county its maritime face. Much of the landscape opens westwards towards the sea, while rivers descend through comparatively short valleys from the higher interior.
The coast is consequently integral to the county rather than simply its outer edge.
Towards the Cambrian Mountains
The interior rises progressively towards the Cambrian uplands. Settlement becomes thinner, valleys narrower and the landscape increasingly open.
This eastern rise provides a strong counterweight to the more settled coast and lower river country.
The Teifi country
The Teifi shapes much of southern Cardiganshire, creating a greener and more enclosed landscape than the exposed uplands further north and east.
River and bay together help make sense of a county whose long coastal form might otherwise appear stretched.
County questions
Questions about Cardiganshire
Are Cardiganshire and Ceredigion different counties?
No. Ceredigion is a long-established Welsh name associated with the same county; Cardiganshire is the established English shire-name form.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Cardigan
- Local name
- Ceredigion / Sir Aberteifi
- Foundation
- 1284
Cardiganshire, Ceredigion and Sir Aberteifi are established forms associated with the county. The older name Ceredigion reaches back into Welsh territorial history long before the later county framework.