County Dossier
Carmarthenshire
A county of castles, saints and rivers.
Carmarthenshire (Sir Gaerfyrddin) is a maritime county in south-west Wales, celebrated for its fertile land and agricultural richness, earning it the nickname the “Garden of Wales.” Its coastline sweeps around Carmarthen Bay (Bae Caerfyrddin), where gentle fields meet broad sandy beaches, including the seven-mile stretch of Pendine Sands (Traeth Pen-Din).
At a glance
Carmarthenshire at a glance
A county of castles, saints and rivers.
- Early roots in Ystrad Tywi
- Formed of the ancient Welsh Cantrefs of Mawr, Bychan and Emlyn
- Home to the National Botanic Garden
- Area: 937 sq miles / 2,427 km²
- Population: 184,232
- County top: Fan Foel 2,562 ft / 781 m
County Geography
Carmarthenshire meets Pembrokeshire to the west, Cardiganshire to the north and north-west, Brecknockshire to the east and north-east, and Glamorgan to the east and south-east, while Carmarthen Bay forms the southern seaward edge. The county is shaped by the Tywi, Taf, and Teifi systems, the low pastoral south, and the rising hill country toward the Black Mountain.
Carmarthenshire is read through Carmarthen Bay, the Tywi basin, and the rising ground toward the Black Mountain.
Map Reference
View Carmarthenshire on the map
Carmarthenshire is the county. The map also shows lieutenancies and council areas that use the county name.
The county.
The lieutenancy.
Council areas.
Places and routes
Carmarthen, Llanelli, Whitland, Laugharne, and Newcastle Emlyn show the county from its central Tywi town and eastern estuary side to the western interior, Taf estuary, and Teifi borderland.
Connections
The county’s routes have long followed the Tywi corridor, curved around the bay shore, and run north-west toward the Teifi and inland uplands. Movement follows the same bay, valley, and upland-side pattern.
Names
- Carmarthenshire
- County of Carmarthen
- Sir Gaerfyrddin
Sir Gaerfyrddin is the Welsh form of Carmarthenshire. County of Carmarthen is the formal historical style, and the county name reflects the county built around Carmarthen but extending far beyond that town.
The county’s older background lies in Ystrad Tywi, and Hywel Dda’s assembly at Whitland links it to a major moment in Welsh law. Carmarthenshire took formal county shape in the late 13th century, and that history still gives the historic county a clear place in south-west Wales.