Gwent

This article deals with the administrative county in Wales. For the video game of the same name, see Gwent: The Witcher Card Game

Gwent Preserved County (since 1996) Administrative County (1974–1996)
Gwent
Districts 1974–1996	Blaenau Gwent Islwyn Monmouth Newport Torfaen
Principal Areas since 1996	Blaenau Gwent Caerphilly Monmouthshire Newport Torfaen
Capital	Cwmbran
surface	1,553 km²
population	560,400 (2009)
Population density	361 inhabitants / km²

Gwent is a Preserved County and a former administrative county of Wales . A Preserved County in Wales includes the jurisdiction of the ceremonial offices of Lord Lieutenant and High Sheriff .

Administrative history

In 1974, the new administrative county Gwent was formed from the county of Monmouthshire and the county borough of Newport and divided into five districts . The name Gwent was chosen based on the historic Welsh Kingdom of Gwent . Since the administrative reform of 1996, Gwent is no longer an administrative county , but a Preserved County . Today there are five principal areas in his area :

• Blaenau Gwent
• Caerphilly
• Monmouthshire
• Newport
• Torfaen

The name Gwent is now sometimes used as a synonym for the traditional county of Monmouthshire.

In ancient times, a distinction was made between the deeper southern Gwent Is Coed ("Gwent below the forest") on the Bristol Channel and the higher-lying northern Gwent Uwch Coed ("Gwent above the forest"). At that time, these two parts of the country were separated from each other by an extensive forest area.

Web links

• Gwent High Sheriff's website
• Preserved Counties Act

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Official population figures 2009
2. ↑ Bernhard Maier : The legend book of the Welsh Celts . The four branches of the Mabinogi . Dtv Munich, April 1999, ISBN 3-423-12628-0 , p. 126 f, note 29, 20 f.