Cardiff is becoming a major Europe tourist destination and is one of the fastest growing cities in North Western Europe. It is also party capital of the UK.

It was a small town until the early 19th century and came to prominence as a major port for the transport of coal following the arrival of industry in the region. It eventually grew to become the largest city in Wales and serves as a major centre of culture, sport and history in the United Kingdom. Cardiff was made a city in 1905, and proclaimed capital of Wales in 1955.

Cardiff is home to Cardiff Castle, the National Assembly for Wales, St. David's Hall, the National Museum and Gallery, and Cathays Park (including municipal buildings modelled on those in New Delhi), and the Cardiff Metropolitan Cathedral. The Welsh National Opera moved into the Wales Millennium Centre in November 2004.

Cardiff Castle is a major tourist attraction in the city and is situated in the heart of the city centre, near to the main shopping area of Queen Street and St. Mary's Street.

Other major tourist attractions are the Cardiff Bay regeneration sites which include the recently opened Wales Millennium Centre and the National Assembly for Wales and many other cultural and sites of interest including the Cardiff Bay Barrage and the famous Coal Exchange. The New Theatre was founded in 1906 and completely refurbished in the 1980s. Until the opening of the Wales Millennium Centre in 2004, it was the premier venue in Wales for touring theatre and dance companies, and is located in the city centre.

Other venues which are popular for gigs and sporting events include Cardiff International Arena, St David's Hall and the Millennium Stadium.

The Big Weekend Festival, is held annually in late July/August in the city centre and is the place for many theme park events, rides and regularly attracts annually over 200,000 visitors. The annual Cardiff Festival claims to be the UK's largest free outdoor festival and plays host to a range of different festivals including the Children's Festival that takes place in the grounds of Cardiff Castle.

Cardiff hosted the National Eisteddfod in 1883, 1899, 1938, 1960 and 1978, and is set to host it again in 2008. Cardiff is unique in Wales in having two permanent stone circles used by the Gorsedd of Bards during Eisteddfodau. The original circle stands in Gorsedd Gardens in front of the National Museum while its 1978 replacement is situated in Bute Park.

Every other year, Cardiff plays host to the BBC Cardiff Singer of the World competition, a world renowned event on the opera calendar.

Cardiff Philatelic Society is the oldest Philatelic Society in Wales. It was founded in 1899. Early postcards of Cardiff can be seen on the website

The city now hosts The Cardiff Design Festival and began showcasing the best of Welsh design during the summer of 2005. Since then the festival has grown into a diverse range of designers exhibiting their wares at the 2006 portable exhibition.

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Information courtesy of GeoCast TV