Cardiff is the
capital , largest city and most populous county of Wales.
The city is Wales'
chief commercial centre, the base for most national cultural and sporting
institutions, the Welsh national media, and the seat of the National Assembly
for Wales.
The unitary
authority area's mid 2010 population was estimated to be 341,054.
Cardiff is a
significant tourism centre and the most popular visitor destination in Wales
with 18.3 million visitors in 2010. In 2011, Cardiff was ranked 6th in the world
in National Geographic's alternative tourist destinations.