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South
East Wales is by far the largest of the 4
sub-regions of Wales with a population of 1.435 million people
comprising 49% of the population of Wales. It includes two of the big
three coastal cities - Cardiff and Newport.
BUT there is a lot of variety within the region in terms of economic
wealth and labour force skills. Over half the workforce is now female (see
photo). It is a long way from coal mining and steel making of the
past.
The M4 corridor in the south of the region has received much inward investment particularly in electronics, motor engineering and financial services.The map below shows S. E. Wales |
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| The region ranges from
the most wealthy to the most deprived communities within Wales. There are
great contrasts. Some areas have great geographical advantages and others
need assistance to regenerate their economy.
The advantaged areas are near the M4 in the south of the region. The most
disadvantaged areas are the old South Wales 'Valleys' communities such as
Merthyr, Ebbw Vale and Blaenavon.
Two of the UK's three worst unemployment blackspots are in the south Wales valleys. see photo of The Gurnos estate- housing Merthyr Merthyr Tydfil had an unemployment rate of 28% - the highest jobless percentage in Britain.
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However, our chosen rural area of south east Powys and north Monmouthshire is atypical of the SE Wales region. It is very rural and relatively affluent. In Monmouthshire unemployment is about 3% at least 1% below the Welsh average. Again there are variations within the area e.g. Mardy (Abergavenny 7%) and Llanelly Hill (5%). Monmouthshire has a small but growing population of 87,000. The whole of the Brecon Beacons national park has a popualtion of 32,000. Half of these people live in the main towns of Abergavenny, Caldicot, Chepstow and Monmouth. These towns have become dormitory towns for the M4 corridor in Wales and across the bridge in England. | |
| Improved
transport links have contributed to this growth and Monmouthshire
has had the fastest population growth of any Welsh County - 14% 1981 -
1997. Car ownership is vital - 89% of
households have a car - the highest level in Wales. 35% of the
population work in other counties showing the high level of commuting.
The population density is very low showing that it is rural
- 103 people per square kilometre compared with 718 in Torfaen (Cwmbran
/Pontypool) but not as low as Powys (24). There is rural poverty within
the area and the average income of £351 per week is biased by the
commuters who earn higher salaries outside the county. 10% of the
Monmouthshire population works from home - a figure
likely to increase as improved technology and and growth in knowledge
based service sector allow more people to take this option. Photo
A449 Coldra roundabout at Newport.
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The area includes part of the National Park of the Brecon Beacons (particularly the Black mountain section). The Brecon Beacons National Park is the planning body for its area and has to work with Powys as well as Monmouthshire, Torfaen and other Unitary Authorities. The National park offers certain opportunities as well as certain constraints. It is an area of outstanding natural beauty and has many leisure activities. Many people are attracted to the idea of the rural idyllic lifestyle as opposed to the supposed 'rat race' of the urban jungle. See photo of pony trekking opposite. | |
| The maps below locate our area within the broader S.E. Wales region and then show Monmouthshire in detail. Notice the road network of dual carriageways like the A40 to Raglan from Abergavenny, the A449 from Raglan to Newport, the A65 Heads of the Valleys road. The examiner will expect you to be able to draw a sketch map showing this level of detail. The roads have helped to attract some new industrial businesses to the area in estates like Gilwern Park. The new industries tend to be more 'footloose' - not tied to certain raw materials and can locate anywhere according to the desire of the owner. Opportunities for employment growth link to leisure and tourism, care for the elderly, specialist foods based on local agriculture (e.g. Black Mountain Smokery and Sugar Loaf vineyard, Y Fenni cheese see photo). |  |
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