List of Welsh principal areas

This is a list of the 22 principal areas of Wales[1][2] giving their most recent date of creation and the style by which they are known.

This article is part of a series within the Politics of the United Kingdom on the
Politics of Wales
The Crown The Monarch Charles III Heir Apparent William, Prince of Wales Prerogative Royal family Succession Privy Council King-in-Parliament Lord-lieutenant Llwynywermod England and Wales Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Principality of Wales Welsh republicanism
Government Welsh Government Second Drakeford government (list) First Minister (list) Rt Hon Mark Drakeford MS (L) Cabinet Civil Service Welsh Budget Taxation Directorates Sponsored bodies State-owned enterprises Crown Buildings, Cathays Park Counsel General – Mick Antoniw MS (L)
Legislature Senedd Sixth Senedd Llywydd (Presiding Officer) Elin Jones MS (PC) Leader of the Opposition Andrew RT Davies MS (C) Shadow Cabinet (current) Primary legislation (list) Acts Measures Statutory Instruments Members (MSs) Current members Elections (by-elections) Constituencies and electoral regions First Minister's Questions Devolution referendum (2011 referendum) Government of Wales Act 1998 2006 Act 2014 Act 2017 Act Senedd estate, Cardiff Bay (Senedd building Tŷ Hywel Pierhead Building)
Wales and the United Kingdom HM Government Sunak ministry Prime Minister Rt Hon Rishi Sunak MP (C) Secretary of State for Wales Rt Hon David TC Davies MP (C) UK Parliament 58th Parliament House of Commons Wales Office Under-Secretary Welsh Grand Committee Welsh Affairs Select Committee Interministerial Standing Committee Government of Wales Act 2006 Elections Constituencies Current Westminster MPs Diplomatic missions Barnett formula Devolution Devolved matters Reserved matters Legislative consent motion Unionism Independence
Law and justice Welsh law English law Wales-only laws Laws in Wales Acts 1535 and 1542 Wales and Berwick Act 1746 Capital of Wales: Cardiff Supreme Court of the United Kingdom Courts of England and Wales President of Welsh Tribunals Police forces Police and crime commissioner (list)
Local administration History Subdivisions of Wales Historic counties (list) Preserved counties (list) Principal areas (list) Former districts list pre-1973 list 1974-1996 Communities (list) Local government Principal councils (leader list) Corporate Joint Committees Cities (list) Cardiff (Mayor / Council) Swansea (Mayor / Council) Newport (Mayor / Council) Wrexham (Mayor / Council) Community council (list) Communities with city status Bangor St Asaph St Davids see also: Regional terms and Regional economy
Elections and referendums Senedd elections 1999 2003 2007 2011 2016 2021 Next United Kingdom Parliament elections 1801 co-option 1802 1806 1807 1812 1818 1820 1826 1830 1831 1832 1835 1837 1841 1847 1852 1857 1859 1865 1868 1874 1880 1885 1886 1892 1895 1900 1906 1910 (Jan) 1910 (Dec) 1918 1922 1923 1924 1929 1931 1935 1945 1950 1951 1955 1959 1964 1966 1970 1974 (Feb) 1974 (Oct) 1979 1983 1987 1992 1997 2001 2005 2010 2015 2017 2019 European Parliament elections (1979–2020) 1979 1984 1989 1994 1999 2004 2009 2014 2019 Local elections 1987 1989 1991 1993 1995 1999 2004 2008 2012 2017 2022 Police and crime commissioner elections 2012 2016 2021 Referendums 1975 1979 1997 2011 2011 2016 Senedd constituencies and electoral regions UK parliamentary constituencies in Wales Political parties Represented in the Senedd (Labour Conservatives Plaid Cymru Liberal Democrats) Think tanks
International relations List of diplomatic missions in Wales Welsh Government Offices Local twinning Politics of the United Kingdom
Category Wales portal Other countries

Population in Wales is concentrated in South Wales and the northeast; the remainder of the country is sparsely populated

The population and density are from the first results of the 2021 census from the Office for National Statistics.[3]

* = Named as 'Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire' in legislation. Name changed by the council.

† = Named as 'Neath and Port Talbot' in legislation. Name changed by the council.

‡ = Named as 'Aberconwy and Colwyn' in legislation. Name changed by the council.

§ = Named as 'Cardiganshire' in legislation. Name changed by the council.

a = re-instated as a principal administrative authority after a gap

b = boundaries significantly altered in 1996 from its previous incarnation