LLIW VALLEY

district, West Glamorgan County, Wales. It was created in 1974, covers an area of 82 sq mi (214 sq km), and extends from the River Tawe in the east to the Loughor River Estuary in the west, reaching into the foothills of the Black Mountains in the north. Lliw Valley district borders the districts of Llanelli to the west, Dinefwr and Brecknock to the north, Neath to the east, and Swansea to the south. Loughor, situated on the River Loughor at the southern end of the valley, was first settled by the Romans as a military station known as Leucarum. The Normans also recognized the strategic value of the river crossing; there they built a castle, which was destroyed by the Welsh prince Gruffydd ap Rhys in 1115 (rebuilt 1215). Pontardulais, on the western edge of the district, was the centre of the bloody Rebecca Riots during the agrarian troubles of the 1840s. Most of the towns and villages in the area grew up around the collieries and foundries established in South Wales during the 18th and 19th centuries. The area continues to be dominated by its metallurgical industries; one of the largest nickel refineries in the world is located at Clydach. In recent years attempts have been made to diversify both industry and agriculture. Gorseinon, with a newly developed magnetic tape industry, and Pontardawe are the chief population centres and function mainly as residential settlements for workers who commute to nearby Swansea. Penllergaer is the district seat. The M4 Motorway was extended into Lliw Valley district in 1977. Pop. (1982 est.) 60,400.