Merthyr Tydfil
§ This page gives an overview of the Merthyr Tydfil local authority district, bringing together key facts, maps, and data to help you quickly understand the area. This is one of 361 LAD profiles on Baseview.
Overview ⁞ Merthyr Tydfil is a small county borough in the South Wales Valleys, historically one of the world’s largest iron-producing towns during the Industrial Revolution. Today, it focuses on services, retail, and tourism, with nearby Brecon Beacons National Park adding outdoor appeal.
Merthyr Tydfil Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Merthyr Tydfil local authority district, based on the latest geographic data published by the Office for National Statistics (ONS). It provides a clear view of the district’s extent and helps you understand how the area fits within the wider regional and national landscape.
Contains OS data © Crown copyright and database right 2025. Source: Office for National Statistics licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
The administrative boundary of Merthyr Tydfil can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Merthyr Tydfil.
Key Facts about Merthyr Tydfil
What region is Merthyr Tydfil in? Merthyr Tydfil is in Wales, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is Merthyr Tydfil a city? No, Merthyr Tydfil is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Merthyr Tydfil? The local government for this district is: Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council (Wales County Borough Council).
▶ Official website of Merthyr Tydfil County Borough Council 🔗 merthyr.gov.uk
Which police force covers Merthyr Tydfil? Policing in Merthyr Tydfil is provided by South Wales Police 🔗 south-wales.police.uk, which serves 7 local authority districts: Bridgend ⁞ Cardiff ⁞ Merthyr Tydfil ⁞ Neath Port Talbot ⁞ Rhondda Cynon Taf ⁞ Swansea ⁞ Vale of Glamorgan.
Constituencies in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is divided into 1 parliamentary constituencies, listed below in alphabetical order.
A constituency is a specific geographical area that elects one Member of Parliament (MP) to represent them in the House of Commons. The United Kingdom is divided into 650 parliamentary constituencies, 32 of them are in Wales. We have this list page for easy browsing of all UK parliamentary constituencies: List of Constituencies.
Wards in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is divided into 11 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bedlinog and Trelewis
- Cyfarthfa
- Dowlais and Pant
- Gurnos
- Merthyr Vale
- Park
- Penydarren
- Plymouth
- Town
- Treharris
- Vaynor
In the UK, a ward is a subdivision of a local authority area, used mainly for electoral and statistical purposes. Defined by the ONS, wards represent the primary unit for local elections, each returning one or more councillors to the local council. Wards are also used as a key geography for presenting population and census data. We have this list page for easy browsing of all electoral wards: List of all Electoral Wards in the UK.
Communities in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil has 12 communities, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Bedlinog
- Cyfarthfa
- Dowlais
- Gurnos
- Merthyr Vale
- Pant
- Park
- Penydarren
- Town
- Treharris
- Troed-y-rhiw
- Vaynor
In Wales, communities are the Welsh equivalent of civil parishes—the lowest tier of local government. Every part of Wales lies within a community, though only some have an elected community or town council. Where they exist, these councils handle very local matters and speak for residents to the county or county borough council. Like English civil parishes, communities are purely civil/administrative and are distinct from church parishes.
Post Towns in Merthyr Tydfil
Below is a list of post towns in Merthyr Tydfil, grouped by postcode area:
- CF ▸ Merthyr Tydfil (CF47 / CF48) ⁞ Treharris (CF46)
The UK postal hierarchy begins with broad postcode areas (such as “CB” or “M”), which are divided into smaller postcode districts (such as “CB8” or “M1”) to support accurate mail routing. Each postal address is anchored by a designated post town, the official locality name used in the UK postcode system, which operates independently from Local Authority Districts —the administrative boundaries used for council tax and local government services. Because they serve different purposes, a property’s postal address and its local authority district do not always align exactly.
Built-up Areas in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil covers 6 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Aberfan
- Bedlinog
- Merthyr Tydfil *
- Treharris *
- Trelewis *
- Troedyrhiw and Pentrebach
In the UK, a Built-up Area (BUA) is a continuous urban area of at least 20 hectares (0.2 km²), defined by the ONS as land where buildings are generally no more than 200 metres apart, such as towns, cities, or large villages. (Note: A BUA name marked with an asterisk (*) indicates that the area is situated partly in the district of Merthyr Tydfil.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Merthyr Tydfil
Merthyr Tydfil is served by a number of National Rail stations, providing rail connections to nearby towns, cities, and destinations across Great Britain. The railway stations listed below are located within the Merthyr Tydfil Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- TfW Rail ▸ Merthyr Tydfil (CF47 0AG) ⁞ Merthyr Vale (CF48 4TE) ⁞ Quakers Yard (CF46 5NJ) ⁞ Troed-Y-Rhiw (CF48 4DY) ⁞ Pentre-Bach (CF48 4BD)
This is a district-level view only. For a complete list of all National Rail stations across Great Britain, see the UK National Rail Stations Directory.
Merthyr Tydfil compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Merthyr Tydfil compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Merthyr Tydfil has 11 electoral wards.
Merthyr Tydfil has a population of 58,972 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Merthyr Tydfil can be found on the ONS statistics for Merthyr Tydfil.