Torfaen
§ This page gives an overview of the Torfaen 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 ⁞ Torfaen is a small county borough in southeast Wales, centred on the towns of Cwmbran, Pontypool, and Blaenavon, the latter a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its industrial history. Modern industries and services now dominate its economy.
Torfaen Boundary Map
This map shows the official boundary of the Torfaen 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 Torfaen can also be viewed on OpenStreetMap: District Boundary of Torfaen.
Key Facts about Torfaen
What region is Torfaen in? Torfaen is in Wales, a statistical region and also a country in United Kingdom.
Is Torfaen a city? No, Torfaen is not a city. (Note: the UK has 76 officially designated cities.)
Who governs Torfaen? The local government for this district is: Torfaen County Borough Council (Wales County Borough Council).
▶ Official website of Torfaen County Borough Council 🔗 torfaen.gov.uk
Which police force covers Torfaen? Policing in Torfaen is provided by Gwent Police 🔗 gwent.police.uk, which serves 5 local authority districts: Blaenau Gwent ⁞ Caerphilly ⁞ Monmouthshire ⁞ Newport ⁞ Torfaen.
Constituencies in Torfaen
Torfaen 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 Torfaen
Torfaen is divided into 18 wards, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abersychan
- Blaenavon
- Coed Eva
- Croesyceiliog
- Fairwater
- Greenmeadow
- Llanfrechfa and Ponthir
- Llantarnam
- Llanyrafon
- New Inn
- Panteg
- Pontnewydd
- Pontnewynydd and Snatchwood
- Pontypool Fawr
- St. Dials
- Trevethin and Penygarn
- Two Locks
- Upper Cwmbran
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 Torfaen
Torfaen has 16 communities, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abersychan
- Blaenavon
- Croesyceiliog
- Cwmbran Central
- Fairwater
- Henllys
- Llantarnam
- Llanyrafon
- New Inn
- Panteg
- Pen Tranch
- Ponthir
- Pontnewydd
- Pontymoile
- Trevethin
- Upper Cwmbran
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 Torfaen
Below is a list of post towns in Torfaen, grouped by postcode area:
- NP ▸ Cwmbran (NP44) ⁞ Pontypool (NP4)
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 Torfaen
Torfaen covers 7 built-up areas, listed below in alphabetical order.
- Abersychan
- Blaenavon
- Cwmbrân
- Mamhilad *
- Newport (Newport) *
- Ponthir *
- Pontypool *
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 Torfaen.)
We have this list page for easy browsing of all built-up areas: List of all Built-up Areas in GB.
Railway Stations in Torfaen
Torfaen 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 Torfaen Local Authority District and are grouped by train operating company for clarity.
- TfW Rail ▸ Cwmbran (NP44 1QX) ⁞ Pontypool and New Inn (NP4 0QX)
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.
Torfaen compared with other districts in the UK
This section shows how Torfaen compares with other local authority districts in the UK, using a variety of measures and rankings.
Torfaen has 18 electoral wards.
Torfaen has a population of 94,119 (2024 mid-year estimate by ONS)
More local statistics and data for Torfaen can be found on the ONS statistics for Torfaen.