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Llanelli , the largest town in both the county of Carmarthenshire and the preserved county of Dyfed, Wales, sits on the Loughor estuary on the West Wales coast, approximately 10 miles (16 km) west-north-west of Swansea and 12 miles (19 km) south-east of the county town, Carmarthen.
The town is famous for its proud rugby tradition and is a centre of tinplate production. In the mid 20th century, Llanelli was the largest town in the world where more than half the population spoke a Celtic language.
It is ranked the 7th largest urban area in Wales. According to the 2001 UK Census returns, 29.69% of Llanelli town residents could speak the Welsh language. Llanelli is also surrounded by a number of villages and communities in the Llanelli Rural district. Some of these communities, more notably those that immediately surround the town, are often unofficially referred to as Llanelli.
Over the past decade, the emphasis on heavy industry that once played an important part in the district has changed to an emphasis on creating tertiary sector employment in leisure and tourism. Llanelli is now being developed as a leisure and tourism destination, with many ongoing developments such as the new Llanelli Scarlets rugby stadium, the Old Castle Works leisure village and a National Hunt racecourse at Ffos Las near Trimsaran.
Llanelli - Church of St Elli
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