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Newport is a cathedral and university city and unitary authority in south east Wales. It is located on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn estuary, approximately 11 miles (18 km) east of Cardiff.
As of the 2011 census it is the third largest city in Wales, with a city population of 145,736, and an urban population of 306,844. The city forms part of the Cardiff-Newport metropolitan area with a population of 1,097,000.
Newport has been a port since medieval times, when a castle was built by the Normans. The town outgrew the earlier Roman town of Caerleon, immediately upstream, and gained its first charter in 1314. It grew significantly in the 19th century, when its port became the focus of coal exports from the eastern valleys of South Wales. Until the rise of Cardiff from the 1850s, Newport was Wales' largest coal-exporting port. It was the site of the last large-scale armed insurrection in Britain, the Newport Rising of 1839 led by the Chartists.
During the 20th century, the docks declined in importance, but Newport remained an important manufacturing and engineering centre. It was granted city status in 2002. Newport hosted the Ryder Cup in 2010. It has been announced the city will play host to the 2014 NATO summit.
It is the largest urban area within the historic county boundaries of Monmouthshire and the preserved county of Gwent. The City of Newport, which includes some surrounding rural areas as well as the built up area, is governed by Newport City Council.
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