is a coastal town in
Carmarthenshire ,
Wales , approximately 13 km (8 miles) from
Swansea . Amongst other things, it is famous for its proud
Rugby tradition.
People from Llanelli are sometimes nicknamed "Turks". The origin of this name is uncertain. One theory is that many Turkish sailors once called at the port of Llanelli during their voyages.
Historically a minor town, Llanelli grew significantly in the . The closure of coal mines and competition from overseas steel plants meant that Llanelli, like many other towns in
South Wales , saw significant and sustained economic decline from the late
1970s .
Llanelli has hosted the ,
1903 ,
1930 ,
1962 , and
2000 .
At the 2001 census, Llanelli is recorded as having a population of 44,465.
The Millennium Coastal Park, which spans 21 km (13 miles) of coastline from
Loughor to
Pembrey , offers views of the
Gower Peninsula and the opportunity for traffic-free cycling.
Pembrey Country Park is situated on the outskirts of Llanelli, and consists of about 2 km² (500 acres) of parkland.
Cefn Sidan , a
Beach within the park that has won the coveted
Blue Flag award, is approximately 13 km (8 miles) long and half a mile to the sea at its narrowest at low
Tide . It also has a lifeguard-patrolled area.
Stradey Park is the famous
Rugby ground, home first to
Llanelli RFC and, from 2003, also home to the
Llanelli Scarlets regional rugby team. It was one of the stadia used during the
1999 Rugby World Cup , hosting the
Argentina v
Western Samoa game on
October 10 .
(51.68, -4.16) (
World Gazetteer )
Swansea
The town's name is often mispronounced by non-speakers of
Welsh , particularly those from outside the
UK . The "ll"s in the name are pronounced as
Voiceless Alveolar Lateral Fricative s, a
Phoneme unfamiliar to most
English -speakers. In
England , where many people are aware that "ll" is not the same as "l" but are unable to pronounce it quite correctly, it is common to hear "Llanelli" approximated as "Clanethli".
The spelling 'Llanelly' is an anglicised form which was used in government and official documents until the
1970 s. This is evident in the name of the local historic building, 'Llanelly House'. It can also lead to confusion with the village and parish,
Llanelly , which is in south-east Wales.
