Rhondda Cynon Taf << RAHN duh KUHN nuhn taf >> (pop. 237,651) is a local government area of South Wales, in the United Kingdom. In 1996, it became a unitary authority, a government unit responsible for all local government services within its boundaries. The town of Clydach Vale serves as the area’s chief administrative headquarters.
The economy of Rhondda Cynon Taf, once dependent on coal mining, now relies mainly on light industry and service industries. Rhondda Heritage Park, in the town of Trehafod, traces the coal mining history of the area and allows visitors to tour a former coal mine.
The University of Glamorgan is in Pontypridd, a historic industrial town about 11 miles (18 kilometers) north of Cardiff, the capital of Wales. The area north of Pontypridd consists of high forests and moorland (open barren land) crossed by the valleys of the Rivers Rhondda, Cynon, and Taff. This upland region has a number of former mining towns, including Abercynon, Aberdare, Ferndale, Mountain Ash, Tonypandy, Treorchy, and Treherbert. To the south of Pontypridd lies the small commuter town of Llantrisant, where the Royal Mint is located.
From 1974 to 1996, the area was split into the three districts of Cynon Valley, Rhondda, and Taff-Ely, in the county of Mid Glamorgan. For centuries prior to this, the region was a part of the old county of Glamorganshire.
