Mid Wales ( cy, Canolbarth Cymru or simply ''Y Canolbarth'', meaning "the midlands") or Central Wales refers to a region of Wales, encompassing its midlands, in-between North Wales and

South Wales South Wales ( cy, De Cymru) is a loosely defined region of Wales bordered by England to the east and mid Wales to the north. Generally considered to include the historic counties of Glamorgan and Monmouthshire, south Wales extends westwards ...

. The Mid Wales Regional Committee of the

Senedd The Senedd (; ), officially known as the Welsh Parliament in English and () in Welsh, is the devolved, unicameral legislature of Wales. A democratically elected body, it makes laws for Wales, agrees certain taxes and scrutinises the Welsh Gove ...

covered the unitary authority areas of Ceredigion and Powys and the area of

Gwynedd Gwynedd (; ) is a county and preserved county (latter with differing boundaries; includes the Isle of Anglesey) in the north-west of Wales. It shares borders with Powys, Conwy County Borough, Denbighshire, Anglesey over the Menai Strait, and C ...

that had previously been the district of Meirionnydd. A similar definition is used by the BBC. The

Wales Spatial Plan Town and country planning in Wales is based on the land use planning system which applies in England. However, the system in Wales has some distinctive features which have arisen because substantial responsibility for town and country planning ha ...

defines a region known as "Central Wales" which covers Ceredigion and Powys. Mid Wales is dominated by the

Cambrian Mountains The Cambrian Mountains ( cy, Mynyddoedd Cambria, in a narrower sense: ''Elenydd'') are a series of mountain ranges in Wales. The term ''Cambrian Mountains'' used to apply to most of the upland of Wales. Since the 1950s, its application has becom ...

, including the

Green Desert of Wales The Desert of Wales, or Green Desert of Wales, is an area in central Wales, so called because of its lack of roads and towns and its inaccessibility. The term was coined by English travel writers in the nineteenth century and has no equivalent i ...

. The region is sparsely populated, with an economy dependent on farming and small businesses.

Major settlements

* Aberaeron * Aberdyfi *

Aberporth Aberporth is a seaside village, community and electoral ward in Ceredigion, Wales. The population at the 2001 Census, was 2,485, of whom 49 per cent could speak the Welsh language. At the 2011 Census, the population of the community was 2,374 a ...

Aberystwyth Aberystwyth () is a university and seaside town as well as a community in Ceredigion, Wales. Located in the historic county of Cardiganshire, means "the mouth of the Ystwyth". Aberystwyth University has been a major educational location in ...

Bala Bala may refer to: Places India *Bala, India, a village in Allahabad, India * Bala, Ahor, a village in the Jalore district of Rajasthan * Bala, Raebareli, a village in Uttar Pradesh, India Romania * Bala, Mehedinți, a commune in Mehedinţi ...

* Barmouth * Borth * Brecon *

Builth Wells Builth Wells (; cy, Llanfair-ym-Muallt) is a market town and community in the county of Powys and historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), mid Wales, lying at the confluence of rivers Wye and Irfon, in the Welsh (or upper) part of ...

* Caersws * Cardigan * Crickhowell *

Dolgellau Dolgellau () is a town and community in Gwynedd, north-west Wales, lying on the River Wnion, a tributary of the River Mawddach. It was the traditional county town of the historic county of Merionethshire ( cy, Meirionnydd, Sir Feirionnydd) un ...

* Fairbourne * Harlech * Hay-on-Wye * Knighton * Lampeter * Llandrindod Wells * Llandysul *

Llanidloes Llanidloes () is a town and community on the A470 and B4518 roads in Powys, within the historic county boundaries of Montgomeryshire ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn), Wales. The population in 2011 was 2,929, of whom 15% could speak Welsh. It is the third ...

Llanwrtyd Llanwrtyd is a small settlement in Powys, mid-Wales, giving its name to a community, in the historic county of Brecknockshire (Breconshire), through which flows the River Irfon. It lies 1.5 miles north of the town of Llanwrtyd Wells. Llanwrtyd ...

* Machynlleth * Montgomery * New Quay * Newcastle Emlyn * Newtown * Rhayader * Tregaron * Tywyn * Welshpool * Ystradgynlais

Railway lines

Main lines

* Heart of Wales line *

Cambrian Line The Cambrian Line ( cy, Llinell y Cambrian), also known as the Cambrian Main Line ( cy, Prif Linell y Cambrian) and Cambrian Coast Line ( cy, Llinell Arfordir y Cambrian), is a railway line that runs from Shrewsbury, England, westwards to Aber ...

* Welsh Marches line

Heritage lines

* Talyllyn Railway * Welshpool & Llanfair Light Railway * Vale of Rheidol Railway * Cambrian Heritage Railways * Brecon Mountain Railway * Fairbourne Railway * Corris Railway

Politics

Parliamentary constituencies in Mid Wales include; Brecon and Radnorshire, Ceredigion, Dwyfor Meirionnydd and

Montgomeryshire Montgomeryshire, also known as ''Maldwyn'' ( cy, Sir Drefaldwyn meaning "the Shire of Baldwin's town"), is one of thirteen historic counties of Wales, historic counties and a former administrative county of Wales. It is named after its county tow ...

. The region is represented in the

with an electoral region known as Mid and West Wales.

Mid Wales Growth Deal

On 13 January 2022, the Mid Wales Growth Deal's Final Deal Agreement was signed between the Growing Mid Wales Board; containing representatives from Ceredigion County Council and Powys County Council, and the UK and Welsh Governments. The deal involves the commitment of £110 million of funding from the two governments, with additional funding provided by other public and private sectors over the span of 10 years. The deal aims to increase investment in the region to £400 million by 2032, support an increase in gross value added of between £570 million and £700 million in the region's economy, and create between 1,100 to 1,400 jobs in Mid Wales.

References

External links

The BBC's Mid Wales page Overview of Mid Wales
by the Welsh Development Agency
Mid Wales Region on Wales.com
{{coord, 52, 27, N, 3, 20, W, type:adm2nd_region:GB, display=title Regions of Wales Administrative divisions of Wales