About Cardiff
Cardiff is a port city on the south coast of Wales, where the River Taff meets the Severn Estuary. It was proclaimed the country’s capital in 1955. The revitalized waterfront at Cardiff Bay includes the Wales Millennium Centre complex, home of the national opera, orchestra, theatre and dance companies. Architect Richard Rogers’ modern Senedd building here houses the Welsh National Assembly. The city was awarded the title of European City of Sport twice, due to its role in hosting major international sporting events: first in 2009 and again in 2014. The Millennium Stadium hosted 11 football matches as part of the 2012 Summer Olympics, including the games' opening event and the men's bronze medal match. Summers tend to be warm and sunny, with average maximum temperatures between 19 and 22 °C (66 and 72 °F). Winters tend to be fairly wet, but rainfall is rarely excessive and the temperature usually stays above freezing. Cardiff experiences less rainfall than the average for Wales. Rain falls in Cardiff on 146 days during an average year, with total annual rainfall of 1,111.7 millimetres (43.77 in).