Back Caerfyrddin AST Кармартэн Byelorussian Кармартън Bulgarian Caerfyrddin Breton Caerfyrddin Catalan Carmarthen (kapital sa munisipyo) CEB Carmarthen Czech Caerfyrddin Welsh Carmarthen German Carmarthen Spanish
Carmarthen
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  Carmarthen Location within Carmarthenshire | |
| Population | 14,636 (Community, 2021)[1] 16,455 (Built up area, 2021)[2] |
| OS grid reference | SN415205 |
| Community |
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| Principal area | |
| Preserved county | |
| Country | Wales |
| Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
| Post town | CARMARTHEN |
| Postcode district | SA31-33 |
| Dialling code | 01267 |
| Police | Dyfed-Powys |
| Fire | Mid and West Wales |
| Ambulance | Welsh |
| UK Parliament | |
| Senedd Cymru – Welsh Parliament | |
| Website | www |
Carmarthen (UK: /kərˈmɑːrðən/, local: /kɑːr-/; Welsh: Caerfyrddin [kairˈvərðɪn], 'Merlin's fort' or possibly 'Sea-town fort') is the county town of Carmarthenshire and a community in Wales, lying on the River Towy 8 miles (13 km) north of its estuary in Carmarthen Bay.[3][4] At the 2021 census the community had a population of 14,636, and the built up area had a population of 16,455. It stands on the site of a Roman town, and has a claim to be the oldest town in Wales. In the middle ages it comprised twin settlements: Old Carmarthen around Carmarthen Priory and New Carmarthen around Carmarthen Castle. The two were merged into one borough in 1546.[5] It was the most populous borough in Wales in the 16th–18th centuries, described by William Camden as "chief citie of the country". It was overtaken in size by the mid-19th century, following the growth of settlements in the South Wales Coalfield.[5]
- ^ "Carmarthen community". City Population. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ "Towns and cities, characteristics of built-up areas, England and Wales: Census 2021". Census 2021. Office for National Statistics. Retrieved 3 January 2025.
- ^ Chisholm, Hugh, ed. (1911). . Encyclopædia Britannica (11th ed.). Cambridge University Press.
- ^ Paxton, John (1999). The Penguin Encyclopedia of Places. Penguin. p. 174. ISBN 0-14-051275-6.
- ^ a b Davies, John; Jenkins, Nigel (2008). The Welsh Academy Encyclopaedia of Wales. Cardiff: University of Wales Press. p. 123. ISBN 978-0-7083-1953-6.