Rhondda Cynon Taf

Rhondda Cynon Taf is a local authority area in south Wales that covers the Rhondda and Cynon valleys, the upper Taff and surrounding foothill communities. Major towns include Pontypridd (the administrative centre), Aberdare, Tonypandy, Treorchy and Llantrisant. Pontypridd sits where the River Rhondda joins the River Taff and is crossed by the 18th-century single-arch bridge built by William Edwards. Llantrisant is home to the Royal Mint site. Colliery sites such as the former Lewis Merthyr Colliery at Trehafod now host the Rhondda Heritage Park.

The area was shaped by coal mining and retains pithead landscapes, transport corridors and terraces of miners' housing along valley floors. Railway lines and roads follow the valley floors; higher ground gives onto moorland and reclaimed tips. Local services, manufacturing and logistics have replaced much of the deep-mining economy, while community projects reuse former industrial sites for parks, trails and museums. Walking routes and the Taff Trail connect towns along the rivers and former tramways.