Located in the south east of Wales this area is known as the gateway between England and Wales and there are certain places where you would struggle to tell which country you were in. Improved rail and road links with England including the Severn Bridge have allowed the area to prosper but this is largely at the expense of the traditional industrial heartland’s located around the coalfields in the inland valleys. Attempts have been made to redress this imbalance but little progress has been made and the former colliery towns have drastically reduced populations.
Farming is also a major concern with the close proximity of large towns such as Newport providing a ready market for vegetables and other produce. Sheep are farmed in the less fertile uplands regions.