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	County Town: Bridgend County Population: 130,000 (estimate)
	Bridgend used to be part of the much larger county of Glamorganshire, and now covers an area of 264 sq km (102 sq miles). The coastal area is low lying around Bridgend and Porthcawl, but to the north the land becomes hilly with deep valleys running from north to south.
	First settled in prehistoric times, Glamorganshire was later occupied by the Romans, then invaded by the Normans in the 11th century, when the castles at Newcastle, Coity, and Ogmore and the church at Llangeinor were built. With the development of mining in South Wales for coal and ores in the 19th century, the Garw and Llynfy valleys became Bridgend's industrial hub, and Bridgend town itself became an important centre for distribution and light manufacturing.
	There are numerous castle ruins in the county, including Kenfig Castle, built by Robert, Earl of Gloucester, in the 12th century, it is now mostly submerged by sand dunes. A short distance north of Bridgend is the Glamorgan Nature Centre, headquarters of the Glamorgan Wildfowl Trust, and there is a Site of Special Scientific Interest at Merthyr Mawr Warren, a wildlife habitat and one of Europe's largest sand dune areas.
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