Chapter 8 in Rural Wales in the Twenty First Century: Society, Economy and Environment, pp 149-168
The geography of rural Wales is characterized by the prominence of small market towns. With no town or city with a population above 20,000 people between Swansea and Wrexham, and with a rugged terrain and poor transport infrastructure, the centres of commerce and administration in rural Wales have historically been small market towns, some of which, with populations of fewer than 1,500 people, would be considered mere villages in other parts of Britain.