Wales extends over 21,000 sq km with extensive tracts of high plateaux and mountain ranges that are dissected by river valleys especially in the centre of the upland area. The lowland area is characterized by relatively narrow coastal belts and the valley floor. The highest mountain is Snowdon which reaches 3,650 feet.
Northern Wales is more sparcely inhabited and largely rural in comparison to the more industrial and heavily populated areas in the South which include the capital Cardiff, as well as Swansea and Newport.