Cardiff Bay

The Cardiff Bay strip, about 2 miles (1.5km) south of the city centre, offers a variety of activities, from boat rides to Barrage, or to the technology discovery centre especially for the little ones. It is also the seat of the new Welsh Assembly. After the end of World War II, with the rise of new energy sources and the rise of container terminals, the raw coal transportation industry declined. By the 1980s, a large number of coal mines in South Wales were closed by Margaret Thatcher's government, and the port of Cardiff was abandoned, and large beaches became wasteland. In the late 1980s, the British government launched a plan to "give new life to declining urban areas". The Welsh government established the "Cardiff Bay Development Company" in April 1987 to transform the 1,100-hectare abandoned port area. The original muddy lake has become a clear freshwater lake, which has become a good place for people to relax and enjoy water sports.