Newport (Welsh: Casnewydd [kasˈnɛwɨð]) is a city and county borough in Wales, situated on the River Usk close to its confluence with the Severn Estuary, 12 mi (19 km) northeast of Cardiff.

[9] Bronze Age fishermen settled around the fertile estuary of the River Usk and later the Celtic Silures built hillforts overlooking it.

In 1049/50, a fleet of Orkney Vikings, under Welsh king Gruffydd ap Llywelyn, sailed up the Usk and sacked St Gwynllyw's church.

It was buried in rubble excavated from the Hillfield railway tunnels that were dug under Stow Hill in the 1840s and no part of it is currently visible.

During the Last War for Welsh Independence in 1402 Rhys Gethin, General for Owain Glyndŵr, forcibly took Newport Castle together with those at Cardiff, Llandaff, Abergavenny, Caerphilly, Caerleon and Usk.

During the English Civil War in 1648 Oliver Cromwell's troops camped overnight on Christchurch Hill overlooking the town before their attack on the castle the next day.

[7] In the 19th century, the St George Society of Newport (a group largely consisting of English settlers and businessmen) asserted that the town was part of England.

The company had originally been set up by the Scottish brothers Alex and Peter Campbell on the River Clyde, but was re-located to the Severn Estuary.

[24] Compared to many Welsh towns, Newport's economy had a broad base, with foundries, engineering works, a cattle market and shops that served much of Monmouthshire.

[7] However, the docks were in decline even before the Great Depression, and local unemployment peaked at 34.7% in 1930: high, but not as bad as the levels seen in the mining towns of the South Wales Valleys.

Rain falls throughout the year, Atlantic storms give significant rainfall in the autumn, these gradually becoming rarer towards the end of winter.

In 1997, Newport secured what was then thought to be Europe's largest-ever inward investment when the LG Group announced a £1.7 billion project creating 6,100 jobs, and supported by public sector grants.

[69] Industry in the east of Newport was formerly based at the Corus Llanwern steelworks, and although the rolling mill is still active, steel manufacture ceased in 2001.

[76][77] On 17 February 2024 workers from Llanwern steelworks marched in the city centre to protest at the proposed loss of thousands of steel jobs at Port Talbot.

Newport railway station was expanded in 2007[79] to four full size platforms capable of receiving 10 car Intercity Express Programme services to and from London Paddington.

During construction it was Wales' most environmentally friendly station work,[80] using a hypermodern green ETFE structure similar to the materials used in the Eden Project and the Beijing Olympics' 'Water Cube'.

Newport bus station was redeveloped in 2013, expanded in 2015 with the Friars Walk development, and now offers 24 stands connecting to the rest of the city, as well as Cardiff and Bristol.

It was decided to redevelop the Llanfrechfa Grange Hospital site, a former mental health and disabilities residential centre near Cwmbran, as a specialist and critical care unit.

[89] At the southern end of the site, the "Alexandra Gate" development includes 300 homes and riverside apartments built adjacent to the City Bridge.

The 15-storey Chartist Tower is currently being redeveloped by developers Garrison Barclay Estates as a 163-bedroom Mercure Hotel, offering views across the city and the Bristol Channel.

Newport is the easternmost Welsh city on the United Kingdom rail network and has close proximity to major economic centres in Cardiff and Bristol.

[103] The current Newport station was built in 2010, in a hypermodern green ETFE structure, after a £22 million refurbishment programme; it introduced the futuristic new passenger terminal and bridge, whilst restoring the 19th-century features of the site.

The 21st-century modernisation of the Great Western main line programme has seen the installation of new facilities on platforms 2 and 3, including redesigned toilets, waiting rooms and covered areas.

[125] Newport hosted an outdoor art exhibition called "SuperDragons" in 2010 which displayed 60 large dragons decorated by local community groups.

The most famous of these was TJ's, an alternative music club where it is claimed that Kurt Cobain of Nirvana proposed to Courtney Love, which closed in 2010.

Other live music venues in the city centre include NEON, Six Feet Under, Le Pub, Riverside Tavern, Warehouse 54, McCann's, Slippin Jimmy's, El Sieco's, and The Potters.

[133][134] Newport-based rap group Goldie Lookin Chain released a 'parody of a parody' video in response, alleging that their rivals lacked local knowledge.

A cycle and pedestrian walkway on the west bank of the River Usk links Newport city centre at Crindau to central Caerleon.

The Newport International Sports Village at Lliswerry includes the Wales National Velodrome, the head office of Welsh Cycling.

The 'World Group' Ties for the 1906 International Lawn Tennis Challenge (forerunner to the Davis Cup) were hosted at Newport Athletic Club.