is in West Glamorgan. It has a population of around 140,000 and covers approximately 44,000 hectares. Here is a list of nearby or neighbouring counties: Bridgend, Carmarthenshire, Powys, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Swansea
The county of Neath Port Talbot ( Castell-nedd Port Talbot in Welsh ) has a border to the north with the Brecon Beacons National Park and to the south a coastline on Swansea Bay. Much of the counties landscape consists of forest covered hills and valleys and archaeologists have found the remains of human settlements in the area dating back to the Bronze Age. Most people live and work in the coastal plane, in towns such as Neath and Port Talbot that drew many workers during previous generations as the region industrialised. Popular local attractions include Aberavon Beach, where people enjoy outdoor activities such as surfing and boating, walking on the sandy beach or cycling along the seafront promenade, on which stands the Kite trail sculpture. Afan Forest Park has trails for mountain bikers and hikers, camping sites and Theatre Tymaen, an amphitheatre built into wooded hillsides, where audiences can enjoy open air theatrical performances.
Located in the town of Pontardawe, the Pontardawe Arts Centre serves as a venue for a range of events and has a cinema and dance studio. The centres Oriel Lliw Gallery has a changing programme of exhibitions, showing the work of local and international artists. Held each August, the Pontardawe Festival draws performance artists from around the world, including musicians and dancers. Margam Country Park covers hundreds of acres, within which can be found Margam Castle, a Victorian country house built in the Tudor Gothic style, an eighteenth century Orangery and the remains of a Norman abbey. Also within the park is the Margam Stones Museum, which houses a collection of Celtic stone crosses. Other attractions in the county include Aberdulais Falls with its electricity generating waterwheel, the landscaped garden of Gnoll Country Park, Cefn Coed Colliery Museum and Gwyn Hall, a contemporary arts centre in the town of Neath.