Prehistoric remains dating from around 2000BC confirm Swansea's significance as a major settlement. By the late 10th century, Swansea and the region including the Gower peninsula around it was part of the Welsh kingdom of Deheubarth under Maredudd ap Owain.
The Vikings also visited the Swansea Bay area around the ninth to 11th century, leaving behind their name for a settlement in the area. Swansea's English name is derived from this era in its history, where it first appears as "Sweynesse" in a 12th century charter. This name is believed to have originated from Sweyne Forkbeard - a 10th century Viking King who ruled Denmark from 986-1014AD. Spellings such as Swensi, Sweni and Svenshi are found on coins minted around 1140. The name Aper Tywi appears to have been in use by 1150.
Swansea's Welsh name, 'Abertawe' (pronounced 'Abba-Toway') literally translates as, 'at the mouth of the Tawe' a river which flows through the city from its source at Swansea Bay. It is not recorded in use until the 13th century when Welsh King Llewellyn ap Gruffydd took Swansea castle in his campaign to force the last of the English invaders out of Wales.
Manufacturing led to Swansea's population growth and economic prosperity. Metal extraction, initiated in Roman times, gave rise in Tudor times to the first tinplating and copper industries. Huge reserves of coal, a major component in the development of the industrial revolution, were also discovered and extracted at this time.
Swansea's development as a port bloomed as the trade to export copper and minerals grew significantly in the 17th and 18th Centuries. At that time Swansea produced 60 per cent of the world's copper requirement.
Swansea was also gaining a reputation as a classy seaside resort. During the 18th and early 19th century it developed a tourist industry, and soon it was known as 'Bath by the sea'.
It was at this time that Swansea Bay was first compared with the Bay of Naples, and could be enjoyed with the convenience of the world's first passenger railway which followed the Swansea Bay coastline from 1807 and survived in various forms until 1960.
In 1840, Swansea established Wales's first museum near the present day Maritime Quarter. The first daily newspaper in Wales, "The Cambrian", was launched from Swansea Wind Street in 1804 and Wales' first purpose built cinema, the Carlton Cinema de Luxe, was opened in 1914.
The construction of the Taff Vale Railway and the Bute West Dock in the 1840s enabled Cardiff to surpass Swansea as the principal coal port in South Wales, and by 1871 Cardiff's population exceeded Swansea's. That said, the population of the town of Swansea had already increased from 6,000 in 1801 to 17,000 in 1851 and by 1881 the borough's population was over 65,000. Much of the growth was due to immigration - in 1881 more than a third of the borough's population had been born outside Swansea and Glamorgan, and just under a quarter outside Wales.
Changing fortunes in metal industries led to a decline for Swansea soon after the First World War, although by the outbreak of the Second World War, it was a still a significant force. Unfortunately that led to it being a major target for the Luftwaffe and the old town centre, boasting medieval and
Edwardian architecture, was devastated. Swansea sustained 44 bomb attacks between 1940 and 1943. Notable parts of the city centre did survive the onslaught, however, including Wind Street, which still retains its medieval flavour today, the Maritime Quarter - with a baroque architectural character - Alexander Road, and Walter Road, which leads to Dylan Thomas' Uplands district.
While the last coal mine in Swansea County closed in the 1980s, it coincided with the establishment of the DVLA headquarters in Swansea.
The city continues to reinvent itself, with major investment helping to improve its appearance. The stunning National Waterfront Museum has played an important part in revitalising the now trendy Maritime Quarter, with its bars, restaurants and shops. There are many visitor attractions, sites of historic interest and plenty of terrific castles to explore.
These days Swansea is also known for its close association with several celebrities both past and present, namely Dylan Thomas and Catherine Zeta Jones, who grew up in Mumbles.