South West Wales is a region of Wales. A definition consisting of the unitary authorities of Swansea, Neath Port Talbot, Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire is used by a number of government agencies and private organisations including:

A different definition is used in the EU Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics, which refers to South West Wales as a subdivision of West Wales and the Valleys comprising Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion and Pembrokeshire.

Coordinates: 51°48′N 3°58′W / 51.8°N 3.967°W / 51.8; -3.967

Coordinates: 52°26′02″N 4°16′30″W / 52.434°N 4.275°W / 52.434; -4.275

West Wales (Welsh: Gorllewin Cymru) is the western area of Wales.

Some definitions of West Wales include only Pembrokeshire, Ceredigion and Carmarthenshire, an area which historically comprised the Welsh principality of Deheubarth., an area called "South West Wales" in the Nomenclature of Territorial Units for Statistics. Other definitions include Swansea and Neath Port Talbot, but exclude Ceredigion. The 'West Wales and the Valleys' NUTS (The Nomenclature of Units for Territorial Statistics) area includes more westerly parts of North Wales. The preserved county of Dyfed covers what is generally considered to be "West Wales", which between 1974 and 1996, was also a county with a county council and six district councils.

Historically, the term West Wales was applied to the Kingdom of Cornwall during the Anglo-Saxon invasion of Britain and the period of the Heptarchy. The Old English word Wealas, meaning "foreigners" in the sense of Britons, gave its name to Wales, and was also applied to Cornwall, as "West Wealas" meaning Western foreigners.

Wales ⁱ/ˈweɪlz/ (Welsh: Cymru;Welsh pronunciation: [ˈkəm.rɨ] ( listen)) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom and the island of Great Britain,bordered by England to its east and the Atlantic Ocean and Irish Sea to its west. It has a population of three million, and a total area of 20,779 km² (8,023 sq mi). Wales has over 1,200 km (750 mi) of coastline, including its offshore islands; the largest, Anglesey (Ynys Môn), is also the largest island in the Irish Sea. Wales is largely mountainous, with its highest peaks in the north and central areas, especially in Snowdonia (Eryri), which contains Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa), its highest summit.

During the Iron Age and early medieval period, Wales was inhabited by the Celtic Britons. A distinct Welsh national identity emerged in the centuries after the Roman withdrawal from Britain in the 5th century, and Wales is regarded as one of the modern Celtic nations today. Gruffydd ap Llywelyn was recognised as King of Wales in 1057. Llywelyn ap Gruffydd's death in 1282 marked the completion of Edward I of England's conquest of Wales. The castles and town walls erected to ensure its permanence are now UNESCO World Heritage Sites. Owain Glyndŵr briefly restored independence to what was to become modern Wales, in the early 15th century. Wales was subsequently annexed by England under the Laws in Wales Acts 1535–1542 since when, excluding those matters now devolved to Wales, English law has been the legal system of Wales and England. Distinctive Welsh politics developed in the 19th century. Welsh Liberalism, exemplified in the early 20th century by Lloyd George, was displaced by the growth of socialism and the Labour Party. Welsh national feeling grew over the century; Plaid Cymru was formed in 1925 and The Welsh Language Society in 1962. The National Assembly for Wales, created in 1999 following a referendum, holds responsibility for a range of devolved policy matters.

Southwest or south west is the ordinal direction halfway between south and west.

Southwest or south west may also refer to:

Southwestern Conference (Ohio)