Newport, town, southeastern Wales, a port on the Usk River, near its mouth on the Bristol Channel. Newport is a major steel-producing center of the United Kingdom. It is also a commercial and transportation center of southeastern Wales. Its port, improved in the 1970s, handles imports of ore and timber and exports of iron, steel, and machinery. Located here is Saint Woolos's Cathedral, as well as a notable museum and art gallery. Newport received a charter granting trade privileges in 1385. In 1839 it was the scene of the Chartist riots of political reformers. The town developed as a coal-exporting and industrial center in the 19th century. Between 1974 and 1996 it was the administrative center of Gwent county. When local government was reorganized in 1996, Newport and its surrounding area became a unitary authority. Population (1996) 136,789.
