Swansea is a city of around 200,000 people. It was rebuilt after suffering extensive bomb damage during the Second World War. The poet Dylan Thomas famously described Swansea as an "ugly, lovely, town".
The seat comprises Swansea's university (founded 1920, currently 11,000 students) and student district, as well as some of its more prosperous western suburbs. It also includes the St Helens rugby and cricket ground.
The new national maritime and industrial museum will be built in this constituency, to replace the one demolished during the redevelopment of Cardiff Bay. There are also plans for a new national swimming pool. Wales has been without an Olympic sized pool since the demolition of Cardiff's Empire pool to make way for the Millennium Stadium.
Apart from a brief Conservative interlude (1959-1964), this has been a Labour seat since the Second World War. Since 1964, Swansea West has been represented at Westminster by Alan Williams, who had a majority of 35.7% in 1997.