Gwynedd

This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. If the information is appropriate for the lead of the article, this information should also be included in the body of the article. (October 2023) (Learn how and when to remove this message)

Gwynedd
County
The castle and beach at Criccieth
Coat of arms
Motto(s):  Welsh: Cadernid Gwynedd, lit. 'the strength of Gwynedd'
Gwynedd shown within Wales
Coordinates: 52°50′N 3°55′W / 52.833°N 3.917°W / 52.833; -3.917
Sovereign state	United Kingdom
Country	Wales
Incorporated	1 April 1996
Administrative HQ	Council Offices, Caernarfon
Government [1]
• Type	Principal council
• Body	Gwynedd Council
• Control	Plaid Cymru
• MPs	2 MPs Claire Hughes (L) Liz Saville Roberts (PC)
• MSs	2 MSs Siân Gwenllian (PC) Mabon ap Gwynfor (PC) +8 regional members (Mid and West + North)
Area [2]
• Total	979 sq mi (2,535 km2)
• Rank	2nd
Population  (2022)[2]
• Total	117,591
• Rank	14th
• Density	120/sq mi (46/km2)
Welsh language (2021) [3]
• Speakers	64.4%
• Rank	1st
Time zone	UTC+0 (GMT)
• Summer (DST)	UTC+1 (BST)
ISO 3166 code	GB-GWN
GSS code	W06000002
Website	gwynedd.llyw.cymru

Gwynedd (Welsh: [ˈɡwɨnɛð]) is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey.

Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of 979 square miles (2,540 km²) and a population of 117,400. After Bangor (18,322), the largest settlements are Caernarfon (9,852), Bethesda (4,735), and Pwllheli (4,076). The county has the highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 64.4%, and is considered a heartland of the language.^[4]

The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. The county contains much of Snowdonia (Eryri), a national park which contains Wales's highest mountain, Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa; 3,560 feet, 1,090 m). To the west, the Llŷn Peninsula is flatter and renowned for its scenic coastline, part of which is protected by the Llŷn AONB. Gwynedd also contains several of Wales's largest lakes and reservoirs, including the largest, Bala Lake (Llyn Tegid).

The area which is now the county has played a prominent part in the history of Wales. It formed part of the core of the Kingdom of Gwynedd and the native Principality of Wales, which under the House of Aberffraw remained independent from the Kingdom of England until Edward I's conquest between 1277 and 1283. Edward built the castles at Caernarfon and Harlech, which form part of the Castles and Town Walls of King Edward in Gwynedd World Heritage Site. During the Industrial Revolution the slate industry rapidly developed; in the late nineteenth century the neighbouring Penrhyn and Dinorwic quarries were the largest in the world, and the Slate Landscape of Northwest Wales is now a World Heritage Site. Gwynedd covers the majority of the historic counties of Caernarfonshire and Merionethshire.