Gwynedd

Gwynedd (gwĭn`ĕth, gwŭn`–), county, 984 sq mi (2,548 sq km), NW Wales. Established as a county in 1974 through the union of Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, and parts of Denbighshire and Merionethshire, Gwynedd was reduced in 1996 by the separation of Anglesey and the loss of its northeastern section to Conwy. Caernarvon, the administrative center, is where the Prince of Wales is invested; Bangor is an educational center with a university.

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Gwynedd

 or Gwyneth

County (pop., 2001: 116,838), northwestern Wales. It encompasses most of the historic counties of Caernarfonshire and Merioneth. Its administrative centre is Caernarfon. The ancient region of Gwynedd comprised most of northern Wales. The Normans built castles at Caernarfon and Conwy but did not penetrate inland. It thus remained a stronghold of Welsh culture, with a high proportion of Welsh-speaking people. The landscape is mostly mountains of old hard rock cut by Ice Age glaciers. It includes Snowdonia National Park (1951), which covers about half its total area. Tourism is economically important.

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Gwynedd

a county of NW Wales, formed in 1974 from Anglesey, Caernarvonshire, part of Denbighshire, and most of Merionethshire; lost Anglesey and part of the NE in 1996: generally mountainous with many lakes, much of it lying in Snowdonia National Park. Administrative centre: Caernarfon. Pop.: 117 500 (2003 est.). Area: 2550 sq. km (869 sq. miles)