Gwynedd
This article's lead section contains information that is not included elsewhere in the article. (October 2023) |
Gwynedd | |
---|---|
Coordinates: 52°50′N 3°55′W / 52.833°N 3.917°W | |
Sovereign state | United Kingdom |
Country | Wales |
Preserved county | Gwynedd |
Established | 1 April 1996 |
Admin HQ | Council Offices, Caernarfon |
Largest city | Bangor |
Government | |
• Type | Principal council |
• Body | Gwynedd Council |
• Control | Plaid Cymru |
• MPs | |
• MSs |
|
Area | |
• Total | 2,535 km2 (979 sq mi) |
• Rank | Ranked 1st |
• Speakers | 64.4% |
Geocode | 00NC (ONS) W06000002 (GSS) |
ISO 3166 code | GB-GWN |
Gwynedd (Welsh:
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.[1]
The geography of Gwynedd is mountainous, with a long coastline to the west. Much of the county is covered by Snowdonia National Park (Eryri), 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.
Etymology
In the past, historians such as
History
Gwynedd was an independent kingdom from the end of the
The county was divided into five
The
The pre-1996 boundaries were retained as a
A
The
There has been considerable inwards migration to Gwynedd, particularly from England. According to the 2021 census, 66.6% of residents had been born in Wales whilst 27.1% were born in England.[3]
Economy
The county has a mixed economy. An important part of the economy is based on tourism: many visitors are attracted by the many beaches and the mountains. A significant part of the county lies within the
Agriculture is less important than in the past, especially in terms of the number of people who earn their living on the land, but it remains an important element of the economy.
The most important of the traditional industries is the slate industry, but these days only a small percentage of workers earn their living in the slate quarries.
Industries which have developed more recently include TV and sound studios: the record company Sain has its HQ in the county.
The education sector is also very important for the local economy, including Bangor University and Further Education colleges, Coleg Meirion-Dwyfor and Coleg Menai, both now part of Grŵp Llandrillo Menai.
Welsh speakers
Gwynedd has the highest proportion of people in Wales who can speak Welsh. According to the 2021 census, 64.4% of the population aged three and over stated that they could speak Welsh,[4] while 64.4% noted that they could speak Welsh in the 2011 census.[5]
It is estimated that 83% of the county's Welsh-speakers are fluent, the highest percentage of all counties in Wales.[6] The age group with the highest proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd were those between ages 5–15, of whom 92.3% stated that they could speak Welsh in 2011.[6]
The proportion of Welsh speakers in Gwynedd declined between 1991 and 2001,[7] from 72.1% to 68.7%, even though the proportion of Welsh speakers in Wales as a whole increased during that decade to 20.5%.[7]
The Annual Population Survey estimated that as of March 2023, 77.0% of those in Gwynedd aged three years and above could speak Welsh.
Notable people
- Leslie Bonnet (1902–1985), RAF officer, writer; originated the Welsh Harlequin duck in Criccieth
- Sir Dave Brailsford (born 1964), cycling coach; grew up in Deiniolen, near Caernarfon
- Duffy (born 1984), singer, songwriter and actress; born in Bangor, Gwynedd
- Edward II of England (1284–1327), born in Caernarfon Castle
- Elin Fflur (born 1984), singer-songwriter, TV and radio presenter; went to Bangor University
- Bryn Fôn (born 1954), actor and singer-songwriter; born in Llanllyfni, Caernarfonshire.
- Wayne Hennessey (born 1987), football goalkeeper with 108 caps for Wales; born in Bangor, Gwynedd
- Clynnog
- Sir Love Jones-Parry, 1st Baronet (1832–1891), landowner and politician, co-founder of the Y Wladfa settlement in Patagonia
- T. E. Lawrence (1888–1935), archaeologist, army officer and inspiration for Lawrence of Arabia, born in Tremadog
- David Lloyd George (1863–1945), statesman and Prime Minister; lived in Llanystumdwy from infancy
- Sasha (born 1969), disc jockey, born in Bangor, Gwynedd
- Sir Bryn Terfel (born 1965), bass-baritone opera and concert singer from Pant Glas
- Sir Clough Williams-Ellis (1883–1978), architect of Portmeirion
- Owain Fôn Williams, (born 1987), footballer with 443 club caps; born and raised in Penygroes, Gwynedd.
- Hedd Wyn (1887–1917), poet from the village of Trawsfynydd; killed in WWI
See also
- List of High Sheriffs of Gwynedd
- List of Lord Lieutenants of Gwynedd
- List of churches in Gwynedd
- List of places in Gwynedd
- List of schools in Gwynedd
- Llŷn Peninsula
- Snowdonia National Park
References
- ^ "How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021". sveltekit-prerender. Retrieved 3 June 2023.
- ^ a b Bedwyr Lewis Jones. Enwau (Llyfrau Llafar Gwlad) (Llanrwst, Gwasg Carreg Gwalch, 1991), p. 5–6.
- ^ "How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021". Office for National Statistics. 19 January 2023. Retrieved 21 December 2023.
- ^ "How life has changed in Gwynedd: Census 2021". sveltekit-prerender. Retrieved 3 August 2023.
{{cite web}}
: Check|url=
value (help) - ^ "Welsh speakers by local authority and broader age groups, 2001 and 2011 census". StatsWales. Welsh Government. Archived from the original on 10 February 2018. Retrieved 31 October 2016.
- ^ a b "Anglesey & Gwynedd Joint Local Development Plan Topic Paper 10: Welsh Language & Culture" (PDF). Gwynedd County Council. February 2015. Retrieved 21 November 2011.
- ^ a b "Census shows Welsh language rise". BBC News Online. 14 February 2003. Retrieved 12 April 2007.
External links
- Gwynedd at Curlie
- Bangor University
- Gwynedd Council