What is "gwynedd"

Gwynedd (; ) is an area in north-west Wales, named after the old Kingdom of Gwynedd. As a local government area it is the second biggest in terms of geographical area and also one of the most sparsely populated. Most of the population is Welsh-speaking. The name Gwynedd is also used for a preserved county, covering the two local government areas of Gwynedd and the Isle of Anglesey. Culturally and historically, the name can also be used for most of North Wales (for instance, the area covered by the Gwynedd Constabulary), corresponding to the approximate territory of the Kingdom of Gwynedd at its greatest extent. The current area is 2,548 square km (983.78 sq miles, slightly smaller than Luxembourg) with a population as measured in the 2011 Census of 121,874.

Gwynedd is the home of Bangor University and includes the scenic Llŷn Peninsula, and most of Snowdonia National Park.

The largest settlements are Bangor, Caernarfon, Bethesda and Ffestiniog. The largest settlement in the south is Tywyn.

The fictional Kingdom of Gwynedd is the primary setting of the Deryni series of historical fantasy novels by Katherine Kurtz.

There had been a historical Kingdom of Gwynedd, an important part of Wales with a long history of its own. The fictional kingdom is in no way identical to it; still, it was clearly the writer's conscious decision to use the name of an actual kingdom, rather than invent a fictional name.

Gwynedd is a principal area of Wales.

Gwynedd may also refer to:

• Kingdom of Gwynedd, the ancient Kingdom and nucleus of Upper Gwynedd
• Perfeddwlad, also known as Lower Gwynedd, or "middle country", as in between Gwynedd and England, and Gwynedd and Powys
• Gwynedd in the High Middle Ages
• Culture of Gwynedd during the High Middle Ages
• Upper Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania
• Lower Gwynedd Township, Pennsylvania
• Gwynedd (fictional), fictional Kingdom of Gwynedd in the Deryni series of novels
• Gwynedd-Mercy College