Bangor, Gwynedd

Coordinates: 53°13′41″N 4°07′41″W / 53.228°N 4.128°W / 53.228; -4.128

Bangor (English /ˈbæŋɡər/; Welsh: [ˈbaŋɡɔr]) is a city in Gwynedd unitary authority, north west Wales, and one of the smallest cities in Britain. Historically in Caernarfonshire, it is a university city with a population of 18,808 at the 2011 census, including around 10,000 students at Bangor University and including Pentir community. It is one of only six places classed as a city in Wales, although it is only the 36th-largest urban area by population. According to the 2001 census, 46.6% of the non-student resident population speak Welsh, which is low for Gwynedd but despite this, the language keeps a high profile in town.

History

The origins of the city date back to the founding of a monastic establishment on the site of Bangor Cathedral by the Celtic saint Deiniol in the early 6th century AD. Bangor itself is an old Welsh word for a wattled enclosure, such as the one that originally surrounded the cathedral site. The present cathedral is a somewhat more recent building and has been extensively modified throughout the centuries.

Gwynedd

Gwynedd (/ˈɡwɪnᵻð/; Welsh pronunciation: [ˈɡwɪnɛð]) 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 Blaenau Ffestiniog.

Gwynedd (disambiguation)

Gwynedd is a principal area of Wales.

Gwynedd may also refer to:

See also

Gwynedd (fictional)

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.

Geography

Gwynedd is located near the center of the area known as the Eleven Kingdoms. It is bordered to the north by the Kheldish Riding, by Torenth to the east, by the Southern Sea to the south, and by Meara, The Connait, and the United Kingdoms of Howicce and Llannedd to the southwest and west. The exact borders of the kingdom have fluctuated greatly over its four centuries of history, expanding and contracting as the result of wars, conquest, treaties, and marriages. Nonetheless, Gwynedd has steadily increased in size over the years, eventually becoming one of the largest realms in the Eleven Kingdoms. The capital city of Rhemuth is located on the eastern bank of the River Eirian, which flows through the west-central plains of the kingdom. The geography of Gwynedd contains a wide variety of climates and terrains, including plains, farmlands, forests, hills, and mountains. The summers are usually moderately warm, while snow is common throughout most of the kingdom in the winter.