Gwynedd

County in northwestern Wales, with an area of 983 sq mi. and administrative headquarters in Caernarfon. Most of the area lies in Snowdonia National Park and it includes Snowdon, the highest mountain in Wales. Cattle and sheep farming, and some mining, are main industries; farming has recently decreased. The Welsh kingdom of Gwynedd was ruled by a dynasty claiming descent from Cunedda; the royal residence was established first at Degannwy and later at Aberffraw, in Anglesey. It is a stronghold of Welsh culture and language. As an administrative region, Gwynedd was recreated as a county in 1974, including Anglesey county, Caernarvonshire, and parts of Denbighshire and Merionethshire). It was reformed in 1996 as a smaller area, losing Anglesey, which was reinstated as a county, and part of the northeast.