Gwynedd is an area in North West of Wales with a population of 118,000 in an area of 1500 sq miles making it one of the least populated areas in Wales.

Gwynedd contains Bangor University which was created in 1884 and was part of the University of Wales until 2007. Bangor University has over 12,000 students and its chancellor is HRH the Prince of Wales.

Half of Snowdonia National Park lies within Gwynedd; Snowdonia is 838 sq miles of mountains and moorland and was one of the first to be granted National Park status in 1955.

Gwynedd is a nationalist centre with strong support for independence seeking national party Plaid Cymru and is known for the large proportion of Welsh speakers in the population with over 76% speaking fluent Welsh.