Menai Strait in the context of "Caernarfon"

Anglesey (/ˈæŋɡəlsi/ ANG-gəl-see; Welsh: Ynys Môn [ˈənɨs ˈmoːn]) is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the bulk of the county known as the Isle of Anglesey, which also includes Holy Island (Ynys Gybi) and some islets and skerries. The county borders Gwynedd across the Menai Strait to the southeast, and is otherwise surrounded by the Irish Sea. Holyhead is the largest town, and the administrative centre is Llangefni.

The Isle of Anglesey has an area of 275 square miles (712 km) and had a population of 69,097 in 2024. After Holyhead, located on Holy Island, the largest settlements are Llangefni in the centre of Anglesey and Amlwch on the northern coast. The economy of the county is mostly based on agriculture, energy, and tourism, the latter especially on the coast. Holyhead is also a major ferry port for Dublin, Ireland. The county has the second-highest percentage of Welsh speakers in Wales, at 57.2%, and is considered a heartland of the language. The Isle of Anglesey is part of the preserved county of Gwynedd.

The Roman conquest of Anglesey refers to two separate invasions of Anglesey in North West Wales that occurred during the early decades of the Roman conquest of Britain in the 1st century CE. The first invasion of North Wales began after the Romans had subjugated much of southern Britain. It was led by the Provincial governor of Britannia, Suetonius Paulinus, who led a successful assault on the island in 60–61 CE, but had to withdraw because of the Boudican revolt. In 77 CE, Gnaeus Julius Agricola's thorough subjugation of the island left it under Roman rule until the end of Roman rule in Britain in the early 5th century CE. Anglesey was invaded as it was an important centre for the Celtic Druids and their religious practices which made it a place of resistance to Roman rule.

No surviving Roman sources mention Anglesey, which was recorded in Latin as Mona (and is still known as Môn in modern Welsh), after its conquest. Archaeologists have located a fort dated shortly after the first conquest near Cemlyn Bay; a trading settlement on the shore of the Menai Strait; and a village of huts huddled together on a hill for defence. In the last decades of Roman rule in Britain several military forts were built on the northern and western coasts to defend the island against Irish sea raiders. However, despite more than three centuries of Roman rule, archaeologists have found no evidence of major civic centres or villas on the island, indicating that Romano-British culture lacked the influence it had in other parts of the Roman province of Britannia.

Gwynedd (Welsh: [ˈɡwɨnɛð]) is a county in the north-west of Wales. It borders Anglesey across the Menai Strait to the north, Conwy, Denbighshire, and Powys to the east, Ceredigion over the Dyfi estuary to the south, and the Irish Sea to the west. The city of Bangor is the largest settlement, and the administrative centre is Caernarfon. The preserved county of Gwynedd, which is used for ceremonial purposes, includes the Isle of Anglesey.

Gwynedd is the second largest county in Wales but sparsely populated, with an area of 979 square miles (2,540 km) 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.

The Snowdon Massif, Snowdon Range, or Yr Wyddfa massif, is one of the three mountain groups in Snowdonia (Eryri), north Wales, to include mountains over 3,000 feet (914 m) high. It occupies the area between Beddgelert, Pen-y-Pass and Llanberis. It is surrounded by the Glyderau to the north-east, Moel Siabod to the east, the Moelwynion to the south, Moel Hebog, the Nantlle Ridge and Mynydd Mawr to the west, and by flatter land leading down to Caernarfon and the Menai Strait to the north-west.

The Snowdon Horseshoe is the name given to the semi-circular ring of ridges and peaks on Snowdon's (Yr Wyddfa) eastern side, i.e. facing down Dyffryn Mymbyr towards Capel Curig. The peaks in the Horseshoe are those of Y Lliwedd, Snowdon, Garnedd Ugain and Crib Goch.