Historic county of Wales
Caernarfonshire
Sir Gaernarfon
Menai shore north, Eryri at the heart, Llŷn reaching west into the sea.
Caernarfonshire / Sir Gaernarfon brings together three of the strongest landscapes in Wales. Along the north lies the narrow country facing the Menai Strait; behind it rises the mountain mass of Eryri; westwards the Llŷn peninsula extends far into the Irish Sea.
The contrasts are immediate. Strait-side farmland and settlement lie within sight of high mountain country, while Llŷn gradually narrows towards exposed headlands and a profoundly maritime landscape. Caernarfonshire therefore has an exceptionally recognisable shape: shore, mountain and peninsula held together within one county.
- Coastal and mountainous
- Formed of the ancient Welsh Cantrefs of Arfon, Arllechwedd, Llŷn and Eifionydd
- Caernarfon = Arfon-fort
- Area 563 sq mi 1,458 km²
- Population: 139,065
- County top: Snowdon (Yr Wyddfa) 3,560 ft / 1,085 m
County geography
Current Census
Contemporary Census profile
England and Wales Census 2021. Detailed contemporary statistics are available in the Geographic County Census Explorer.
- Population density
- 241.9 people per sq mi (93.4 people per km²)
- Population
- 135,734
Eryri
The mountain core dominates the county physically and visually. Deep valleys and passes cut between peaks, directing routes through terrain which elsewhere presents formidable barriers.
Mountain geography is therefore central not only to scenery but to settlement and movement across Caernarfonshire.
The Menai side
Between Eryri and the Menai Strait lies a comparatively narrow belt of lower country.
The strait itself creates one of Wales’s clearest geographical edges, separating Caernarfonshire from Anglesey while also providing the historic axis of communication between them.
Llŷn
Westwards, Llŷn forms one of Wales’s most distinctive peninsulas. Its hills, farmland, coves and headlands become increasingly maritime towards the outer coast.
Llŷn has a powerful identity of its own, but it belongs within the wider geography of Caernarfonshire.
County questions
Questions about Caernarfonshire
Are Caernarfonshire and Caernarvonshire different counties?
No. Caernarvonshire is a long-established alternative spelling of Caernarfonshire.
County record
Names and continuity
- Formal name
- County of Caernarfon
- Local name
- Sir Gaernarfon
- County day
- 28 November
- Foundation
- 1284
Caernarfonshire, Caernarvonshire and Sir Gaernarfon are forms associated with the county. The county took shape in the medieval period from older Welsh territories whose identities remain visible within its modern landscape.