Description
Snowdonia , or Eryri (pronounced [ɛrəri] ), is a mountainous region and national park in northwestern Wales. It contains all fifteen mountains in Wales over 3000 feet high, including the country's highest, Snowdon ( Yr Wyddfa ), which is 1,085 metres (3,560 ft) tall. These peaks are all part of the Snowdon, Glyderau, and Carneddau ranges in the north of the region. The shorter Moelwynion and Moel Hebog ranges lie immediately to the south.
The national park covers most of Gwynedd and the western part of Conwy County Borough, with an area of 823 square miles (2,130 km2). This is much larger than the area traditionally considered Snowdonia, and in addition to the five areas above includes the Rhinogydd, Cadair Idris, and Aran ranges and the Dyfi Hills. It also includes most of the coast between Porthmadog and Aberdyfi. The park was the first of the three national parks of Wales to be designated, in October 1951, and the third in the UK after the Peak District and Lake District, which were established in April and May 1951 respectively. The park received 3.89 million visitors in 2015.
