Caernarfon

town in Gwynedd

Caernarfon, officially the Caernarfon Royal Town (pronounced Kyer-narvon), is a royal town and community in Gwynedd, an area of Wales. It has a population of 9,852 people, according to the 2011 census.

Caernarfon

Caernarfon Castle
Map of Gwynedd, with a red dot showing the location of Caernarfon
Map of Gwynedd, with a red dot showing the location of Caernarfon
Caernarfon
Location within Gwynedd
Population9,852 (2011 census)
OS grid referenceSH485625
• Cardiff171 miles (275 km)
Principal area
Ceremonial county
CountryWales
Sovereign stateUnited Kingdom
Post townCAERNARFON
Postcode districtLL54, LL55
Dialling code01286
PoliceNorth Wales
FireNorth Wales
AmbulanceWelsh
UK Parliament
List of places
UK
Wales
Gwynedd
53°08′N 4°16′W / 53.14°N 4.27°W / 53.14; -4.27

It is 8.6 miles (13.8 km) south-west of the city of Bangor and 19.4 miles (31.2 km) north of Porthmadog. It is on the Menai Strait, opposite Anglesey. The A487 goes through the town.

It is a royal town. Queen Elizabeth II made Caernarfon a royal borough in 1963. Since 1974, the town has not been a borough but was allowed to keep its royal title.

The town is home to Caernarfon Castle, a castle that was built between 1283 and 1330 by order of King Edward I.

Since 2016, Caernarfon has hosted the Caernarfon Food Festival. It takes place every year.

Caernarfon has one of the highest percentages of Welsh language speakers in the whole of Wales.

Twinning

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Caernarfon has one twin town. It is twinned with:

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