Anglesey

Anglesey (Welsh: Ynys Môn, pronounced {{IPA|/?ɐnɪs'mo:n/}} (IPA), unniss mawn), is an island and county at the north western extremity of North Wales. It is separated from the mainland by a narrow stretch of water known as the Menai Strait. It is connected to the mainland by two bridges, the original Menai Suspension Bridge (carrying the A5), built by Thomas Telford in 1826 as a road link, and the newer, twice reconstructed Britannia Bridge, carrying the A55 and the North Wales Coast Railway line.

Geography

Anglesey is a relatively low-lying island with slight risings such as Parys Mountain, Cadair Mynachdy (or Monachdy, i.e., "chair of the monastery"; there is a Nanner, "convent", not far away), Mynydd Bodafon and Holyhead Mountain. It was known as the breadbasket of Wales, referred to during the Middle Ages as Anglesey, Mother of Wales (Welsh: Môn, Mam Cymru). This gave it substantial strategic importance during the struggles between the English kings and the Welsh princes.

Related Topics:
Parys Mountain - Mynydd Bodafon - Holyhead Mountain

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Anglesey has many small towns scattered all around the island, making it quite evenly populated. Beaumaris (Welsh: Biwmares), to the south of the island, features Beaumaris Castle, built by Edward I as part of his campaign in North Wales. The town of Newborough (Welsh: Niwbwrch), created when the townfolk of Llanfaes were relocated to make way for the building of Beaumaris Castle, houses the site of Llys Rhosyr, the court of the mediaeval Welsh princes, which features one of the oldest courtrooms in the United Kingdom. Beaumaris acts as a yachting centre for the region with many boats mored in the bay or off Gallows point. Llangefni is located in the centre of the island and is also the island's administrative centre. The town of Menai Bridge (Welsh: Porthaethwy) expanded when the first bridge to the mainland was being built, in order to accommodate workers and construction. Up until that time Porthaethwy had been one of the principal ferry crossing points from the mainland. A short distance from this town lies Bryn Celli Ddu, a Stone Age burial mound. The town of Amlwch is situated in the northeast of the island and was once largely industrialised, having grown during the 18th century supporting the copper mining industry at Parys Mountain.

Related Topics:
Beaumaris - Beaumaris Castle - Edward I - Newborough - Llys Rhosyr - Yachting - Llangefni - Menai Bridge - Bryn Celli Ddu - Stone Age - Amlwch - Copper

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The island also has the village with the longest official place name in the United Kingdom, Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch. Other towns and settlements include Cemaes, Benllech, Pentraeth, Gaerwen, Dwyran, Bodedern and Rhosneigr. The Anglesey Sea Zoo is a local tourist attraction, providing a look at and descriptions of local marine wildlife from lobsters to conger eels. All the fish and crustaceans on display are caught around the island and are placed in reconstructions of their natural habitat. They also make salt (evaporated from the local sea water) and commercially breed lobsters, for food, and oysters, for pearls, both from local stocks.

Related Topics:
United Kingdom - Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch - Cemaes - Benllech - Pentraeth - Gaerwen - Dwyran - Bodedern - Rhosneigr - Anglesey Sea Zoo - Wildlife - Lobster - Conger eel - Fish - Crustacean - Habitat - Salt - Oyster

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The island's entire rural coastline had been designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty and features many sandy beaches, especially along its eastern coast between the towns of Beaumaris and Amlwch and along the western coast from Ynys Llanddwyn through Rhosneiger to the little bays around Carmel Head. Tourism is now the most significant economic activity on the island. Agriculture provides the secondary source of income for the island's economy, with the local dairies being amongst the most productive in the region. There is also a nuclear power station, Wylfa Power Station, at Wylfa Head on the north coast.

Related Topics:
Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty - Ynys Llanddwyn - Rhosneiger - Wylfa Power Station

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Major industries are restricted to Holyhead which supports an aluminium smelter and the Amlwch area where the Wylfa nuclear power station is located close to a bromine extraction plant. There are a wide range of smaller industries, mostly located in industrial and business parks especially at Llangefni and Gaerwen. These industries include an abbatoir and fine chemicals manufacture as well as factories for timber production, aluminium smelting, fish farming , and food processing.

Related Topics:
Aluminium - Amlwch - Wylfa nuclear power station - Bromine - Llangefni - Gaerwen - Abbatoir

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The island is also on one of the major routes from the mainland of Great Britain to Ireland, via ferries from Holyhead, off the west of Anglesey on Holy Island, to Dun Laoghaire and Dublin Port.

Related Topics:
Ireland - Ferries - Holyhead - Holy Island - Dun Laoghaire - Dublin

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There are a few lakes mostly in the west, such as Cors cerrig y daran, but rivers are few and small. There are two large water supply reservoirs operated by Dwr Cymru . These are Llyn Cefni in the centre of the island, which is fed by the headwaters of the Afon Cefni, and Llyn Alaw to the north of the island. Llyn Llywenan is the largest natural lake on the island.

Related Topics:
Llyn Cefni - Afon Cefni - Llyn Alaw - Llyn Llywenan

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The climate is humid but generally equable due the effects of the gulf stream bathing the island. The land is of variable quality and it may have been more fertile in the past.

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See the list of places in Anglesey for all villages, towns and cities.

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