Snowdonia National Park, designated park area in northern Wales, Great Britain. Established in 1951, the park extends over an area of 2,142 sq km (827 sq mi), bounded by Conwy in the north, Aberdyfi to the south, Bala in the east, and Porthmadog and Caernarfon in the west. The park consists mainly of several ranges of ancient mountains, which were formed by volcanic activity and eroded during the ice ages. The highest is Yr Wyddfa Fawr (1,085 m/3,560 ft), one of the five peaks of the Snowdon Massif (or Mount Snowdon). Its name means “the great tomb”, referring to the legend that a giant is buried under it. The park also includes forests, open moors, and the largest natural lake in Wales, Llyn Tegid, which is 6 km (4 mi) long and almost 1.25 km (• mi) wide. The estuaries of the Dyfi, Mawddach, and Dwyrd and 37 km (23 mi) of coastline provide further contrast in the landscape. The sparse vegetation of the mountains includes two native wildflowers, the rare Snowdon lily (Lloydia serotina) and the Welsh poppy (Meconopsis cambrica); the native birds of Snowdonia include ravens, cormorants, kestrels, and peregrine falcons. Polecats and pine martens inhabit some of its forests, and the rainbow-coloured Snowdon beetle (Chrysolina cerealis) is unique to Snowdon.

Snowdonia was the location of the last armed resistance by the Welsh against English invasions during the 13th century, and is still a stronghold of the Welsh language and culture. Welsh is still spoken by about 65 per cent of the 27,500 population and is still the natural first language for most people living in the area. Slate-quarrying featured strongly in the local economy in the 19th century, and still continues on a much smaller scale today within the park and in the district of Blaenau Ffestiniog. Commercial forestry and farming are important in the present economy of the area. The park also contains a hydroelectric power station at Ffestiniog and a nuclear power station, no longer in use, at Trawsfynydd.