Anglesey is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the principal area (as Isle of Anglesey) and historic county of that name, which includes Holy Island to the west and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island, at 260 square miles (673 km2), is by far the largest island in Wales, the seventh-largest in the British Isles, largest in the Irish Sea and second most populous after the Isle of Man. The local government area of Isle of Anglesey County Council measures 276 square miles (715 km2), with a 2011 census population of 69,751, of whom 13,659 live on Holy Island. The Menai Strait between Anglesey and mainland Wales is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge, built in 1850 and replaced in 1980. The largest town is Holyhead, whose port handles over 2 million passengers a year to and from Ireland. The next largest is Llangefni, seat of the county council. From 1974 to 1996 Anglesey was run as part of Gwynedd. Most Anglesey inhabitants are Welsh speakers.
Anglesey is an island off the north-west coast of Wales. It forms the principal area (as Isle of Anglesey) and historic county of that name, which includes Holy Island to the west and some islets and skerries. Anglesey island, at 260 square miles (673 km2), is by far the largest island in Wales, the seventh-largest in the British Isles, largest in the Irish Sea and second most populous after the Isle of Man. The local government area of Isle of Anglesey County Council measures 276 square miles (715 km2), with a 2011 census population of 69,751, of whom 13,659 live on Holy Island. The Menai Strait between Anglesey and mainland Wales is spanned by the Menai Suspension Bridge, designed by Thomas Telford in 1826, and the Britannia Bridge, built in 1850 and replaced in 1980. The largest town is Holyhead, whose port handles over 2 million passengers a year to and from Ireland. The next largest is Llangefni, seat of the county council. From 1974 to 1996 Anglesey was run as part of Gwynedd. Most Anglesey inhabitants are Welsh speakers.