page_title: Gower Peninsula
section_title: Geography
hierarchical_section_title: Gower Peninsula / Geography
caption_attribution_description: English: Worm's Head, Gower. Taken by me flying a paraglider over Rhossili Down
context_page_description: Gower or the Gower Peninsula is in South Wales. It projects westwards into the Bristol Channel and is the most westerly part of the historic county of Glamorgan. In 1956, Gower became the first area in the United Kingdom to be designated an Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty.
  Gower was administered as a Rural District of Glamorgan. In 1974 it was merged with the county borough of Swansea, to form the Swansea district. Since 1996, Gower has been administered as part of the unitary authority of City and County of Swansea council.
  From 1906, the Gower constituency elected only Labour members of Parliament; the longest run of any UK constituency. This ended in 2015 when the Conservatives took the seat. In 2017, it returned to Labour. The constituency area covers the peninsula and the outer Gower areas—Clydach, Gowerton, Gorseinon, Felindre, Garnswllt—and encompasses the area of the Lordship of Gower, less the city of Swansea.
context_section_description: About 70 square miles (180 km²) in area, Gower is known for its coastline, popular with walkers and outdoor enthusiasts, especially surfers. Gower has many caves, including Paviland Cave and Minchin Hole Cave. The peninsula is bounded by the Loughor Estuary to the north and Swansea Bay to the east. Gower Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty covers 188 km², including most of the peninsula west of Crofty, Three Crosses, Upper Killay, Blackpill and Bishopston.  The highest point of Gower is The Beacon at Rhossili Down at 193 metres (633 ft) overlooking Rhossili Bay. Pwll Du and the Bishopton Valley form a statutory Local Nature Reserve.
  The southern coast consists of a series of small, rocky or sandy bays, such as Langland and Three Cliffs, and larger beaches such as Port Eynon, Rhossili and Oxwich Bay. The north of the peninsula has fewer beaches, and is home to the cockle-beds of Penclawdd.
  The interior is mainly farmland and common land. The population mainly resides in small villages and communities with some suburban development in eastern Gower; part of the Swansea Urban Area.
caption: Worm's Head
  causeway exposed at low tide
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