Vigo

Vigo
—  Municipality  —
Vigo as seen from the Monte do Castro
Flag Coat of arms
Nickname(s): A Cidade Olívica (The Olive City)
Location of the municipality of Vigo within Galicia
Vigo Location of Vigo within Spain
Coordinates:
Country	Spain
Region	Galicia
Province	Pontevedra
County	Vigo
Parishes	Santa María de Vigo, Santiago de Vigo, Freixeiro, Castrelos, Sárdoma, Alcabre, Navia, Comesaña, Coruxo, Saiáns, Oia, Matamá, Coia, Candeán, Cabral, Teis, Bembrive, Beade, Zamáns, Valadares, Lavadores, Bouzas
Government
- Type	Mayor-council
- Body	Concello de Vigo
- Mayor	Abel Caballero (PSdeG-PSOE)
Area
- Municipality	109.1 km2 (42.1 sq mi)
Elevation	0 m (0 ft)
Population (2009)INE
- Municipality	297,332
- Density	2,725.3/km2 (7,058.5/sq mi)
- Metro	468,654
Demonym	vigués (m), viguesa (f) olívico (m), olívica (f)
Time zone	CET (UTC+1)
- Summer (DST)	CEST (UTC+2)
Postcode	36201-36216
Area code(s)	+34 986
Website	http://hoxe.vigo.org

Vigo (Spanish pronunciation: [ˈbiɣo]) is a city and municipality in Galicia, Spain. The city is located on the ria of the same name on the Atlantic Ocean.

It is the largest city in Galicia with a population of 297,332, with an extended metropolitan population of 468,654, making it the 14th-largest metropolitan area of Spain. Vigo is the largest city in Spain which is not a provincial capital.

Toponym

The urban area of Vigo is built over both a hill-fort (Castro) and a Roman settlement. It is generally accepted that the name Vigo is derived from the Latin word Vicus.

History

During the Middle Ages the small village of Vigo was part of the territory of neighbouring towns, particularly Tui, and suffered several Viking attacks. However, the number of inhabitants was so small that, historically, Vigo was not considered to be a real village until around the 15th century, when the earliest records began.

During the 16th and 17th centuries, the city was attacked several times. In 1585 and 1589 Francis Drake raided the city and temporarily occupied it, leaving many buildings burnt. Several decades later a Turkish fleet tried to attack the city. As a result the walls of the city were built in 1656 during the reign of Philip IV of Spain. They are still partially preserved.

During this time, and in spite of the attacks, the city of Vigo developed its earliest commerce, and was given several privileges by the kings of Spain.

Battle of Vigo Bay, 1702

In 1702 the Battle of Vigo Bay occurred, and in 1719, because a Spanish fleet which departed from Vigo attempted to invade Scotland in support of the Jacobites, the city was occupied for ten days by a British force.

In 1808 the French Army annexed Spain to the Napoleonic Empire, although Vigo remained unconquered until January, 1809. Vigo was also the first city of Galicia to be freed from French rule in what is now celebrated as the Reconquista (reconquest from French in the context of the Peninsular War) on 28 March each year.

The city grew very rapidly in the 19th and 20th centuries. This resulted in continuous urban planning changes, making Vigo less structured than other Galician towns.

World War II

The following German U-Boats are reported to have been sunk somewhere near the Port of Vigo: the U-523, sunk August 25, 1943 (17 dead and 37 survivors), and the U-506, sunk at 15:50 hrs on July 12, 1943 (48 dead and six survivors).

Main sights

• Casco Vello, historic center
• Co-Cathedral of Santa Maria de Vigo (1816–1836)
• Puerta del Sol area
• Principe Street
• Romanesque church of Santa Maria de Castelos (12th century)
• Church of Santiago de Bembrive (12th century)
• Church of San Salvador de Coruxo (12th century)

Museums

• Naturnova Museum: Museum dedicated to environment. Interactive contents.
• Museum of the Sea: Museum dedicated to the Sea, and to tinned food and to naval. Important building designed by famous architects Aldo Rossi and Cesar Portela.
• Museum of Contemporary Art: One of the most important museums of Contemporary Art in Spain.
• Museum of Castrelos

Transportation

Vigo is served by Vigo-Peinador Airport with flights to Paris, Brussels, and several domestic destinations. There is a ferry downtown that takes visitors to Parque Nacional de las Islas Atlánticas de Galicia, the only National Park in Galicia. European route E01 goes through the town. This highway goes south through Lisbon and north to the A Coruña area. A-52 goes inland, east to Ourense.

Vigo population progression

Historical populations Year Pop.  %± 1991 276,109 — 1996 286,774 3.9% 2001 280,186 −2.3% 2004 292,059 4.2% 2005 293,725 0.6% 2007 294,772 0.4%

Vigo metropolitan area

The following villages are in the Vigo metropolitan area:

• Babío (1,214 p.)
• Saa (1,296 p.)
• Penís (1,079 p.)
• Fonte Escura (1,242 p.)
• Pereiró (4,284 p.)
• Ponte (1,564 p.)
• Freixeiro (2,456 p.)
• Mantelas (1,595 p.)
• Salgueira (1,268 p.)
• Bagunda (2,762 p.)
• Bouciña (1,823 p.)
• Barreiro (1,383 p.)
• Ceboleira (2,989 p.)
• Pardavila (4,128 p.)
• Garrida (1,245 p.)

Total:

• Population: 294,772 (2007)
• average age: 41.1 years (2005)
• Foreign population: 11,571 (2005)
• Births: 2,632 (2005)
• Deaths: 2,383 (2005)
• Migratory balance: +565 (2005)

Government and administrative divisions

Following the May 28, 2007 municipal elections the mayor of Vigo is Abel Caballero, PSOE^[1]. The city council (Galician: Concello) is governed by a coalition of PSOE and the Bloque Nacionalista Galego (9 and 5 councilors, respectively, to the Partido Popular's 13).

Parroquias

The city is been divided into 23 districts (Parroquias in Spanish and Galician). The districts are based mostly on historical divisions. Several of the city's districts are former towns annexed by the city of Vigo in the twentieth century that still maintain their own distinct character.

• Alcabre - 3,183
• Beade - 5,430
• Bembrive - 4,290
• Bouzas - 5,000
• Cabral - 6,772
• Candeán - 4,699
• Castrelos - 7,849
• Coia - 30,000
• Comesaña - 3,031
• Coruxo - 5,344
• Freixeiro - 5,928
• Lavadores - 16,667
• Matamá - 4,247
• Navia - 2,190
• Oia - 3,910
• Saiáns - 1,067

Beach of Wines, in Cíes Islands.

• San Paio - 3,700
• San Xoán do Monte - 500
• Sárdoma -1,992
• Teis - 2,330
• Valadares - 5,468
• Zamáns - 780
• Vigo and Santiago de Vigo - 207,892

Geography

Climate

Vigo's climate is usually classified as oceanic (Köppen climate classification Cfb); however, the summers tend to be warmer (and drier) and the winters milder than most areas of similar classification. In actuality, with its noticeable drying trend in the summer, Vigo's climate is more similar to the Marine west coast variant of the oceanic climate commonly seen in the Pacific Northwest region of North America; though with noticeably warmer winters. Substantial rainfall throughout the year prevents it from being classified as a Mediterranean climate, even though there is a drying trend in summer. The average annual temperature in Vigo is 15 °C (59 °F).^[2] Compared many other Galician towns, Vigo experiences warmer summer temperatures and milder winters. This is due to its sheltered location, surrounded by mountains inland and the Illas Cíes out in the bay towards the sea.^[3]

Economy

Port of Vigo View

Vigo is one of the leading industrial areas in Galicia, with car factories, shipyards, and auxiliary industry. Situated in Vigo is Galicia's leading employer, PSA Peugeot Citroën, which in 2007 produced a total of 545,000 vehicles, of which more than 82% were sold outside Spain.

Vigo has the largest fishing port in Europe as well, and the home port of the world's largest fishing company, Pescanova. The headquarters of the European Fisheries Agency are placed in here.

Higher education

The University of Vigo is situated in a mountainous area outside the city. It is an important center for research, with a focus on study related to ocean-based industries. The University has other campuses in Pontevedra and Ourense. The campus of Vigo is a modern project of the architect Enric Miralles.

Culture

Arts and entertainment

Looking South from Monte das Figueiras (Monteagudo Island)

"A movida viguesa" was a hedonistic cultural movement that took place in Vigo during the 1980s triggered by the explosion of liberties after the death of dictator Francisco Franco. The most important artists of this postmodern movement were musicians; particularly punk and new wave bands such as Siniestro Total, Golpes Bajos, Aerolíneas Federales, Semen Up or Os Resentidos.

At the moment, the city still has notorious bands like Iván Ferreiro (ex-singer of Los Piratas) and Mon.

The locally produced award-winning feature movie Mondays In The Sun (original title Los lunes al sol) depicts the life of several men who have lost their work at the port. This film is not based on a single individual's experiences but on the perceived collective experiences of many local port workers.

Media

Vigo has two daily newspapers; the Faro de Vigo, the oldest newspaper in Spain still in circulation, and the Atántico Diario. It has one local television station Televigo which covers news and current events in the Vigo metropolitan area

Sport

Ponte de Rande. This bridge is part of the toll road that links both sides of the harbour and which runs north up to A Coruña.

shopping street at Vigo, Spain

Vigo has a number of football teams that compete at national and regional levels. The best known team is Celta Vigo, who up until 2005 played in Spain's Primera Division. They play their home games at Balaídos, which is Vigo's largest stadium and was used to host the Group 1 matches of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Vigo also has a basketball team, Ciudad de Vigo Básquet, more commonly referred to today by its sponsorship name of Gestibérica Ciudad de Vigo. They currently compete in the Adecco LEB Plata league

Sailing

The Rías Baixas offer a privileged environment for the practice of the nautical sports. Institutions as the Real Club Nautico de Vigo (RCNV, founded in 1906) and the Liceo Marítimo de Bouzas (LMB, founded in 1907) are good examples of promotion of the nautical sports, especially sailing.

The RCNV organizes important events like the Atlantic Week, that in September 2006 received the World Championship of the Platu 25 class. The RCNV also organizes every year in August one of the races with more sailboats of the Iberian peninsula: the Regata Rías Baixas, that in the 2006 edition included the participation of 130 sailboats of different nationalities.

The LMB is a yacht club that agglutinates around 400 associates. The LMB has a long and intense activity in sailing and recreational fishing. The LMB organizes two important regattas of the Galician calendar of sail: the Regata Vila de Bouzas and a Regata de Solitarios y a Dos.

The Regata Vila de Bouzas honors the neighborhood where is located the LMB. The Regata de Solitarios y a Dos is sponsored by the firm Aister and is for crews of one and two members. It is a difficult race with two steps. One step consists of a race through the coastal inside the bay of Vigo and the other step is longer race around the Cies Islands (and/or Ons Islands). Likewise, the LMB has schools of sailing and fishing. Yearly it organizes a cephalopods fishing competition.

Notable people

• Antonio Fernández, painter
• Antonio M. Perez, CEO of Eastman Kodak
• Ángel Lemos, artist
• Cesáreo González, film producer
• Enrique Lorenzo Docampo, businessman
• Martín Codax, poet
• Antonio Ramilo Fernandez-Areal, businessman and former mayor of Vigo
• Celia Freijeiro, Actress

Sister cities

• Buenos Aires, Argentina
• Lorient, France
• Porto, Portugal^[5]
• Caracas, Venezuela

See also

Spanish tallship Juan Sebastián Elcano in the port of Vigo

• Port of Vigo
• Rande Bridge
• University of Vigo
• Battle of Vigo Bay
• Redondela
• Cíes Islands
• Vigo-Peinador Airport
• Praia de Samil (Samil Beach)

References

Notes

External links

• The official tourist website of all Galicia, including Santiago de Compostela
• City Council
• Photos
• Vigo photo
• Official city site
• University of Vigo
• Liceo Marítimo de Bouzas
• Museo Municipal «Quiñones de León»
• Museo Etnográfico Liste
• Verbum - Casa das Palabras
• Museo de Arte Contemporánea (MARCO)
• Pescanova
• Caixanova
• Vigo Map

Cities in Galicia Santiago de Compostela · A Coruña · Vigo · Pontevedra · Ferrol · Lugo · Ourense

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