Place:Vigo, Pontevedra, Galicia, Spain


Alt namesSantiago de Vigosource: Family History Library Catalog
Coordinates42.25°N 8.733°W
Located inPontevedra, Galicia, Spain
source: Getty Thesaurus of Geographic Names
source: Family History Library Catalog

the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

Vigo (or ; ) is a city and municipality situated in north-west Spain, in the province of Pontevedra, in the Spanish autonomous community of Galicia, and on the ria, or bay, of the same name, on the Atlantic Ocean.

Vigo is the most populous municipality in Galicia, and the 14th in Spain.

It is located in the south-west of Galicia, in the southern part of the Vigo Bay. In the north-east it borders with the municipality of Redondela, in the east with Mos, in the south with O Porriño and Gondomar, and in the south-west with Nigrán. On the other side of the bay, just in front of Vigo, the municipalities of Cangas and Moaña are located. They are all part of the southern Galician region called Rias Baixas.

Vigo and its metropolitan area is one of the main economic agents of the region.


the text in this section is copied from an article in Wikipedia

During the Middle Ages the small village of Vigo was part of the territory of Portuguese speaking 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 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.

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 theReconquista (reconquest from the French in the context of the Peninsular War) on 28 March each year. In 1833 the city of Pontevedra was designated the provincial capital.

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 cities as Pontevedra or La Coruña.

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