Vigo
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— Municipality —
Flag
Coat of arms
Nickname(s): A Cidade Olívica (The Olive City)
Coordinates: 42°13′53″N 8°42′45″W / 42.231356°N 8.712447°W / 42.231356; -8.712447Coordinates: 42°13′53″N 8°42′45″W / 42.231356°N 8.712447°W / 42.231356; -8.712447
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.
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.
.PNG)
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. 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
- 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). 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.
Climate data for Vigo (Vigo Airport)Month Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Year
Average high °C (°F) 11.6
(52.9) 12.9
(55.2) 15.1
(59.2) 16.1
(61) 18.2
(64.8) 22.0
(71.6) 24.3
(75.7) 24.2
(75.6) 22.4
(72.3) 18.5
(65.3) 14.7
(58.5) 12.3
(54.1) 17.7
(63.9)
Daily mean °C (°F) 8.3
(46.9) 9.3
(48.7) 10.9
(51.6) 11.9
(53.4) 14.0
(57.2) 17.3
(63.1) 19.4
(66.9) 19.4
(66.9) 18.0
(64.4) 14.6
(58.3) 11.3
(52.3) 9.2
(48.6) 13.6
(56.5)
Average low °C (°F) 5.0
(41) 5.8
(42.4) 6.6
(43.9) 7.7
(45.9) 9.9
(49.8) 12.6
(54.7) 14.6
(58.3) 14.6
(58.3) 13.6
(56.5) 10.8
(51.4) 7.9
(46.2) 6.2
(43.2) 9.6
(49.3)
Precipitation mm (inches) 255
(10.04) 219
(8.62) 145
(5.71) 148
(5.83) 141
(5.55) 73
(2.87) 43
(1.69) 40
(1.57) 113
(4.45) 215
(8.46) 228
(8.98) 298
(11.73) 1,909
(75.16)
Avg. precipitation days (≥ 1 mm) 15 13 11 13 13 7 5 5 8 13 13 15 130
Sunshine hours 113 116 176 184 217 269 296 281 205 154 109 90 2,212
Source: Agencia Estatal de Meteorología
Economy
