Vigo is located in Pontevedra, Galicia, in the so-called Rías Baixas, in the south of Galicia. It is almost 110 km2 and it has a population of 300.000 inhabitants, approximately. Its southern location grants it a really mild climate.
Since Vigo got the status of city, in 1809 (after defeating and expelling the French occupants), its urban and industrial development has been strongly linked to maritime activities. Nowadays, Vigo is a city with an undeniable vocation for commerce, whose economy is led by the strong naval industry, the harbour (with its crucial role in fishing activities, merchant navy and granite distribution), the Citröen automobile factory (and its satellite industries), and the very dynamic service sector.
Geographically speaking, Vigo can be said to be embraced by sea and mountain. Thanks to its special orography (with mountains, the Ría, more than 40 beaches and the Cíes Islands, within the so-called Parque Nacional das Illas Atlánticas) one may practise an enormous variety of sports in Vigo (sailing, yacht races and boat competitions, sand sports, racket sports, cycling, trekking, etc.).
Being the main fishing port in the north of Spain, Vigo receives most of the Atlantic coastal and deep-sea fishing. This implies that its numerous restaurants and bars may get, and offer you, highest quality fish and seafood.
It is 90 kms away from Santiago de Compostela, a small, friendly city blessed with a great artistic and cultural heritage; in 1985 it was named a World Heritage site and in 2000 it was the European Capital of Culture.
Here you will find some interesting websites about Vigo: