The important naval and commercial port of Vigo, one of the largest centers of sardine-fishing in Europe, lies in the west of Spain on the south side of the Ría de Vigo, a long inlet which penetrates 30km/19mi inland. It is the largest town in Galicia, with an economy which depends on car manufacture and
shipbuilding as well as on fishing and fish-processing. As a modern town Vigo has little to offer in the way of old buildings, but it has other attractions in the form of the beautiful coastal scenery of the Ría de Vigo, with a mild climate in which even oranges flourish.
History
After its destruction by Almanzor in 997 Vigo was not resettled until the 12th century. In the 16th century the American trade brought it prosperity but also made it the target of piratical raids, including one by Sir Francis Drake in 1588. In 1702, at the beginning of the War of the Spanish Succession, an Anglo-Dutch fleet attacked the Spanish silver fleet in Vigo harbor, captured part of the treasure it was carrying and sank many of the ships in the deep waters of the bay, from which they have never been recovered.
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