The background

Since the birth of the city, life in Vigo has revolved around maritime trade and its port, a point of departure and return for thousands of Galician an Portuguese citizens who had to emigrate to Latin America. Due to its transformation into a metropolis over the last one hundred years during which time it has experienced the greatest economic, industrial and demographic growth in north-western Iberia, Vigo has become one of the most important fishing ports in the European Union and the city with the largest population in Galicia - nearly 300,000 inhabitants.

Part of Pontevedra county and located in a privileged enclave on the Atlantic Ocean, the city of Vigo appropriately names the most southern of the regional bays, "La Ria de Vigo". The fishing origins of the city can still be found throughout the old quarter of the city, alongside modern maritime facilities, the transatlantic docks and the fishing and canning industries. Halfway between Santiago de Compostela and the Portuguese city of Porto, Vigo is an excellent starting point for visiting and touring around Galicia and Portugal, including its nearby surroundings - the Ria and Illas Cíes, part of the llas Atlánticas National Park.