LEGASPI

also spelled Legazpi, chartered city, capital of Albay province, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, near an inlet on Albay Gulf. Founded c. 1639, it was named for Miguel Lpez de Legazpi, conquistador and first Spanish governor general of the Philippines. The city lies at the southern base of the active volcanic Mt. Mayon, the 1815 eruption of which killed more than 1,000 people and levelled nearby Cagsawa. The mountain is the site of a national park. Legaspi is the primary port for a region that exports copra and abaca. The city has facilities for storing petroleum, and it is the centre of a large abaca-fibre handicraft industry. Its harbour, although well protected, has poor wharfage facilities because of deep water inshore and the frequency of typhoons. Legaspi is the southernmost point on the Manila-South Railroad; it also has an airport. It is the seat of Bicol University (1969). Inc. city, 1959. Pop. (1980) 99,766.