VIGO

port town and naval station, Pontevedra provincia, in the comunidad autnoma (autonomous community) of Galicia, northwestern Spain. Vigo lies along the southeastern shore of the Vigo Inlet of the Atlantic Ocean, southwest of Pontevedra city. It was attacked by the English admiral Sir Francis Drake in 1585 and 1589. In 1702 a British-Dutch fleet under Sir George Rooke and James Butler, Duke of Ormonde, destroyed a Franco-Spanish fleet in the bay. The town's architecture gives a modern impression, though a few old buildings still remain. These include the medieval chapel of the Casa de Caridad; the neoclassical Collegiate Church of Santo Cristo de la Victoria, built to commemorate the defeat of the French in the Peninsular War (180814); and the 17th-century Castillo del Castro. Fishing is important, and the town's industry is well developed. Its manufactures include leather, lumber, flour, paper, sugar, brandy, and machinery. Pop. (1991 prelim.) mun., 274,629.