Vigan City is the capital of Ilocos Sur Province in Region 1.

Profile of Vigan City (Geography)
Classification: Component City, 4th Income Class
Location –> Mid-section of the northwestern coast of Luzon Island within the province of Ilocos Sur (See map below)
Neighboring Towns –> (Clockwise from the north) Bantay, Santa, Caoayan, Santa Catalina
Distance from Manila –> 407 km
Area –> 25.1 km2
Population –> 53,879 (2015 Census)
Terrain –> Rolling hills
Industries –> Agriculture,
Major Products –> Rice, Vegetables, Poultry, Woven clothes, Ceramics, processed meat (Longganisa)
People/Language –> Ilocano, Tagalog, English
Number of Barangays –> 39
Revenue (2016) –> 389,645,888.59

City Officials
Go here to see the elected government officials of Vigan City.

Major Infrastructure
Mindoro Airport

Vigan City History

Vigan City has a rich history. It was founded on June 13, 1572 after the Spaniards led by Don Juan de Salcedo explored the area, making it the oldest town in the north of the Philippines. The colonizers found small settlements which were already having trade relations with other nations such as the Chinese and the Malay Kingdoms. He named the place “Villa Fernandina de Vigan” in honor of King Philip II’s son, Prince Ferdinand, who died at the age of four.

Vigan was made the seat of the diocese of Nueva Segovia on September 7, 1758, having been transferred from Lal-lo, Cagayan. The diocese was elevated to archdiocese on June 29, 1951.

On January 22, 2001, Vigan became a chartered city by virtue of Republic Act no. 8988. On December 7, 2014, Vigan was named as one of the New7Wonders Cities.

Economy of Vigan

The city of Vigan is the trading hub of the province but agriculture is still the mainstay of the local economy. Main farm products include rice, tobacco, rootcrops, vegetables, livestock and poultry. Fishing is an important source of income especially in the coastal area. Fishponds are also sources of fish supply for the city. Vigan is well-known for its jars called Burnay. It has a long tradition of making bricks called Damili. These materials were used to build the colonial houses and churches not only in the city but also in the region. Another popular cottage industry is the Abel-weaving from which fine fabrics are produced.

With much help from the government, tourism is now playing an increasing role in the economy of the city.

Go here to see the tourist spots of Vigan City.
RELATED: Profile of Ilocos Sur Province
See also: List of Philippine Cities by Region and Province