Legaspi

Legaspi, also spelled Legazpi, chartered city, southeastern Luzon, Philippines, near an inlet on Albay Gulf. Founded about 1639, it was named for Miguel López de Legazpi, conquistador and first Spanish governor-general of the Philippines. The city lies at the southern base of the active Mayon Volcano, the 1815 eruption of which killed more than 1,000 people and leveled 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 in the vicinity. Legaspi is the southernmost point on a main rail line from Manila; it also has an airport. It is the seat of Bicol University (1969). Inc. city, 1959. Pop. (2000) 157,010; (2010) 182,201.