Dagupan, Administrative division in the Ilocos Region, Philippines
Dagupan is a city in Pangasinan province on the main Philippine island of Luzon, covering roughly 37 square kilometers along the coast. The administrative structure divides into 31 barangays with around 174,000 residents.
The settlement began in 1590 under the name Bacnotan and became a temporary wartime capital of the Philippines during World War II. General Douglas MacArthur landed here in January 1945 during the liberation of the islands.
The name comes from pandaragupan, meaning gathering place in the local language, which reflects how residents have used this area as a regional market for centuries. Visitors today notice the many fish farms where milkfish grow, a central part of daily economic life here.
The city sits roughly 14 kilometers from Lingayen and serves as a regional center for medical services, schools, and media in northern Central Luzon. Visitors find the main public services and connections to other towns in the province here.
The many fish farms in the city produce a large share of the Philippine bangus harvest, the locally raised milkfish. Many farms sit directly within the city limits and shape the look of the coastal zone.
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