The gulf has numerous islands, the most famous of which are ones in the Hundred Islands National Park. This tourist attraction features 123 islands most of which are quite small. A number of cities are found along its coasts such as Dagupan City and Alaminos City in Pangasinan, and San Fernando City in La Union. Lingayen, the capital of Pangasinan also lies on the shores of the gulf.
Fishing and salt-making are the main industries in the Lingayen Gulf. In fact, the name Pangasinan literally means “place where salt is made” in Tagalog. Salt is collected from the sea water through evaporation, leaving the crystalline salt behind.