It was created on 25 April 2010 through the merger of the municipalities of Caviano, Contone, Gerra, Indemini, Magadino, Piazzogna, San Nazzaro, Sant'Abbondio and Vira.

[11] In 1264 and again in 1365, the Bishop of Como transferred part of the tithes of the Gambarogno valley, including Caviano and Scaiano, to the Magoria and Duno families from Locarno.

Due to limited fishing and farming land, much of the population emigrated to other cantons or countries.

In the settlement of Cento Campi, there were a number of alpine shelters and barns with thatched roofs, though most have fallen into disrepair.

[4] Three tombs have been discovered in Contone, which can be dated earlier than the Early Middle Ages.

[5] In 1104, the Lombard nobleman Wido Samarate built or rebuilt a church and presented it to the Benedictine monastery of S. Giorgio in Quartino (Magadino).

[5] The inhabitants of Contone lived as herders and farmers, mostly on the lowest part of the slope of Mount Ceneri.

After 1850, the employment situation changed because of the decline of the port of Magadino and railway construction.

Many inhabitants emigrated abroad and found work as painters, plasterers and stove-makers.

After the correction of the Ticino river, the vast, formerly marshy plain became home to a number of commercial and industrial buildings.

The network of narrow streets and typical Gambarogno style alleys have been preserved, while most of the wooden balconies are gone and the fishermen's houses have disappeared.

In the 17th century there were disputes over alpine pastures and forest owned by the village cooperatives of the Valle Veddasca and the Malcantone.

In 1800, the Helvetic government considered exchanging Indemini for Campione d'Italia in the Cisalpine Republic.

The chronicle says it was built in 1365 on the orders of Galeazzo Visconti for the inhabitants of Locarno and destroyed in 1518 by the Swiss.

With the introduction of regular steamship traffic (1826) and the opening of the road over the Gotthard Pass (1830) Magadino became a stop on the coach routes.

The decline of the port began with the opening of the railway lines to Locarno (1874) and Luino (1882).

[9] The original village church of S. Antonio Abate was probably built in the Middle Ages in the romanesque style.

In the wake of the village's independence from the parish of Vira in 1837, this church was expanded several times in the 19th century.

[9] The hamlet of Alabardia, once part of the parish of San Nazzaro, became widely known in 1783 as the center of Horace-Bénédict de Saussure's barometric experiments conducted around Lake Maggiore.

In the hamlet of Taverna, there used to stand a tower, which had probably given by Frederick I Barbarossa in 1186 to the Orelli family.

The tower later passed into the possession of the nobility of Locarno and was used in the control of trade in the Upper Lake Maggiore and Gambarogno river areas.

In 1487, the Gambarogno became independent of Locarno, and San Nazzaro became the seat of the Podestà and the court.

The local economy was supplemented in the 15th century by emigration, mostly of bricklayers and builders, to Italy.

In the 19th century, the emigration of decorators, painters and potters to France, provided another source of income.

[14] The Complesso di S. Carlo, a church and parish house, and the Villa Ghisler, both in the village of Magadino, are listed as Swiss heritage site of national significance.

[15] The historical population is given in the following table: In the 2011 federal election the most popular party was the FDP which received 26.5% of the vote.

The wettest month was May during which time Magadino received an average of 211 mm (8.3 in) of rain or snow.

[19] The municipal library, Biblioteca comunale Gambarogno in San Nazzaro, opened in 2014.

[20] The municipality has five railway stations: Gerra (Gambarogno), Magadino-Vira, Quartino, Ranzo-Sant'Abbondio, and San Nazzaro.