It is framed by the provinces of Pangasinan and La Union and sits between the Zambales Mountains and the Cordillera Central.

The shore from Labrador to San Fabian is characterized by a long grey-sand beach.

Coral reefs were all but destroyed by dynamite fishing, although efforts are made to restore some, especially inside the Hundred Islands National Park.

On 22 December 1941, the Japanese 14th Army under Lieutenant General Masaharu Homma landed on the eastern part of the gulf at San Fernando City, Bauang, Santiago, Caba, Aringay, Agoo, and Santo Tomas, where they engaged in a number of relatively minor skirmishes[3] with the defenders, a poorly equipped contingent of predominantly Filipino and American troops, and managed to successfully invade and occupy the gulf.

Following the defeat, the next day General MacArthur issued the order to retreat from Luzon and withdraw to Bataan.

On the 63rd anniversary of the Lingayen Gulf landings, President Fidel Ramos (a West Point graduate) appealed to U.S. President George W. Bush on behalf of 24,000 surviving war veterans to pass two legislative bills pending since 1968 in the U.S. House of Representatives — the Filipino Veterans’ Equity Act of 2006 and the Filipino Veterans’ Equity of 2005 sponsored by former Senator Daniel Inouye.