Deparment of Colombia
Flag of the Department of San Andrés y Providencia Coat of arms of the Department of San Andrés y Providencia
Motto: Paraíso Turístico Tourist Paradise
Anthem: Himno de San Andrés y Providencia
San Andres and Providencia shown in the Caribbean map
Established	July 4, 1991
Region	Insular Region
Capital	San Andrés
Number of Municipalities	2
Governor - Governor's Political Party	Alvaro Archbold Nuñes Colombian Liberal Party
Area Total  - Land  - Water  (% of total)	Ranked 33(smallest) 52 km² km² km² (%)
Population  - Total (2005)  - Density	Ranked 29 59,573[1] 1145.63/km²
ISO_Code	CO-SAP
Goverment's Website: www.sanandres.gov.co

San Andrés y Providencia (Spanish: San Andrés y Providencia) is one of the departments of Colombia. It consists of an archipelago of islands about 775 km (480 miles) northwest of Colombia and 220 km (140 miles) from the coast of Nicaragua. Its capital is San Andrés. Colombia is a unitary republic conformed by 32 departments (Spanish: departamentos, sing. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_San_Andrés_y_Providencia. ... A motto (from Italian) is a phrase or a short list of words meant formally to describe the general motivation or intention of an entity, social group, or organization. ... An anthem is a choral composition to an English religious text sung in church services. ... The Republic of Colombia is a country in north-western South America. ... For the United States holiday, the Fourth of July, see Independence Day (United States). ... 1991 (MCMXCI) was a common year starting on Tuesday of the Gregorian calendar. ... In politics, a capital (also called capital city or political capital — although the latter phrase has a second meaning based on an alternative sense of capital) is the principal city or town associated with a countrys government. ... San Andres Island. ... A municipality is an administrative entity composed of a clearly defined territory and its population and commonly referring to a city, town, or village, or a small grouping of them. ... A political party is a political organization subscribing to a certain ideology or formed around very special issues with the aim to participate in power, usually by participating in elections. ... Politics of Colombia Categories: Politics stubs | Liberal related stubs | Colombian political parties | Liberal parties ... Area is a physical quantity expressing the size of a part of a surface. ... List of Colombian Departments by area details the Departments of Colombia by their area. ... Shops next to Monserrate Church Universidas de los Andes, Bogotá Cali Fair Fieste de las Flores, Medellin Villagers in Otún Metropolitano Stadium in Barranquilla List of Colombian Departments by population details population of the Departments of Colombia according to a general census taken on 2005 by the Departamento Administrativo... ISO 3166-2 codes for Colombia cover the 32 Departments of Colombia (3 digit) and the capital territory (2 digit). ... Colombia is a unitary republic conformed by 32 departments (Spanish: departamentos, sing. ... The Mergui Archipelago An archipelago is a landform which consists of a chain or cluster of islands. ... San Andres Island. ...

History

It is possible the islands were first discovered by Christopher Columbus during his fourth voyage in 1502, although there is no evidence to confirm this. Christopher Columbus (1451 – May 20, 1506) was a navigator and maritime explorer credited as the discoverer of the Americas. ... 1502 was a common year starting on Wednesday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ...

In 1670 the English corsair Henry Morgan took over the islands until 1689. In 1803, after Spain's Viceroyalty of New Granada had been reestablished in 1739, the archipielago and the province of Veraguas – covering the western territory of Panama and the eastern coast of Nicaragua – were added to its area of jurisdiction. In the later colonial era the territory was administered from the province of Cartagena. A privateer was a private ship (or its captain) authorized by a countrys government to attack and seize cargo from another countrys ships. ... Sir Henry Morgan, in a popular woodcut, 18th century Sir Henry Morgan (Hari Morgan in Welsh), (c. ... 1803 was a common year starting on Saturday (see link for calendar). ... A viceroy is somebody who governs a country or province as a substitute for the monarch. ... New Granada can mean: the English rendering of any Spanish geographical or administrative name Nueva Granada, always named after the deep southern Spanish port city Granada, as in: the Spanish American colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada the post-colonial Republic of New Granada (1831 to 1856), which included modern Colombia... // About the number 1739 1739 is the smallest integer that can be written as sum of three perfect cubes, in two ways. ... This article needs to be cleaned up to conform to a higher standard of quality. ... Nickname: The Heroic City The Walled City The Diplomatic City The Key of the West Indies The Walled Kingdom Best Fortified City of the Americas Historical Heritage of Mankind The Stone Coral Region Caribbean Region (Colombia) Department Bolívar Department* Foundation 1533 Mayor Nicolás Francisco Curi Vergara Area    - City...

After gaining its independence, the Republic of Gran Colombia occupied the islands in 1822 and transferred control over them to the department of Magdalena. Subsequently, the United Provinces of Central America (UPCA) did not recognize the occupation of the islands and claimed ownership over them, while Colombia in turn protested the UPCA's occupation of the eastern coast of modern day Nicaragua. The UPCA federation dissolved in civil war between 1838-1840 and the resulting state of Nicaragua carried on with the dispute, as did the Republic of New Granada (made up of modern Colombia and Panama) that emerged from the dissolution of Gran Colombia. Map showing Gran Colombia The Republic of Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, was a short-lived republic in South America consisting of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. ... Categories: Departments of Colombia | Stub ... Capital Guatemala City; in 1834 moved to San Salvador Created 1823 Dissolved 1840 Demonym Centroamerican The United Provinces of Central America (UPCA) was a country that existed in Central America from July 1823 to approximately 1840. ... | Jöns Jakob Berzelius, discoverer of protein 1838 was a common year starting on Monday (see link for calendar). ... 1840 is a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will take you to calendar). ... New Granada can mean: the English rendering of any Spanish geographical or administrative name Nueva Granada, always named after the deep southern Spanish port city Granada, as in: the Spanish American colonial Viceroyalty of New Granada the post-colonial Republic of New Granada (1831 to 1856), which included modern Colombia... Map showing Gran Colombia The Republic of Gran Colombia, or Greater Colombia, was a short-lived republic in South America consisting of present-day Colombia, Venezuela, Ecuador, and Panama. ...

Colombia later established a local administration ("intendencia") in the islands during 1912. The signing of the Esguerra-Bárcenas treaty in 1928 between both governments temporarily resolved the dispute in favor of Colombia. However, since 1980, when the Sandinista government assumed power in Nicaragua, a constitutional reform was enacted and the treaty was renounced. 1912 (MCMXII) was a leap year starting on Monday in the Gregorian calendar (or a leap year starting on Tuesday in the 13-day-slower Julian calendar). ... Year 1928 (MCMXXVIII) was a leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar). ... 1980 (MCMLXXX) was a leap year starting on Tuesday. ... Sandinista! is also the name of a popular music album by The Clash. ... A constitutional amendment is an alteration to the constitution of a nation or a state. ...

Nicaraguans claim that the treaty was signed under United States pressure and military occupation and thus does not constitute a sovereign decision, while Colombia argues that the treaty's final ratification in 1930, when U.S. forces were already on their way out, confirms its validity. Year 1930 (MCMXXX) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link is to a full 1930 calendar). ...

In 2001 Nicaragua filed claims with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) over the disputed maritime boundary involving 50,000 km² in the Caribbean, which includes the islands of San Andrés and Providencia. Colombia has claimed that the ICJ has no jurisdiction over the matter and has increased its naval and police presence in the islands. It has also prepared the legal defense of its case that will be presented before the tribunal. In addition, Colombia and Honduras signed a maritime boundary treaty in 1999 which implicitly accepts Colombian sovereignty over the islands. It should be noted that Nicaragua and Honduras still maintain several other territorial and legal disputes. 2001 (MMI) was a common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar. ... The International Court of Justice (known colloquially as the World Court or ICJ; French: ) is the primary judicial organ of the United Nations. ... 1999 (MCMXCIX) was a common year starting on Friday, and was designated the International Year of Older Persons by the United Nations. ...

The island of Providencia was hit by Hurricane Beta on October 29, 2005, inflicting minor to moderate damage. B C D E F G H I 10 J K L M N O P R 19 S T 22 V W Αα Ββ Γγ Δδ Εε Categories: | | | ... 2005 (MMV) was a common year starting on Saturday of the Gregorian calendar. ...

Geography

Location of San Andres and Providencia in the Caribbean.

Besides the main islands of San Andrés and Providencia, with their respective small satellite islands, there are eight atolls that belong to the department, including submerged Alicia Shoal. West Indian redirects here. ... An atoll is a type of low, coral island found in tropical oceans and consisting of a coral-algal reef usually surrounding an interior body of water called a lagoon. ...

Municipality of San Andrés, Colombia

San Andrés Island

This is the main island of the archipelago and of the departamento, located at 12°33′N 81°43′W. It measures 12 km in length with a width of 3 km and covers an area of 26 km². There is a tiny lagoon in the center of the island called Big Pond. The principal town is San Andres in the north of the island. Another town is San Luis on the east coast. Cayo Johnny (Cayo Sucre) lies 1.5 km ENE of German Point (Punta Norte), the island's northern tip, and Haynes Cay about the same distance east of the island. Cotton Cay is less than 1 km south of San Andrés town, on the northeastern coast. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... Ñ is the fifteenth letter of the Spanish alphabet. ...

Cayos del Este Sudeste (Courtown Cays, Cayos de E.S.E.)

towns of San Andrés and Providencia.

This atoll is 22 km ESE of San Andrés Island and 35 km northeast of Cayos de Alburquerque, at 12°24′N 81°28′W. It is 14 km long and 4 km wide. There are a few sand cays in the Southeast. The largest ones are called Cayo del Este, Cayo Bolivar, West Cay, and Cayo Arena. None of thoseis higher than 2 metres. All cays are overgrown with palm trees and bushes, and surrounded by mangroves. There is a Colombian Navy lighthouse on Cayo Bolivar. The cays are regularly visited by fishermen from the Colombian mainland or from San Andrés. There are two concrete buildings on Cayo Bolivar, and a few wooden huts on the other Cays. ESE also stands for Extensible Storage Engine. ... A cay (also spelled key, but both are pronounced alike as key [IPA: ]) is a small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... Above and below water view at the edge of the mangal. ...

Cayos de Albuquerque (Cayos de S.W., Southwest Cays)

This atoll is Southwest of San Andrés at 12°10′N 81°51′W, and therefore the westernmost point of Colombia. The diameter of the fringing reef is about 7 km. In the southern part are the cays Cayo del Norte and Cayo del Sur. Cayo del Norte, the larger of the two, is up to 2 m high and overgrown with palm trees and bushes. Cayo del Sur, a few hundred metres further South, reaches a height of a little more than 1 m and is vegetated with a few bushes, and in the South with mangroves. There is a lighthouse on Cayo del Norte, at 12°10′N 81°50′W, operating since 1980, which is maintained by the Colombian Navy. A cay (also spelled key, but both are pronounced alike as key [IPA: ]) is a small, low island consisting mostly of sand or coral. ... Genera Many; see list of Arecaceae genera Arecaceae (also known as Palmae or Palmaceae), the palm family, is a family of flowering plants, belonging to the monocot order Arecales. ... The Peggys Point lighthouse in Nova Scotia, Canada An aid for navigation and pilotage at sea, a lighthouse is a tower building or framework sending out light from a system of lamps and lenses or, in older times, from a fire. ...

Municipality of Providencia y Santa Catalina (Providencia Archipelago)

Providencia Island (with Santa Catalina Island)

This is the main island ( of the archipelago and the second largest of the departamento, located at 13°21′N 81°22′W. Together with Santa Catalina Island a small satellite island close off its northern end, these islands extend 7.2 km in a north-south direction, not taking into account Low Cay which is more than 10 km further north, at 13°32′N 81°21′W. The land area of Providencia Island measures 17 km². The mountainous center of Providencia Island rises to three peak of about the same elevation and up to 363 m high. The island consists of sedimentary rocks that have been laid down upon a former volcano of ancient origins. The chief settlement is Isabel Village in the north of the island, close southeast of Santa Catalina Island. Other villages are San Felipe on the west coast, and La Paz in the southeast. Avalon Bay is a beautiful bay on Catalina Island. ...

Alice Shoal (Banco Alicia)

This wholly submerged reef, located at 16°05′N 79°22′W, with no islands, and with a depth of at least 6 meters over it, is the northernmost feature of Colombia, although it is also claimed by Jamaica, which is closer (260 km to the main island and 200 km to the Pedro Cays), while the Colombian mainland is 740 km away). A reef surrounding an islet. ... Pedro Bank is a large bank of sand and coral, partially covered with seagrass, about 80 km south and southwest of Jamaica, rising steeply from a seabed of 800 meters depth. ...

Bajo Nuevo Bank

Bajo Nuevo composed of two atoll-like strucutures separated by a deep channel 1.4 km wide. The total length is 26 km, with a width of 9 km. The two structures cover an aggregate area of 155 km², of which the southeastern atoll covers 110 km² (mostly water – lagoon) . The banks are located at 15°53′N 78°33′W, with some small islets, some covered with grass. Those islets are the northernmost land areas of Colombia. The most prominent islet is Low Cay, 300 m long and 40 m wide. Today the cays are frequently visited by lobster fishers. A lighthouse, in operation since 1980, 20 m high, stands on Low Cay, at 15°51′N 78°38′W. Low Cay is about 2 m high and barren. Originally claimed by the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, the atoll is disputed with the United States, together with Serranilla Bank. An atoll is a type of low, coral island found in tropical oceans and consisting of a coral-algal reef usually surrounding an interior body of water called a lagoon. ... This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ...

Serranilla Bank

The bank, a former atoll is about 40 km wide, 32 km long, located at 15°55′N 79°54′W with an area of 1200 km² (mostly water – lagoon). There are only a few islands: West Breaker, Middle Cay, East Cay and Beacon Cay, mostly with sparse vegetation of bushes and some trees. Most of the reef is drying and hundreds of wrecked ships are located in its vicinity. Beacon Cay is the biggest islet on the reef, completely overbuilt with houses and some military facilities, used by the US Marines during the Cuba Crisis. The station is abandoned today. The Serranilla Bank Lighthouse, inhabited today, which has been in operation since 1977, stands on a corall ledge in the southwest approach to the bank, at 15°48′N 79°51′W. The lighthouse is 20 m (65 ft) high. Originally claimed by the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, the atoll is disputed with the United States, together with Bajo Nuevo Bank. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ...

Quita Sueño Bank

The bank, located at 14°15′N 81°15′W, has no islands, but in the northeastern part is a 37 km long reef which partly dries at low tide. There is a lighthouse on the reef, Quita Sueño Light, at 14°28′N 81°07′W, in operation since 1977. Originally claimed by the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, the atoll was returned by the United States to Colombia on September 17, 1981, together with Serrana Bank and Roncador Bank. A reef surrounding an islet. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ...

Serrana Bank

The mostly submerged atoll, located at 14°24′N 80°16′W, is about 50 km long and 13 km wide, with a size of roughly 500 km² (mostly water – lagoon). Several cays and small islets are located on the reef. The most prominent cay is Southwest Cay, about 1200 m by 800 m in area, with several ruines of a former military base, used by the US Marines during the Cuba Crisis. The islets are all covered with sparse vegetation, bushes and some trees. On Southwest Cay and on Narrow Cay are lighthouses, at 14°17′N 80°24′W, operating since 1977, and administered by Colombia. The Southwest Cay light is a 25 m high tower, constructed by a combination of a concree dwelling and a white iron framework tower with a light on its top. North Cay is permanent inhabited by turtle fishers, and several new wooden huts are standing on the islet. Originally claimed by the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, the atoll was returned by the United States to Colombia on September 17, 1981, together with Quita Sueño Bank and Roncador Bank. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ...

Roncador Bank

The Roncador Bank, a mostly submerged atoll with several sandy cays, located at 13°34′N 80°04′W, is 14 by 6 km in size, with an area of 65 km² (mostly water – lagoon). In the northern area lies Roncador Cay, about 600 m by 300 m in area, and rising to 4 m elevation. There are several houses on it, partly ruined, build up during the Cuba Crisis, by American troops. An old disused lighthouse is at its northern end. A new lighthouse has been operating since 1977, at 13°34′N 80°05′W. Originally claimed by the United States under the Guano Act of 1856, the atoll was returned by the United States to Colombia on September 17, 1981, together with Serrana Bank. This mid bay barrier in Narrabeen, a suburb of Sydney (Australia), has blocked what used to be a bay to form a lagoon. ... The Guano Islands Act was federal legislation passed by the U.S. Congress on August 18, 1856 enabling citizens of the U.S. to take possession of islands containing guano deposits. ...

See also

• San Andrés-Providencia Creole

San Andrés-Providencia Creole is a linguistic variety spoken in San Andrés and Providencia department of Colombia. ...

Further reading

External links

• Government Tourism website with small map
• Information on some Atolls (German)
• Information on Colombian lighthouses (German)
• San Andres Website
• Oceandots
• Tour Operator in the Island, with satellite map (Spanish)