The archipelago of San Andrés

The archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, listed by the United Nations as a World Biosphere Reserve, is located 720 km northwest of the Colombian coast.

Capital: San Andrés
Height (m): 2 MASL
Length: 26 Miles 2
Maximum Length: 12 Kms
Maximum Width: 3 Kms
Population: 65,000
Average temperature: 28 degrees Celsius
Economy: Fishing, Walking.
Indicative Phone: 8 (098)
Gentile: Sanandresanos
How to get there: By sea or air.
Distances and times to Bogota:
Air: 2 hours
Official website: www.sanandres.gov.co
History:

In 1510 Spain took possession of the islands in 1538 belong and are part of the audience of Panama in 1544 are part of the Captaincy of Guatemala and Nicaragua, in 1563 belong to the province of Panama; from this period and until the early nineteenth century (1803) the islands are taken by English and Dutch to finally be recovered by Spain. In 1821 Francisco de Paula Santander defends the sovereignty of Colombia over San Andres and Providencia. The June 23, 1822 was raised for the first time the Colombian flag at Fort Liberty and publicly declared the acquisition of the islands to the Republic of Colombia.

The spell of the landscape, its beaches of fine white sand and crystal clear waters the friendliness of its inhabitants, the product of a centuries-old mixture of immigrants from diverse backgrounds adds: English Puritans, Dutch settlers, Spaniards, slaves, pirates and Arab (these came from 1953, when it declared free port).