San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina - Tourism and Travel

San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina is a group of islands in the Caribbean Sea, off the northwest coast of Colombia.

It is a department of Colombia.

San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina is surrounded y large coral reefs that are home to many species of fish. It has been declared UNESCO World Biosphere reserve, known as the Seaflower Biosphere Reserve.

Scuba diving is a popular activity around the islands.

Many species of bird, both residential and migratory, can be found on San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina.

There are many mangrove swamps.

San Andrés is the largest island in the group. It is a coral island, with an area of 10 square miles (26 kilometers).

The terrain is mostly flat, although a small mountain range runs through the island from north to south.

Providencia Island, the second largest island, is a mountainous volcanic island.

The capital of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina is San Andrés City, located on San Andrés Island. The capital city is often known as El Centro.

The first Europeans to discover the island group of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina were Spaniards who found the islands in the 1500s. However, the first settlers were English Puritans who arrived from Barbados in 1627.

Spanish is the official language of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina. English Creole is also spoken.

Serranilla Bank

Serranilla Bank is an uninhabited carbonate platform north of San Andrés Island.

It is almost entirely submerged but has a few exposed rocks and cays.

Serranilla Bank is 25 miles (40 kilometers) long and 20 miles (32) kilometers wide.

Beacon Cay is the largest cay.

Colombia considers Serranilla Bank to be part of San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina.

However, its ownership is disputed by Nicaragua, Jamaica and the United States of America. The US considers Serranilla Bank to be part of the United States Minor Outlying Islands.