San Andrés, Colombia

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San Andrés is the capital of the Colombian department of San Andrés y Providencia and part of its Caribbean region. Estimated Population in 2005 is slightly over 100,000 inhabitants. Prior to 1960 the local population was predominately Caribbean blacks and creoles, now (2005) only about 40% of the residents are black. Their first language is a variant of English, called Creole, and they hold tightly to their culture, with sociocultural and linguistic characteristics differentiated clearly from the rest of the Afro-Colombian population. They are predominately Protestant.^[1] Colombians moving to San Andres now make up over 50% of the population and they speak Spanish. Most blacks on the island are now (2007) bilingual. The inhabitants are mostly poor, but tourism is increasing.^[2] Several all-inclusive resorts are located on San Andres and there is excellent scuba diving.^[3]

Located east of Nicaragua, the San Andrés y Providencia archipelago belongs to Colombia due to a treaty (Esguerra-Bárcenas) signed on March 28, 1928, that states that Colombia recognizes Nicaraguan sovereignty of the Mangle Islands and Costa Mosquitia, while Nicaragua recognizes Colombian sovereignty over San Andrés Island, Providencia Island, Santa Catalina Island, plus small islands and keys around the archipelago.

Many historians agree that the archipelago was discovered in 1629 by English Puritans and Jamaican woodcutters and was then conquered by the Spanish in the second half of the 17th century. For 200 years control of the islands changed hands several times, falling under the domain of Spain, Britain, France, and The Netherlands at various times. The islands were visited often by pirates, among them the English pirate Henry Morgan who used them as a base of operations and, according to legend, as a hideaway for his much acclaimed treasure.