San Andrés, San Andrés y Providencia explained

Official Name:San Andrés
Type:City and municipality
Mapsize:250px
Pushpin Map:Colombia
Pushpin Label Position:right
Pushpin Map Caption:Location of San Andrés in Colombia
Subdivision Type:Country
Subdivision Type1:Region
Subdivision Type2:Department
Subdivision Name: Colombia
Subdivision Name1:Insular
Subdivision Name2:San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina
Area Total Km2:26
Population As Of:2005
Population Total:55,426[1]
Population Density Km2:auto
Population Blank1 Title:Languages spoken
Population Blank1:San Andrés Creole, English, Spanish
Population Blank2 Title:Ethnic groups
Population Blank2:20% Raizals and 80% mainland Colombians
Timezone:Colombia Time (COT)
Utc Offset:-5
Coordinates:12.5847°N -81.7006°W

San Andrés (pronounced as /es/) is the capital city of the department of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, or The Raizal Islands, in Colombia. As of 2005 its population was 55,426.[1]

Overview

It is situated at the north end of San Andrés Island, on the Caribbean Sea, with the runway of Gustavo Rojas Pinilla International Airport bisecting the western urban portion area clustering the cape of Punta Norte from the Eastern portion of the urban area. The population is considered to be about 20% Raizals and 80% mainland Colombians. The economy is mainly sustained by tourism and commercial fishing. Once a duty-free port, it still has a relatively vigorous shopping district selling various consumer goods at bargain prices, including Colombian gold and emerald jewellery, leather goods and other distinctively Colombian wares.

San Andrés has become such a byword for bargain shopping in Colombia that many towns and cities have a bargain shopping area known as a San Andresito ("little San Andres").

Twin towns

Notes and References

  1. Web site: Census 2005 - San Andrés. es. (DANE)