San Andrés and Providencia (redirected from San Andrés y Providencia Department)

San Andrés and Providencia, district (1990 est. pop. 39,949), 21 sq mi (54 sq km), Colombia, comprising two small islands and seven groups of coral reefs and cays in the Caribbean 125–200 mi (201–325 km) E of the Mosquito Coast of Nicaragua. San Andrés, on San Andrés (or St. Andrews) island, the largest in the group, is the capital. Providencia (or Providence) island is 55 mi (89 km) NNE of San Andrés. Coconuts and some fruit and vegetables are raised. There are deposits of poor-quality guano, but rich oil and gas deposits are believed to exist offshore. Tourism is important. The inhabitants are a mix persons of African descent and more recently arrived Colombians engaged in the tourist trade and duty-free retail enterprises. The islands and reefs are also claimed by Nicaragua, and have been a source of tension between Colombia and Nicaragua.