The Archipelago of San Andres and Providence is located in the Caribbean Sea, northeast of the Colombian mainland, to the west part of Costa Rica, and from there you can travel to San Andres through various routes from any international airport or from the principal cities in Europe, and through any airline you can go to San Jose (Costa Rica ); from there you may make connection to San Andres by West Caribbean Airline on a 45 minutes flight, with the following schedule: Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
From Panama , through Copa Airlines , the flight is only one (1) hour, the schedule is Monday, Wednesday and Fridays (subject to change)
From Bogota (Colombia) through Avianca – Sam, Aerorepública also from Panama or Intercontinental de Aviación, the flight is approximately two (2) hours and daily. Due to its ecosystem, biodiversity and beautiful landscapes, this archipelago was declared by the UNESCO, in the year 2000, as Sea Flower Biosphere Reserve.
Discovery:
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 two hundred years the English, Dutch, French and Spanish disputed ownership.  During that same period, the famous English pirate Henry Morgan used San Andres as his base of operations and according to legend, as a hide away for his much acclaimed treasure.
History:                                                                                                        
Though all the islands did not develop in the same way their history is similar.  Discovered by the English but colonized by the Spanish, they were military rule for thirty six years.  
For many years Spain and England fought for control of the islands, and so the Spanish flag was lowered only to raise the British one time and time again.  This tug o war ended in 1793 with the signing of the Versailles Treaty, in which England recognized Spain’s sovereignty over the archipelago.  Trade with England, however, was maintained.  In 1806 the islands were inhabited by 1.200 people, 800 of whom were slaves.  Today the population of San Andres is about 70.000.
Topography:
A small mountain range, covered with coconut palms which rises to an elevation of 55 meters, crosses San Andres running north to south.  The western shore is made of up limestone deposits and white clay covered in part by coral sand caries in by the waves.  The topsoil is thin and of a dark reddish colour with frequent outcroppings of coral rock.  The coral formation of San Andres, and particularly the reefs along the eastern shore, gives the sea an unbelievably beautiful array of colours.
Area:
The San Andres Archipelago covers a total area of 349.800 square kilometres. However the total land mass is approximately 44 square kilometres.
Religion:
The Catholic, Baptist, Adventist Religions, The Christian Mission coexist, the Jehovah’s Witness and other protestants in the islands.
Education:
San Andres has one of the highest literacy rate sin Colombia.  Public education is free from first to twelfth grades.  There are more than forty private schools and specialized educational centres on the island with approximately 13.400 students.  There is a technical and professional institute that offers different programs and careers.
Economy:
The dominant economic activities are Tourism and Commerce.  Activities of lesser importance are agriculture and fishing.
Language:
The official language is Spanish, though the dominant culture is Anglo-Caribbean, manifest in religious customs music, architecture and the dialect of English spoken by all of the native islanders.
Climate:
The climate is stable the year around.  The average temperature is 27ºC, but cool breezes blow throughout the year.
Government:
With  the new Colombian constitution of 1991, the province’s legal status changed from Intendency to Island Department.