The Republic of Colombia occupies the northwestern corner of South America. Connected to North America by the Isthmus of Panama, Colombia has coasts facing west on the Pacific Ocean and northwest on the Caribbean Sea. Colombia was colonized by Spain early in the 16th century and was ruled as part of the Viceroyalty of New Granada until the viceroyalty won its independence in a complex struggle in 1810-1819. The former viceroyalty, known as Gran Colombia, fell apart in 1831, creating the nations of Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador. Colombia continued to include the area of Panama until that country became independent in 1903. Colombia is divided into 33 departments (departamentos). This page is for lighthouses of Colombia's island territories in the southwestern Caribbean Sea, including the inhabited islands of San Andrés and Providencia and a wide scattering of uninhabited banks, reefs, and cays. The islands are organized as the Department of the Archipiélago de San Andrés, Providencia y Santa Catalina. The islands of San Andrés and Providencia were settled by English sailors (including pirates) and English as well as Spanish is still spoken commonly in the islands. The islands have a population of about 60,000. They were formerly isolated and poorly known but in recent years they have become a regular stop on the Caribbean cruise ship circuit. Nicaragua formerly claimed all these islands but surrendered its claims in 1928 in return for Colombia's recognition of Nicaragua's sovereignty over the Islas del Maíz (Corn Islands) and the Mosquito Coast of the mainland. Later Nicaragua attempted to renounce this agreement but in 2007 the International Court of Justice upheld the 1928 treaty establishing Colombian sovereignty. The Quitasueño, Serranilla, Serrana, Bajo Nuevo, and Roncador Banks were formerly claimed and occupied by the United States. The U.S. gave up its claims to the Quitasueño, Serrana and Roncador Banks in a 1981 treaty with Colombia. The U.S. claims to Serranilla and Bajo Nuevo are technically still in force although the U.S. is unlikely to pursue them. In November 1993 Colombia and Jamaica signed a maritime agreement establishing a zone of joint control around Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla but recognizing Colombian sovereignty over the two reefs themselves. Honduras gave up its former claims to Bajo Nuevo and Serranilla in a 1999 treaty with Columbia. Finally, on 19 November 2012 the International Court of Justice issued a final judgment in the dispute between Colombia and Nicaragua, establishing a maritime boundary between those countries and confirming once again Colombia's sovereignty over the disputed islands. This brings us very close to a complete resolution of the territorial disputes. The Spanish word for a lighthouse is faro. In Colombia this word is used for the larger light towers, while a smaller light is called a baliza (beacon). In Spanish isla is an island, cabo is a cape, punta is a promontory or point of land, péñon is a rock, arrecife is a reef, bahía is a bay, ría is an estuary or inlet, estrecho is a strait, río is a river, and puerto is a port or harbor. Aids to navigation in Colombia are owned by the Autoridad Marítima Colombia and maintained by the Dirección General Marítima (DIMAR). ARLHS numbers are from the ARLHS World List of Lights. DIMAR numbers are from DIMAR's Lista de Luces de la República de Colombia. Admiralty numbers are from volume J of the Admiralty List of Lights & Fog Signals and U.S. NGA numbers are from Publication 110.
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Bajo Nuevo Light, Bajo Nuevo DIMAR photo |
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Punta Evans Light, San Andrés, November 2008 photo copyright Rosalie Beasley; used by permission |
Information available on lost lighthouses:
Adjoining pages: Northeast: Jamaica | Southeast: Northern Colombia | West: Nicaragua
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Posted February 13, 2004. Checked and revised March 21, 2023. Lighthouses: 16. Site copyright 2023 Russ Rowlett and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.