San Gil

San Gil on the map of Santander

San Gil is the capital of the province Guanentina in the Santander Department in Colombia. The city has 43 519 inhabitants ( 2005).

San Gil describes himself as a " tourist capital of Colombia "; best known is the city for the various extreme sports offerings, such as paragliding or rafting on the nearby Río Súarez.

Geography

It is located 96 km south of Bucaramanga and 327 kilometers northeast of Bogotá. San Gil is adjacent to the following municipalities: to the north Villanueva and Curití, in the east Curití and Mogotes, in the south of Valle de San José and Páramo, and to the west Pinchote, Cabrera and barichara.

History

The area was inhabited by the indigenous people of the Guanes even before the arrival of the Spaniards. From the Spaniards San Gil was founded on March 17, 1689 with the official name Muy Noble y Leal Villa de Santa Cruz y San Gil de la Nueva Baeza.