1. HISTORICAL BACKGROUND: One of the most disputed overlapping boundaries within Latin America is the Colombian-Nicaraguan dispute regarding sovereignty over maritime features located between the two countries in the Caribbean Sea. For 11 years, Nicaraguan lawyers have maintained that almost 50,000 square kilometers of the Colombian sea actually belonged to the Central American state. The area in question includes the archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia and Santa Catalina, a group of tropical islands surrounded by coral reefs. The archipelago is located 482 miles from the Colombian coast and just 140 from Nicaragua, but has been colonized by Colombians since the 19th century. In the 1800s, Colombia was part of a larger territory called Gran Colombia in South America, while Nicaragua was part of the United Provinces of Central America (UPAC), a similar governing body within Central America. The precise origins of this dispute between the two countries vary, although historians believe it began around 1803 when the islands were part of Cartagena's Providence, now part of Colombia's mainland. After the Republic of Gran Colombia gained independence in 1822, the island's native inhabitants voluntarily joined the government of the then Colombian state. However, UPAC did not recognize the occupation of the islands and claimed ownership of them, which Colombia protested. UPAC dissolved in civil war in 1830, and the resulting state of Nicaragua continued the dispute. Colombia subsequently established a local administration on the islands; with the Esguerra-Bárcenas Treaty of 1928 and both countries temporarily resolved the dispute in Colombia's favor. However, since 1980, when the Sandinista government a...... middle of paper ...... to meet world needs, but also to try to become a richer country by exploiting natural resources with little or no concern due to the environmental repercussions that this could have. The Nicaraguan government also consistently claims that the islands are closer to their coasts than those of Colombia, a weak argument considering the history Colombia has with the territory.4. CONCLUSION For the past 200 years, Colombia and Nicaragua have competed over ownership of the maritime border near San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina. After originally being under Colombian control, the ICJ extended Nicaragua's maritime borders. However, Nicaragua's intentions are purely economic, while Colombia's are more related to the culture and well-being of both the natives and the environment. Therefore, the International Court of Justice should return maritime sovereignty to Colombia.