Territorial and Maritime Dispute

On November 19, 2012, the International Court of Justice rendered its judgment in a dispute involving territorial and maritime claims raised by Nicaragua against Colombia in the Caribbean Sea. The Court considered Nicaragua’s requests for a declaration of Nicaraguan sovereignty over seven disputed maritime features and delimitation of a single maritime boundary between the continental shelves and exclusive economic zones appertaining to Nicaragua and Colombia. The Court awarded all disputed territory to Colombia and delimited the maritime boundary between the states’ continental shelves and exclusive economic zones by using a novel mix of weighted base points, geodetic lines, parallels of latitude, and enclaving.