MANAGUA, Nicaragua – While Costa Rica and Nicaragua eagerly await the preliminary border ruling from the International Court of Justice, the Nicaraguan Institute of Territorial Studies (INETER) on Tuesday released a new official map of the country that includes the disputed border territory as part of Nicaragua.
Until yesterday, INETER’s official map of Nicaragua showed the disputed region, which Nicaragua calls “Harbor Head” and Costa Rica calls “Calero Island”, as belonging to Costa Rica. The old official map had been a source of criticism, concern and ridicule, making Nicaragua’s claim to the disputed region appear inconsistent with its own map.
Nicaragua’s efforts to “correct” the mistake with the new map have also been met with criticism – only this time from Costa Rica.
Costa Rica has appealed to the World Court to intervene in the dispute and determine the true location of the border, and the true ownership of the disputed strip of swampland.
The Court’s preliminary ruling on whether to order Nicaraguan troops and dredging efforts out of the disputed area is expected sometime this month. But the Court’s final determination about the border’s exact location could take up to four more years.
