Venezuela Stirs Nationalism in Dispute With Guyana Over Oil
- Maduro holds referendum on territory controlled by Guyana
- Guyana’s offshore crude gave it world’s top-growing economy
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For decades, Venezuelan schoolchildren have been taught to draw a map of their country different from the one in use elsewhere: theirs includes a disputed region roughly the size of Florida which is controlled by neighboring Guyana.
Following massive offshore oil discoveries in the region by Exxon Mobil Corp. and others, and with elections approaching, Venezuelan President Nicolás Maduro is inflaming regional tensions by reviving a long-dormant border dispute over the area known as the Essequibo.