evidence: A border feud has been spiraling over the Essequibo region, which has been administered and controlled by Guyana for more than a century, although Venezuela also claims the disputed area. Venezuela recently conducted a referendum, which it claims citizens supported, that aims to give Venezuela authority over the Essequibo region. Guyanese officials said in response that the country is preparing to defend itself and its borders in case of an invasion. [...] Guyana, a former British and Dutch colony, insists the Essequibo frontiers were determined by an arbitration panel in 1899. But Venezuela claims the Essequibo River to the region's east forms a natural border recognized as far back as 1777. [...] On Tuesday, Maduro proposed a bill to create a Venezuelan province in Essequibo and ordered the state oil company to start issuing licenses for extracting crude in the region.