evidence: UNITED NATIONS (AP) — The U.N. Security Council scheduled an emergency closed meeting Friday at the request of Guyana following Venezuela’s weekend referendum claiming the vast oil- and mineral-rich Essequibo region that makes up a large part of its neighbor. [...] The dispute escalated as Venezuelan President Nicolas Maduro held a referendum Sunday in which Venezuelans approved his claim of sovereignty over Essequibo. Maduro has since ordered Venezuela’s state-owned companies to immediately begin exploration in the disputed region. The 61,600-square-mile (159,500-square-kilometer) area accounts for two-thirds of Guyana. But Venezuela, which has the world’s largest proven oil reserves, has always considered Essequibo as its own because the region was within its boundaries during the Spanish colonial period.