evidence: The Gulf of Venezuela, which is also known as Golfo De Venezuela in Spanish, is a kidney-shaped embayment situated at the northwestern tip of South America. It is an inlet of the Caribbean Sea in Columbia and Venezuela. The Gulf of Venezuela separates the Guajira Peninsula to the west which is partly under Venezuelan Sovereignty and partly under Colombian Sovereignty, and the Paraguana Peninsula to the east which is under the sovereignty of Venezuela. It is at the northernmost boundary of both countries. [...] The Caribbean Sea to the north brings saline water to the embayment while Lake Maracaibo receives fresh water from numerous rivers including the Catatumbo River which is situated close to the southern end of the lake. The water from Lake Maracaibo then flows into the Gulf of Venezuela carrying large loads of sediment. At the point where Catatumbo River meets Lake Maracaibo, environmental conditions allow the production of large quantities of ozone which consequently sparks lighting which lights up the sky for every evening for 160 days or more in a year. [...] There has been a longstanding dispute between Venezuela and Columbia over the Gulf of Venezuela. The dispute resurfaced recently when President Nicolas Maduro established the area as an insular zone of constitutive defense through a decree. In 1987, the dispute nearly led to a military conflict between the two nations when Colombia positioned two Corvettes in the disputed waters, and Venezuela sent troops and F-16 warplanes to the area. The areas in dispute are relatively small in size, but the possibility of oil deposits in the area makes it an area of great importance to both countries.