evidence: Suriname and Guyana are separated by a border approximately 520 miles long. Despite the longstanding territorial issue between the two nations, they maintain an embassy in each other's capital. While Guyana was under British rule, the border with Suriname, which was under Dutch control at the time, was still a contentious issue. The British government planned to ensure that at the time of its independence all of Guyana's border issues were resolved and conducted negotiations with Suriname to no avail. The territory under contention is the Tigri area, and the two nations have had a dispute over the area since 1840. In 1969, forces from both countries were involved in a conflict at the border. The issue was resolved in 1971 when representatives of the two governments met in Trinidad and Tobago and agreed to withdraw their respective militaries from the contentious area. The Surinam government claims 6,000 square miles of land currently under the control of the Guyana government. Disputes have also arisen between the two countries along their maritime borders. In 2000, oil explorers from Guyana had a battle with Surinamese coast guards. International arbitration managed to resolve the maritime dispute between the two countries.