U.N. high court hears Costa Rica's territorial dispute against Nicaragua

July 3 (UPI) -- The United Nations' International Court of Justice on Monday began hearings over a maritime and land boundary dispute between Costa Rica and Nicaragua.

Costa Rica presented its case to the court in The Hague on Monday, while Nicaragua is set to present its case on Thursday.

There are two cases -- Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua: Maritime Delimitation in the Caribbean Sea and the Pacific Ocean, as well as Costa Rica vs. Nicaragua: Land Boundary in the Northern Part of Isla Portillos.

Costa Rica is calling on the U.N.'s highest court to define the borders between both countries on their eastern and western shores. The countries have been at odds for year over territorial disputes, particularly over a construction project near the remote mouth of the San Juan River that marks their shared border in the Caribbean.

In 2015, the court ruled Nicaragua violated Costa Rica's territory by establishing a military camp in the area.

"Costa Rica asks the court to 'determine the precise location of the land boundary separating both ends of the Los Portillos/Harbor Head Lagoon sandbar from Isla Portillos, and in doing so to determine that the only Nicaraguan territory existing today in the area of Isla Portillos is limited to the enclave consisting of Los Portillos/Harbor Head Lagoon and the sandbar separating the Lagoon from the Caribbean Sea, insofar as this sandbar remains above water at all times and thus this enclave is capable of constituting territory appertaining to a state,'" a press release from January detailing Costa Rica's complaint reads.