The South American territorial disputes are the
territorial disputes and
litigations that have developed in
South America since the aftermath of the continent's
wars of independence, which have shaped the current
political geography of the region. These conflicts have been resolved through both military and diplomatic means. The most recent conflict in the Americas of this nature was the
Cenepa War in 1995, between Ecuador and Peru.[1]
History
18th century conflicts
Guaraní War (1753–1756): Armed conflict involving the
Guarani tribes of the
Jesuit missions against Spanish and Portuguese troops, as a consequence of the
Treaty of Madrid, which defined a demarcation line between Spanish and Portuguese colonial territory in South America. The established boundary was demarcated by the
Uruguay River, with
Portugal owning the territory to the east of the river and
Spain to the west. With this, the seven Jesuit missions east of the Uruguay River, known as the Misiones Orientales, were to be dismantled and moved to the Spanish west side of the river. A combined force of 3,000 Spanish and Portuguese soldiers fought the Guarani in the
Battle of Caiboaté [
pt]. In the end, the Spanish–Portuguese joint army occupied the seven Missions, the Guarani were evacuated to the west of the Uruguay River, the allied army remained in the Missions for ten months, the Portuguese retreated to the
Pardo River without being able to agree on the border at the
headwaters of the
Ibicuí River and without handing over
Colonia del Sacramento to Spain.[2][3][4][5]
Cisplatine War (1825–1828): Conflict over the possession of Cisplatina Province, at that time part of the
Empire of Brazil, and formerly of the
United Provinces of the Río de la Plata, today Argentina. The war concluded with the territory becoming the new state of Uruguay instead of its reincorporation to the United Provinces.[7]
Paraná War (1845–1850): Armed conflict between the governments of
France and
England (with the support of the Unitarian Party of Argentina and the
Colorado Party of Uruguay) against the
National Party of Uruguay and the
Argentine federals in the framework of the Guerra Grande of Uruguay and the Argentine Civil War that ended with the victory of the Argentine Confederation. The conflict began with the Anglo-French blockade of the
Río de la Plata, which had as its motive to harm the federal side and pressure so that the two European powers could be awarded maritime rights and, above all, river rights in Argentine territory.[11]
Spanish–South American War (1865–1866): Armed conflict that took place on the Chilean and Peruvian coasts, in which
Spain fought on the one hand, against Peru and Chile, mainly, and
Bolivia and
Ecuador, to a lesser degree. The diplomatic conflict began between Peru and Spain due to what became known as the
Talambo incident [
es] and the occupation of the
Chincha Islands by the
Spanish Navy on April 14, 1864. The conflict ended with the official recognition of Peru's independence by Spain.
First Ecuadorian–Peruvian War (1857–1860): Armed conflict that began when Ecuador attempted to sell
Amazon basin land claimed by Peru in order to settle a debt with British creditors. When diplomatic relations between the two countries broke down, prior to the fragmentation of the Ecuadorian government into several competing factions, the Peruvian government ordered a blockade of Ecuador's ports in order to force the cancellation of the sale, and the official acknowledgement of Peruvian ownership of the disputed territories. The conflict ended with the occupation of Guayaquil and the signing of the
Treaty of Mapasingue, which temporarily ended the dispute between both states.
Paraguayan War (1864–1870): Armed conflict between Paraguay and the
Triple Alliance, a coalition made up of Brazil, Uruguay and Argentina. The conflict began at the end of 1864 between Brazil and Paraguay, with the Triple Alliance being formed the next year. As a result, Paraguay lost a large part of its territory (160,000 km²).[12]
Acre War (1899–1903): Armed conflict between Bolivia and Brazil that also affected Peru for the control of the territory of
Acre, rich in
rubber trees and
gold deposits. It concluded with the victory of Brazil and the consequent annexation of territories that belonged or had been claimed by Bolivia and Peru.[13]
20th century conflicts
Chaco War (1932–1935): Armed conflict between Paraguay and Bolivia over the control of the
Chaco Boreal. It was the largest-scale contemporary war that took place in South America, mobilizing nearly half a million men, it is also the first on the continent in which conventional weapons such as tanks, machine guns and tactics such as trench warfare are used. The first air battle fought in Latin American skies took place in this conflict.[14]
Colombia–Peru War (1932–1933): Armed conflict between Colombia and Peru that took place in the regions near the
Putumayo River and the city of
Leticia, for the sovereignty of
this area of the Amazon basin rich in rubber trees. The war ended with the ratification of the
Salomón-Lozano Treaty of 1922.[15]
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War (1941): Border war fought between July 5–31, 1941. During the war, Peru occupied the western
Ecuadorian province of
El Oro and parts of the Andean province of Loja. Although the war took place during
World War II, it is unrelated to that conflict, as neither country was supported by either the
Allies or the
Axis.
Beagle conflict (1978): Territorial dispute between Argentina and Chile over the determination of the layout of the eastern mouth of the
Beagle Channel, which affected the sovereignty of the islands located within and to the south of the channel, and to the east of
Cape Horn and its adjacent maritime spaces.
Paquisha War (1981): Military clash that took place between January and February 1981 between Ecuador and Peru over the control of three watchposts. While Peru felt that the matter was already decided in the
Ecuadorian–Peruvian War of 1941, Ecuador claimed that the
Rio de Janeiro Protocol was not executable because a 78 km section of the border was not precisely defined.[16]
Cenepa War (1995): Brief and localized military conflict between Ecuador and Peru, fought over control of an area in the
Cordillera del Cóndor, near the border between the two countries. The conflict is the most recent of its nature.[1]
^Brasil, Ptolomeu de Assis (1938). Batalha de Caiboaté: episódio culminante da Guerra das Missões (in Portuguese). Porto Alegre: Ed. Globo.
^Wiederspahn, Henrique Oscar (1956). Das guerras Cisplatinas às guerras contra Rózas e contra o Paraguai (in Portuguese). Editora Regional. {{
cite book}}: |work= ignored (
help)
^Carneiro, David (1946). História da Guerra Cisplatina (in Portuguese). Companhia Editora Nacional.