The court did not expressly forbid Venezuela to hold a planned Dec. 3 referendum over its rights to the region around the Esequibo river, the subject of the long-running border dispute, as Guyana has requested.
However, judges at the International Court of Justice - as the World Court is formally known - made clear that any concrete action to alter the status quo should be stopped.
"The court observes that the situation that currently prevails in the territory in dispute is that Guyana administers and exercises control over that area," presiding judge Joan Donoghue said.
"Venezuela must refrain from taking any action which would modify that situation," she added.
Venezuela reactivated its claim over the area in recent years after the discovery of offshore oil and gas.
Persons:
Joan Donoghue, Nicolas Maduro, Irfaan Ali, Stephanie van den Berg, Bart Meijer, Kiana Wilburg, Alex Richardson
Organizations:
HAGUE, International Court of Justice, Thomson
Locations:
Essequibo, Esequiba, Guyana, Caracas, Venezuela, Georgetown