Azerbaijan Country statistics
area: | 86,600sq km (33,436sq mi) 8,141,400 |
capital (population): | Baku (1,817,900) |
government: | Federal multi-party republic |
ethnic groups: | Azerbaijani 90% |
languages: | Azeri, official |
religions: | Shi'a Muslim 60%, Sunni Muslim 40%, Christian 3% |
currency: | Manat = 100 gopik |
Republic in
sw Asia. Azerbaijan lies in
e Transcaucasia, bordering the
Caspian Sea to the
e. The
Caucasus Mountains are in the
n and include Azerbaijan's highest peak, Mount Bazar-Dyuzi, at 4480m (14,698ft). Another highland region, including the Little Caucasus Mountains and part of the rugged Armenian plateau, lies in the
sw. Between these regions lies a broad plain drained by the River Kura; its eastern part (
s of the capital,
Baku) lies below sea level. Azerbaijan also includes the autonomous republic of
Nakhichevan on the Iran frontier, totally cut off from the rest of the state by
Armenia.
Climate and Vegetation
Azerbaijan has hot summers and cool winters. The rainfall is low on the plains, ranging from
c.130 to 380mm (5 to 15in) a year, but is much higher in the highlands and on the subtropical
se coast. Forests of beech, oak, and pine trees grow on the mountain slopes, while the dry lowlands comprise grassy steppe or semidesert.
History and Politics
In ancient times, the area now called Azerbaijan was invaded many times. Arab armies introduced Islam in 642, but most modern Azerbaijanis are descendants of Persians and Turkic peoples who migrated to the area from the
e by the 9th century. Azerbaijan was ruled by the
Mongols between the 13th and 15th centuries and then by the Persian
Safavid dynasty. By the early 19th century it was under Russian control.
After the Russian Revolution of 1917, attempts were made to form a Transcaucasian Federation made up of Armenia, Azerbaijan, and
Georgia. When these attempts failed, Azerbaijanis set up an independent state, but Soviet forces occupied the area in 1920. In 1922, Azerbaijan was subsumed into the Soviet Republic of
Transcaucasia, but in 1936 it became a separate socialist republic of the
Soviet Union.
In the late 1980s, the Soviet Union, under Mikhail
Gorbachev, introduced social and political reforms. In 1991, the Soviet Union collapsed and, like its neighbours, Azerbaijan gained independence. In 1992, Abulfaz Elchibey became president in Azerbaijan's first contested election. In 1993, Elchibey fled and Heydar Aliev, former head of the Communist Party and the KGB in Azerbaijan, assumed the presidency. He was elected later that year and Azerbaijan joined the Commonwealth of Independent States
(CIS).
Since independence, economic progress has been slow, largely because of civil unrest in
Nagorno-Karabakh, a large enclave within Azerbaijan where the majority of the population are Christian Armenians. In 1992, Armenia occupied the area between its
e border and Nagorno-Karabakh, while ethnic Armenians took over Nagorno-Karabakh itself. The ensuing war killed thousands of people and resulted in mass migrations of both Armenians and Azerbaijanis. In 1994, a ceasefire left
c.20% of Azerbaijan under Armenian control. There was little sign of a long-term solution to the problem, however, and sporadic fighting continues. In 1998, Aliev was re-elected president. In 2001, Azerbaijan joined the Council of Europe. In 2003, Aliev's son Ilham Aliev became president after Heydar was forced to withdraw from elections due to ill health.
Economy
With its economy in disarray since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, Azerbaijan now ranks among the world's lower-middle-income countries (2000 GDP per capita, US$3000). Its chief resource is oil – Azerbaijan is the oldest centre of production in the world – with the main oilfields in the Baku region, both on the shores of the Caspian Sea and in the sea itself. In 1994, Aliev invited Western companies to develop and exploit the offshore oil deposits. Manufacturing, including oil refining and the production of chemicals, machinery, and textiles, is the most valuable activity. Large areas of land are irrigated, and crops include cotton, fruit, grains, tea, tobacco, and vegetables. Fishing is still important, although the Caspian Sea is becoming increasingly polluted. Under the communists, most economic activity was subject to strict state control, but (as with most other former Soviet republics) private enterprise is now encouraged.
Political map
Physical map
Websites
http://www.ilham-aliyev.org/s29_information/_information_e.html; http://www.mys.azeri.com
