Azerbaijan
Republic of Azerbaijan
Capital: Baku (Baki, Baky)
History
Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Shia Muslim population - was briefly independent (from 1918 to 1920) following the collapse of the Russian Empire; it was subsequently incorporated into the Soviet Union for seven decades. Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous region within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the status of the territory. Armenia and Azerbaijan began fighting over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated after both countries attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By May 1994, when a cease-fire took hold, ethnic Armenian forces held not only Nagorno-Karabakh but also seven surrounding provinces in the territory of Azerbaijan. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia, is the framework established to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Corruption in the country is widespread, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced and infrastructure investment has increased substantially in recent years due to revenue from oil and gas production, reforms have not adequately addressed weaknesses in most government institutions, particularly in the education and health sectors. In January 2012, Azerbaijan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.
Geography
Metric Units
|
Total Area
|
86,600
sq km
|
| Land Boundaries |
2,013
km
|
| Border Countries |
Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km, Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km |
| Coastline |
0
km
|
| Terrain |
large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland, much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea |
| Minimum Elevation |
-28
m
|
| Maximum Elevation |
4,485
m
|
| Climate |
dry, semiarid steppe |
| Natural Resources |
petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite |
| Arable Land |
21.78% |
| Permanent Crops |
2.62% |
Economy
Budget & Debt
Trade
| Exports |
$30.58 billion |
| Export Items |
oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs |
| Export Partners |
Italy 32.6%, France 13.3%, US 7.6%, Germany 6.3%, Indonesia 5.4%, Czech Republic 5.3% (2011) |
| Imports |
$10.78 billion |
| Import Items |
machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals |
| Import Partners |
Turkey 18.1%, Russia 15.4%, China 7.8%, Germany 7.2%, UK 6.1%, Ukraine 4.6%, Italy 4.2% (2011) |
People
| Population |
9,590,159 |
| Population Growth |
1.01% |
| Ethnic Groups |
Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census) |
| Religion |
Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) |
| Life Expectancy |
71.61 years |
| Infant Mortality |
0.98 deaths/1,000 live births |
| Maternal Mortality |
1.4 deaths/100,000 live births |
Energy
