Explore Azerbaijan
Azerbaijan with its capital Baku is located in Asia (Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea). It covers some 86,601 square kilometers (about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania) with a population of 9,961,400. Azerbaijani, Russian and Armenian are the languages spoken by people in Azerbaijan (consider regional differences). Armenia, Georgia, Iran, Russia and Turkey are bordering countries.
Azerbaijan is a Turkic state in the Caucasus of Southeastern Europe and Asia. It achieved independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Azerbaijan is known for having nine of the 11 existing ecological zones, although a great deal of it is dry and semiarid steppe. To enter Azerbaijan, an entry visa is required for most countries. If you are planning your visit from your home country, it is a good idea to try to get your visa from an Azerbaijani consulate. Buses, minibuses (marshrutka), and taxis connect most cities. There is often a hub such as a bus station near the bazaar in these cities. The fares for buses and minibuses are posted usually in both old and new manat(qupik). Keep in mind that import and export of manat (local currency) is strictly forbidden.
Popular Destinations in Azerbaijan
Administrative regions of Azerbaijan
About the country
The topography is 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) to the west with Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea. The average density of population is about 115 per km². The climate in Azerbaijan can be described as dry, semiarid steppe. Potential natural disasters are droughts.
To reach someone Azerbaijan dial +994 prior to a number. The local cellular networks are operated on 900 MHz, 1800 MHz, 3G, 4G. Websites typically end with the top level domain ".az". If you want to bring electric appliances (e.g. battery chaarger), keep in min the local 220 V - 50 Hz (plugs: C, F). The sign for the locally used currency Manat is AZM.
Three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in the red band; the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to Islam; the crescent moon and star are a Turkic insignia; the eight star points represent the eight Turkic peoples of the world.
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 ethnic Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous republic within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the territory's status. Armenia and Azerbaijan reignited their dispute over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated militarily 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 US, 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 and approved extending presidential terms from 5 to 7 years in 2016, 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, as well as the court system.
Geography
Area |
Total (World Rank: 114) |
86,600 | sq km |
Land (World Rank: 113) |
82,629 | sq km |
Water (World Rank: 73) |
3,971 | sq km |
Forest (World Rank: 49) |
32.10 | % |
Comparative |
about three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Maine
| |
Note |
includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
| |
Landborder |
2468 |
Elevation |
Lowest point (World Rank: 55) |
-28 | m |
Highest point (World Rank: 37) |
4,466 | m |
Agricultural land |
Total (World Rank: 51) |
57.60 | % |
Arable (World Rank: 46) |
22.80 | % |
Permanent crops (World Rank: 78) |
2.70 | % |
Permanent pastures (World Rank: 49) |
32.10 | % |
Irrigated land (World Rank: 39) |
14,277 | sq km |
Map reference |
Asia |
Environment |
Issues |
- - and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton
- - and water pollution
- - from the use of DDT pesticide
- - local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air
- - soil
- - soil pollution results from oil spills
|
Agreement party |
- - Air Pollution
- - Biodiversity
- - Climate Change
- - Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol
- - Desertification
- - Endangered Species
- - Hazardous Wastes
- - Marine Dumping
- - Ozone Layer Protection
- - Ship Pollution
- - Wetlands
|
Hazzards |
droughts
| |
Location |
Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range |
Climate |
dry, semiarid steppe |
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) to the west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea |
People
Population |
Total (World Rank: 90) |
9,961,400 | |
Deathrate (World Rank: 127) |
0.71 | % |
Birthrate (World Rank: 115) |
1.58 | % |
Growthrate (World Rank: 123) |
0.87 | % |
Fertility rate (World Rank: 136) |
1.89 | % |
Median age |
Male (World Rank: 112) |
29.80 | |
Female
(World Rank: 94) |
33.00 | |
Age structure |
0 14 male
(World Rank: 89) |
1,220,360 | |
0 14 female (World Rank: 94) |
1,065,510 | |
15 24 male (World Rank: 87) |
775,422 | |
15 24 female (World Rank: 89) |
703,027 | |
25 54 male (World Rank: 77) |
2,219,610 | |
25 54 female (World Rank: 73) |
2,302,360 | |
55 64 male (World Rank: 75) |
467,830 | |
55 64 female (World Rank: 69) |
545,505 | |
65 x male (World Rank: 95) |
253,679 | |
65 x female (World Rank: 86) |
408,094 | |
Health |
Infant mortality rate (World Rank: 70) |
2.38 | % |
Life expectancy total (World Rank: 141) |
73 | years |
Life expectancy female (World Rank: 132) |
76 | years |
Life expectancy male (World Rank: 145) |
70 | years |
Physicians per 1000 (World Rank: 26) |
3.40 | |
Hospital bed per 1000 (World Rank: 43) |
4.70 | |
Sanitation access total (World Rank: 102) |
89.30 | % |
Obesity adult (World Rank: 107) |
19.90 | % |
Drinking water access (World Rank: 146) |
87.00 | % |
Energy
Electricity |
Production (World Rank: 72) |
23,300,000,000 | kWh |
Consumption (World Rank: 70) |
20,270,000,000 | kWh |
Export (World Rank: 71) |
265,000,000 | kWh |
Import (World Rank: 95) |
108,000,000 | kWh |
Source fossil (World Rank: 79) |
84.50 | % |
Source nuclear (World Rank: 101) |
14.60 | % |
Source renew (World Rank: 134) |
1.00 | % |
Crude oil |
Production (World Rank: 22) |
833,500 | bbl / day |
Exports (World Rank: 18) |
721,600 | bbl / day |
Proved reserves (World Rank: 20) |
7,000,000,000 | bbl |
Refined products |
Production (World Rank: 59) |
142,100 | bbl / day |
Consumption (World Rank: 80) |
101,000 | bbl / day |
Export (World Rank: 54) |
46,770 | bbl / day |
Import (World Rank: 156) |
6,171 | bbl / day |
Natural gas |
Production (World Rank: 26) |
29,370,000,000 | m³ |
Consumption (World Rank: 44) |
18,200,000,000 | m³ |
Export (World Rank: 26) |
7,320,000,000 | m³ |
Import (World Rank: 58) |
0 | m³ |
Carbon footprint |
35000000 |
Nation
Budget |
Education (World Rank: 154) |
3 | % of GDP |
Military (World Rank: 19) |
4 | % of GDP |
Health (World Rank: 104) |
6 | % of GDP |
Surplus (World Rank: 49) |
-0 | % of GDP |
National symbol |
flames of fire |
National colours |
red |
Adjective |
Azerbaijani |
Noun |
Azerbaijani(s) |
Background |
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 ethnic Armenian-populated region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous republic within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the territory's status. Armenia and Azerbaijan reignited their dispute over the area in 1988; the struggle escalated militarily 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 US, 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 and approved extending presidential terms from 5 to 7 years in 2016, 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, as well as the court system. |
Flag description |
three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in the red band; the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to Islam; the crescent moon and star are a Turkic insignia; the eight star points represent the eight Turkic peoples of the world |
Economy
Gdp |
Purchasing power parity (World Rank: 72) |
165,700,000,000 | USD |
Real growth rate (World Rank: 206) |
-3.10 | % |
Per capita purchasing power parity (World Rank: 94) |
17,500 | USD |
Source agriculture (World Rank: 118) |
6.00 | % |
Source industry (World Rank: 7) |
51.70 | % |
Source service (World Rank: 197) |
42.30 | % |
Labourforce |
Total (World Rank: 81) |
5,032,000 | |
In poverty (World Rank: 162) |
4.90 | % |
Products |
Industries |
- - cement
- - chemicals
- - iron ore
- - natural gas
- - oilfield equipment
- - petrochemicals
- - petroleum
- - petroleum products
- - steel
- - textiles
|
Agriculture |
- - cattle
- - cotton
- - fruit
- - goats
- - grain
- - grapes
- - pigs
- - rice
- - sheep
- - tea
- - tobacco
- - vegetables
|
Exports |
- - cotton
- - foodstuffs
- - gas roughly
- - machinery
- - oil
|
Imports |
- - chemicals
- - equipment
- - foodstuffs
- - machinery
- - metals
|
Communication
Phone |
Landline total (World Rank: 60) |
1,700,230 | |
Landline per 100 (World Rank: 108) |
17.00 | |
Mobile per 100 (World Rank: 129) |
104.00 | |
Assessment |
0
| |
Internet |
Users (World Rank: 55) |
7,720,500 | |
Population (World Rank: 52) |
78.20 | % |
Transport
Air |
Airports paved (World Rank: 60) |
30.00 | |
Airports unpaved (World Rank: 142) |
7.00 | |
Heliports (World Rank: 84) |
1.00 | |
Rail |
Total length (World Rank: 62) |
2,944 | |
Road |
Total length (World Rank: 76) |
52,942 | |
Paved length (World Rank: 57) |
26,789 | |
Unpaved length (World Rank: 57) |
26,153 | |