Republic of Azerbaijan

COUNTRY NAME:

• Conventional long form: Republic of Azerbaijan
• Conventional short form: Azerbaijan
• Local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
• Local short form: Azarbaycan
• Former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

AZERBAIJAN ETYMOLOGY:

• Azerbaijan derives its name from “Atropates” a satrap of Persia under the Achaemenid Empire.
• The word is believed to have Zoroastrian origins.
• The “Hymn to the Guardian Angles” has a mention of a phrase “"we worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata"
•  Atropates reigned over the Iranian Azerbaijan.
• The name "Atropates" translates to "protected by fire”.

AZERBAIJAN CAPITAL CITY:

• Baku is the capital city of Azerbaijan.
• Baku is also the largest city.

AZERBAIJAN CURRENCY:

• Manat is the official currency of Azerbaijan.

AZERBAIJAN HISTORY:

• In ancient times, parts of Azerbaijan were referred to as “Caucasian Albania”.
• The region was disputed by Arabs, Kazars and Turks at different points in history.
• After the 11th century, Turks took over the region and propagated the Shiite Muslim culture.
• In the early 1800s, Soviet gained control over Azerbaijan through the Treaty of Gulistan and the Treaty of Turkmanchai.
• Azerbaijan gained independence from Russia in May 1918 after the Bolshevik Revolution.
• The country was re-conquered in 1920 by the Red Army.
• It was annexed into the Transcaucasian Soviet Socialist Republic in 1922.
• Azerbaijan was later reestablished as a separate Soviet Republic on Dec. 5, 1936.
• Azerbaijan declared independence from the Soviet Union on Aug. 30, 1991.
• The enclave of Nagorno-Karabakh has been a constant cause of conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan since 1988.
• War broke out in 1988 when Nagorno-Karabakh tried to annex itself to Armenia.
• The war resulted in large number of causalities before it ended in 1994.
• The territorial dispute remains unresolved till date.
• Since 1994, the government of Azerbaijan has been working towards generating revenues through the country’s rich oil resources.

AZERBAIJAN DEMOGRAPHICS:

The ethnic groups in Azerbaijan are distributed as follows:

• Azeri: 90.6%
• Dagestani: 2.2%
• Russian: 1.8%
• Armenian: 1.5%
• Other: 3.9% 
• Almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region.
• Religious affiliation is nominal in Azerbaijan.

AZERBAIJAN GOVERNMENT AND POLITICS:

• Azerbaijan is run by a republic government.
• Administrative divisions comprise of 59 rayons, 11 cities and 1 autonomous republic.
• Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918) is observed as a national holiday.
• The  Constitution was adopted on 12 November 1995.
• The legal system is based on civil law system.
• The country has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction.
• The president is the chief of state.
• The prime minister is the head of government.
• The Council of Ministers is appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly.
• The president is elected by popular vote for a five-year term.
• The prime minister and first deputy prime minister are appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly.
• The Legislative branch is a unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis comprising of 125 seats.
• The Judicial branch is represented by the Supreme Court.

AZERBAIJAN CULTURE:

• Azerbaijani belongs to the Altaic family of languages and is very similar to Turkish.
• Majority of the population is Muslim (around 95%).
• Shia Muslims are the dominant sect (75%) as compared to Sunni Muslims (25%).
• Around 5% of the population is Christian out of which most are Russian and Armenian Orthodox Christians.
• Other religions include Jewish and Bahai.
• Historical sites suggest the existence of Hinduism and Zoroastrianism in the region in the past.
• Azerbaijan has a rich tradition of Azeri music.
• Among national musical instruments there are fourteen string instruments, eight percussion instruments and six wind instruments.
• The Chokha and Papakhi are Azerbaijan’s national dresses.

AZERBAIJAN ECONOMY:

• Azerbaijan owes most of its economy to oil exports.
• The country has increased its oil trade multifold in the past few years.
• Azerbaijan faced initial problems in making a shift from a command to a market economy.
• Limited foreign investments in the non-energy sector and conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region have adversely affected the economy.
• Corruption and inflation are other factors that impede economic growth.
• GDP (purchasing power parity) as calculated in 2007 was $65.47 billion.
• 4.3% of the population is unemployed.
• 24% of the population is below poverty line.
• Agricultural produce includes cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco, cattle, pigs, sheep and goats.
• The major industries are petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals and textiles.
• As per 2007 estimate, the industrial production growth rate was 25%.
• Exported commodities include oil and gas, machinery, cotton and foodstuffs.
• Imported commodities include machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals and chemicals.

AZERBAIJAN INFRASTRUCTURE:

• Telephone services in Azerbaijan are inadequate and limited.
• Since the only services available are owned by the state, there is little development and modernization.
• Cellular services are gradually expanding in network and quality due to increasing competition.
• There are a total of 27 radio broadcast stations.
• There are 2 television broadcast stations.
• Internet services are limited to major towns and cities.
• Azerbaijan has 35 airports in all out of which 27 have paved runways.
• The country’s railway network is 2,122 km long.
• Roadways span over 59,141 km.
• Azerbaijan’s merchant marine comprises of 86 ships.
• The main ports and terminals are located at Baku.

AZERBAIJAN EDUCATION:

• 98.8% of the total population is literate.
• Male: 99.5%
• Female: 98.2%

AZERBAIJAN NEIGHBORING COUNTRIES:

Azerbaijan is surrounded by:

• Caspian Sea (east)
• Russia  (north)
• Georgia (west and northwest)
• Armenia (southwest)
• Iran (south)

The Azerbaijani exclave of Nakhchivan is bordered by:

• Armenia (north and east)
• Iran (south) and
• Turkey (west and southwest)

AZERBAIJAN GEOGRAPHICAL SETTINGS:

• Azerbaijan is located in southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea.
• Its geographic coordinates are 40 30 N, 47 30 E.
• The country spans a total area of 86,600 sq km
• The climate is dry in almost all seasons with a semiarid steppe.
• The terrain comprises of large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north and Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) in west.
• Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea.
• The highest peak is Bazarduzu Dagi standing at 4,485 m.
• Natural resources include petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals and bauxite.
• 20.62% of the land is arable.
• Droughts are common in the region.
• Pollution and toxic wastes in the Caspian Sea is a major environmental concern.
• Both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked.

AZERBAIJAN FREEDOM:

Azerbaijan gained freedom form the Soviet Union on 30 August 1991.

AZERBAIJAN NOTABLE PEOPLE IN THE COUNTRY:

• Mstislav Rostropovich: (1927- ) - cellist
• Garry Kimovich Kasparov: (1963- ) - chess player
• Lev Davidovich Landau: (1908-1968) - theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate
• Kara Karayev: (1918-1982) – musician
• Arif Melikov: (1933- ) – composer and musician
• Samad Vurgun: (1906-1956) - Poet, playwriter, academician
• Fikrat Amirov: (1922-1985) – vocalist
• Bul-Bul: (1897-1971)- classical musician and singer

AZERBAIJAN COUNTRY FAMOUS FOR:

• Historical sites like Gobustan State Reserve, the Fire Temple of Baku, the Momine Khatun Mausoleum and the Khan Palace in Sheki are recognized by the UNESCO World Heritage.

AZERBAIJAN TOTAL POPULATION:

• According to a 2008 estimate, the total population of Azerbaijan was 8,177,717.
• The population growth rate is 0.723% (2008 est.)
• Birth rate: 17.52 births/1,000 population (2008 est.)
• Death rate: 8.32 deaths/1,000 population (2008 est.)

PREVIOUS RECORDS MEDALS:

• Azerbaijan has been competing in the Olympic Games since 1996.
• Azerbaijani athletes have won a total of nine medals at the Summer Olympic Games, in wrestling, shooting, and boxing.
• The country’s Olympic records are as follows: