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Azerbaijan Country Guide
Explore Azerbaijan in Asia
The landscape offers 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 with Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea. The average density of population is approximately 94 per km². The notable climate conditions in Azerbaijan can be described as dry, semiarid steppe. Potential threats by nature are droughts.
To reach someone in Azerbaijan dial +994 prior to a number. There are 1,397,000 installed telephones. And there are 7,757,000 registered mobile phones. The cellular networks commonly support frequencies of 900 MHz. Websites registered in this country end with the top level domain ".az". If you want to bring electric equipment on your trip (e.g. laptop power supply), note the local power outlet of 220V - 50Hz.
About the flag and history of Azerbaijan
Three equal horizontal bands of 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 is an Islamic symbol, while the eight-pointed star represents 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 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.
National administrative regions of Azerbaijan
- Abseron
- Agdam
- Agdas
- Aghjabadi Rayon
- Agstafa
- Agsu
- Ali Bajramly
- Astara
- Azerbaijan (general)
- Baki
- Balakan Rayon
- Barda Rayon
- Beylaqan
- Bilasuvar Rayon
- Cabrayil Rayonu
- Calilabad
- Dashkasan Rayon
- Davachi Rayon
- Fuezuli
- Gadabay Rayon
- Ganja City
- Goeycay
- Goranboy
- Goygol Rayon
- Haciqabul
- Imisli
- Ismayilli
- Kalbacar Rayonu
- Kurdamir Rayon
- Lacin
- Lankaran
- Lankaran Sahari
- Lerik
- Masalli
- Mingacevir City
- Naftalan
- Nakhichevan
- Neftcala
- Oguz
- Qabala Rayon
- Qakh Rayon
- Qazax
- Qobustan
- Quba
- Qubadli
- Qusar
- Saatli
- Sabirabad
- Salyan
- Samaxi
- Samux
- Shaki City
- Shaki Rayon
- Shamkir Rayon
- Siazan Rayon
- Sumqayit
- Susa
- Susa Sahari
- Tartar Rayon
- Tovuz
- Ucar
- Xacmaz
- Xankandi Sahari
- Xizi
- Xocali
- Xocavand Rayonu
- Yardimli
- Yevlax
- Yevlax City
- Zangilan Rayon
- Zaqatala
- Zardab
Geography Quick-Facts
| Summary | Continent: Asia Neighbours: Georgia, Iran, Armenia, Turkey, Russia Capital: Baku |
| Size | 86,600 square kilometers (km² or sqkm) or 33,436 square miles (mi² or sqmi) slightly smaller than Maine |
| Population | 8,177,000 |
| Currency | Name Manat, Currency Code:AZM |
| Country Top Level Domain (cTLD) | .az |
| Telephone Country Prefix | +994 |
| Mobile Phone Connections | 7,757,000 |
| Landline Phone Connections | 1,397,000 |
Country Position in World Rankings
Information about single country attributes and how these compare against the rest of the world. The information below is compiled with data from 2013. As such, it may differ a bit to the Information above in the text (which is from 2010).
Geography
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Area | 86,600 (sq km) | 113 |
People and Society
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Population | 9,590,159 | 91 |
| Population growth rate | 1.01 (%) | 113 |
| Birth rate | 17.17 (births/1,000 population) | 111 |
| Death rate | 7.11 (deaths/1,000 population) | 127 |
| Maternal mortality rate | 43.00 (deaths/100,000 live births) | 113 |
| Infant mortality rate | 27.69 (deaths/1,000 live births) | 70 |
| Life expectancy at birth | 71.61 (years) | 142 |
| Total fertility rate | 1.92 (children born/woman) | 137 |
| Health expenditures | 5.90 (% of GDP) | 111 |
| HIV/AIDS - adult prevalence rate | 0.10 (%) | 113 |
| HIV/AIDS - people living with HIV/AIDS | 3,600 | 125 |
| HIV/AIDS - deaths | 200 | 108 |
| Obesity - adult prevalence rate | 23.80 (%) | 71 |
| Children under the age of 5 years underweight | 8.40 (%) | 73 |
| Education expenditures | 2.80 (% of GDP) | 148 |
| Unemployment, youth ages 15-24 | 14.70 (%) | 86 |
Economy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| GDP (purchasing power parity) | 98,360,000,000 | 75 |
| GDP - real growth rate | 2.20 (%) | 129 |
| GDP - per capita (PPP) | 10,700 | 113 |
| Labor force | 6,206,000 | 66 |
| Unemployment rate | 1.00 (%) | 7 |
| Distribution of family income - Gini index | 33.70 | 95 |
| Investment (gross fixed) | 17.20 (% of GDP) | 124 |
| Taxes and other revenues | 33.80 (% of GDP) | 71 |
| Budget surplus (+) or deficit (-) | -3.30 (% of GDP) | 119 |
| Public debt | 5.40 (% of GDP) | 149 |
| Inflation rate (consumer prices) | 7.40 (%) | 179 |
| Central bank discount rate | 5.25 (%) | 66 |
| Commercial bank prime lending rate | 19.00 (%) | 19 |
| Stock of narrow money | 14,160,000,000 | 68 |
| Stock of broad money | 17,680,000,000 | 90 |
| Stock of domestic credit | 13,780,000,000 | 91 |
| Industrial production growth rate | -5.20 (%) | 162 |
| Current account balance | 12,300,000,000 | 24 |
| Exports | 30,580,000,000 | 64 |
| Imports | 10,780,000,000 | 92 |
| Reserves of foreign exchange and gold | 9,870,000,000 | 75 |
| Debt - external | 4,042,000,000 | 128 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - at home | 11,700,000,000 | 81 |
| Stock of direct foreign investment - abroad | 6,923,000,000 | 59 |
Energy
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Electricity - production | 20,000,000,000 (kWh) | 74 |
| Electricity - consumption | 13,480,000,000 (kWh) | 80 |
| Electricity - exports | 380,000,000 (kWh) | 64 |
| Electricity - imports | 110,000,000 (kWh) | 93 |
| Electricity - installed generating capacity | 5,798,000 (kW) | 72 |
| Electricity - from fossil fuels | 82.30 (% of total installed capacity) | 91 |
| Electricity - from hydroelectric plants | 17.70 (% of total installed capacity) | 98 |
| Crude oil - production | 987,000 (bbl/day) | 21 |
| Crude oil - exports | 821,000 (bbl/day) | 16 |
| Crude oil - proved reserves | 7,000,000,000 (bbl) | 21 |
| Refined petroleum products - production | 161,100 (bbl/day) | 63 |
| Refined petroleum products - consumption | 168,000 (bbl/day) | 64 |
| Refined petroleum products - exports | 63,950 (bbl/day) | 54 |
| Refined petroleum products - imports | 1,426 (bbl/day) | 188 |
| Natural gas - production | 16,680,000,000 (cu m) | 37 |
| Natural gas - consumption | 9,921,000,000 (cu m) | 48 |
| Natural gas - exports | 6,755,000,000 (cu m) | 28 |
| Natural gas - proved reserves | 849,500,000,000 (cu m) | 27 |
| Carbon dioxide emissions from consumption of energy | 35,120,000 (Mt) | 73 |
Communications
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Telephones - main lines in use | 1,684,000 | 64 |
| Telephones - mobile cellular | 10,120,000 | 76 |
| Internet hosts | 46,856 | 98 |
| Internet users | 2,420,000 | 70 |
Transportation
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Airports | 37 | 109 |
| Railways | 2,918 (km) | 57 |
| Roadways | 52,942 (km) | 76 |
| Merchant marine | 90 | 53 |
Military
| Value name | Value | World Rank |
|---|---|---|
| Military expenditures | 2.60 (% of GDP) | 50 |
Data based on CIA facts book 2010 & 2013, wikipedia, national statistical offices and their census releases
List of current world heritage sites
| Name | Since |
|---|---|
| Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape Gobustan Rock Art Cultural Landscape covers three areas of a plateau of rocky boulders rising out of the semi-desert of central Azerbaijan, with an outstanding collection of more than 6,000 rock engravings bearing testimony to 40,000 years of rock ar ... | 2007 |
| Walled City of Baku with the Shirvanshah's Palace and Maiden Tower Built on a site inhabited since the Palaeolithic period, the Walled City of Baku reveals evidence of Zoroastrian, Sasanian, Arabic, Persian, Shirvani, Ottoman, and Russian presence in cultural continuity. The Inner City (Icheri Sheher) has preserved ... | 2000 |