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Background: In 1806, Azerbaijan, a region of Turkic Muslim people, was conquered by the Russians. In 1918, Azerbaijan declared independence from Russia, but was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920. It again declared its independence in 1991, following the collapse of the USSR. The conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region is still unresolved after 10 years and Baku has yet to settle disputes with its neighbors over oil rights in the Caspian Sea. During the war, Karabakh Armenians declared independence and seized almost 20% of the country's territory, creating some 750,000 Azerbaijani refugees in the process. Both sides have generally observed a Russian-mediated cease-fire in place since May 1994.
Location: Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia Geographic coordinates: 40 30 N, 47 30 E Map references: Commonwealth of Independent States Area: Area—comparative: slightly smaller than Maine Land boundaries: Coastline: 0 km (landlocked) Maritime claims: none (landlocked) 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) in west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea Elevation extremes: Natural resources: petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina Land use: Irrigated land: 10,000 sq km (1993 est.) Natural hazards: droughts; some lowland areas threatened by rising levels of the Caspian Sea Environment—current issues: 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, water, and soil pollution; soil pollution results from the use of DDT as a pesticide and also from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton Environment—international agreements: Geography—note: landlocked
Population: 7,908,224 (July 1999 est.) Age structure: Population growth rate: 0.63% (1999 est.) Birth rate: 21.58 births/1,000 population (1999 est.) Death rate: 9.5 deaths/1,000 population (1999 est.) Net migration rate: -5.76 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1999 est.) Sex ratio: Infant mortality rate: 82.52 deaths/1,000 live births (1999 est.) Life expectancy at birth: Total fertility rate: 2.67 children born/woman (1999 est.) Nationality: Ethnic groups: Azeri 90%, Dagestani Peoples 3.2%, Russian 2.5%,
Armenian 2%, other 2.3% (1998 est.) Religions: Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox
2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.) Languages: Azeri 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) Literacy:
Country name: Data code: AJ Government type: republic Capital: Baku (Baki) Administrative divisions: 59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon—singular), 11 cities* (saharlar; sahar—singular), 1 autonomous republic** (muxtar respublika); Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Ali Bayramli Sahari*, Astara Rayonu, Baki Sahari*, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Ganca Sahari*, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lankaran Sahari*, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Mingacevir Sahari*, Naftalan Sahari*, Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi**, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Saki Sahari*, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Sumqayit Sahari*, Susa Rayonu, Susa Sahari*, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xankandi Sahari*, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Yevlax Sahari*, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu Independence: 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union) National holiday: Independence Day, 28 May Constitution: adopted 12 November 1995 Legal system: based on civil law system Suffrage: 18 years of age; universal Executive branch: Legislative branch: unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis
(125 seats; members serve five-year terms) Judicial branch: Supreme Court Political parties and leaders: New Azerbaijan Party or NAP [Heydar ALIYEV, chairman]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or APF [Abulfaz ELCHIBEY, chairman]; Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADOV, chairman]; Musavat Party [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; People's Democratic Party of Azerbaijan [Rafig TURABXANLY]; Democratic Party of Independence of Azerbaijan [Vagit KERIMOV]; Communist Party of Azerbaijan (CPA-2) [Firudin HASANOV]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Zardusht ALIZADE, chairman]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala HAJIYEVA]; Vahdat Party [Leyla YUNUSOV, Gadzhi ALIZADE]; Azerbaijan Democratic Party or ADP [Ilyas ISMAYLOV]; Civic Solidarity [Sabir RUSTAMXANLI]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI] Political pressure groups and leaders: self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement; Sadval, Lezgin movement International organization participation: BSEC, CCC, CE (guest), CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NAM (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer) Diplomatic representation in the US: Diplomatic representation from the US: Flag description: three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band
Economy—overview: Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or Georgia, the other Caucasian states. It resembles the Central Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high structural unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent products are oil, cotton, and natural gas. Production from the Caspian oil field declined through 1997 but registered an increase in 1998. Negotiation of more than a dozen production-sharing arrangements (PSAs) with foreign firms, which have thus far committed $30 billion to oil field development, should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Oil production under the first of these PSAs, with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company, began in November 1997. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the former Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures are slowly being replaced. A major short-term obstacle to economic progress, including stepped up foreign investment, is the continuing conflict with Armenia over the Nagorno-Karabakh region. Trade with Russia and the other former Soviet republics is declining in importance while trade is building up with Turkey, Iran, the UAE, and the nations of Europe. A serious long-term challenge is the maintenance of the competitiveness of non-oil exports in world markets. GDP: purchasing power parity—$12.9 billion (1998 est.) GDP—real growth rate: 10% (1998 est.) GDP—per capita: purchasing power parity—$1,640 (1998 est.) GDP—composition by sector: Population below poverty line: NA% Household income or consumption by percentage share: Inflation rate (consumer prices): -7.6% (1998 est.) Labor force: 2.9 million (1997) Labor force—by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 15%, services 53% (1997) Unemployment rate: 20% (1996 est.) Budget: Industries: petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore, cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles Industrial production growth rate: NA% Electricity—production: 16.035 billion kWh (1996) Electricity—production by source: Electricity—consumption: 16.8 billion kWh (1997) Electricity—exports: 600 million kWh (1996) Electricity—imports: 745 million kWh (1996) Agriculture—products: cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats Exports: $781 million (f.o.b., 1997 est.) Exports—commodities: oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment, textiles, cotton Exports—partners: CIS, European countries, Turkey Imports: $794 million (c.i.f., 1997 est.) Imports—commodities: machinery and parts, consumer durables, foodstuffs, textiles Imports—partners: CIS, European countries, Turkey Debt—external: $100 million (of which $75 million to Russia) Economic aid—recipient: ODA, $113 million (1996) Currency: manat=100 gopiks Exchange rates: manats per US$1—3,865.00 (November 1998), 3,985.38 (1997), 4,301.26 (1996), 4,413.54 (1995), 1,570.23 (1994) Fiscal year: calendar year
Telephones: 1.414 million (1998) Telephone system: Azerbaijani telecommunications fall under
the Ministry of Communications; Azerbaijan's telephone system is a combination
of old Soviet era technology used by Azerbaijani citizens and small- to
medium-size commercial establishments, and modern cellular phones used
by an increasing middle class, large commercial ventures, international
companies, and most government officials; the average citizen waits on
a 200,000-person list for telephone service; Internet and E-mail service
are available in Baku Radio broadcast stations: AM 10, FM 17, shortwave 1 (Azerbaijan's single shortwave station transmits its programs to the Middle East in eight languages) Radios: NA Television broadcast stations: 2; note—the Ministry of Communications is the monopoly broadcaster and rebroadcaster of television in Azerbaijan; Azerbaijani, Russian, Armenian, Iranian, British broadcasting companies, Voice of America, and other European channels are available via satellite; television is broadcast to Nakhichevan by satellite Televisions: NA
Railways: Highways: Pipelines: crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural gas 1,240 km Ports and harbors: Baku (Baki) Merchant marine: Airports: 69 (1996 est.) Airports—with paved runways: Airports—with unpaved runways:
Military branches: Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces, Border Guards Military manpower—military age: 18 years of age Military manpower—availability: Military manpower—fit for military service: Military manpower—reaching military age annually: Military expenditures—dollar figure: $121 million (1999) Military expenditures—percent of GDP: 2.6% (1999)
Disputes—international: Armenia supports ethnic Armenians in the Nagorno-Karabakh region of Azerbaijan in the longstanding, separatist conflict against the Azerbaijani Government; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined among Azerbaijan, Iran, Kazakhstan, Russia, and Turkmenistan Illicit drugs: limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium
poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program;
transshipment point for opiates via Iran, Central Asia, and Russia to
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