CIA - The World Factbook

Azerbaijan - a nation with a majority-Turkic and majority-Muslim population - was briefly independent from 1918 to 1920; it regained its independence after the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a 1994 cease-fire, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh, a primarily Armenian-populated region, assigned to Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s by Moscow. 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. Corruption in the country is ubiquitous, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced in recent years due to revenue from oil production, the promise of widespread wealth resulting from the continued development of Azerbaijan's energy sector remains largely unfulfilled.

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European portion north of the Caucasus range

slightly smaller than Maine

0 km (landlocked); note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (713 km)

dry, semiarid steppe

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

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, bauxite

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, and water pollution; soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton

both the main area of the country and the Naxcivan exclave are landlocked

8,303,512 (July 2010 est.)

17.75 births/1,000 population (2010 est.)

8.28 deaths/1,000 population (July 2010 est.)

-1.42 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2010 est.)

2.03 children born/woman (2010 est.)

less than 0.2% (2007 est.)

fewer than 100 (2007 est.)

Azeri 90.6%, Dagestani 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.9% (1999 census)

Muslim 93.4%, Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)

Azerbaijani (Azeri) 90.3%, Lezgi 2.2%, Russian 1.8%, Armenian 1.5%, other 3.3%, unspecified 1% (1999 census)

59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika)

30 August 1991 (declared from the Soviet Union); 18 October 1991 (adopted by the Supreme Council of Azerbaijan)

Founding of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan, 28 May (1918)

adopted 12 November 1995; modified by referendum 24 August 2002

based on civil law system; has not accepted compulsory ICJ jurisdiction

18 years of age; universal

unicameral National Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote to serve five-year terms)

Azadliq (Freedom) coalition (Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Azerbaijan Popular Front Party, Musavat Party); Azerbaijan Democratic Party or ADP [Sardar JALALOGLU]; Azerbaijan Popular Front or AXCP [Ali KARIMLI]; Civil Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLI]; Civil Unity Party [Sabir HACIYEV]; Classic People's Front of Azerbaijan [Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU]; Democratic Reform Party [Asim MOLLAZADE]; Great Creation Party [Fazil Gazanfaroglu MUSTAFAYEV]; Hope (Umid) Party [Iqbal AGAZADE]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA]; Motherland Party [Fazail AGAMALI]; Musavat (Equality) [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; Open Society Party [Rasul GULIYEV, in exile in the US]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE and Ayaz MUTALIBOV (in exile)]; Social Welfare Party [Hussein KAZIMLI]; Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front [Gudrat HASANGULIYEV]; Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party [President Ilham ALIYEV]

Azerbaijan Public Forum [Eldar NAMAZOV]; Karabakh Liberation Organization

ADB, BSEC, CE, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC, MIGA, NAM (observer), OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SECI (observer), UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTO (observer)

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's high economic growth during 2006-08 was attributable to large and growing oil exports, but some non-export sectors also featured double-digit growth, spurred by growth in the construction, banking, and real estate sectors. In 2009, economic growth remained above 9% even as oil prices moderated and growth in the construction sector cooled. The current global economic slowdown presents some challenges for the Azerbaijani economy as oil prices remain below their mid-2008 highs, highlighting Azerbaijan's reliance on energy exports and lackluster attempts to diversify its economy. In 2009 the government continued to rely on financial transfers from the State Oil Fund to bridge its budget shortfalls. Azerbaijan's oil production has increased dramatically since 1997, when Azerbaijan signed the first production-sharing arrangement (PSA) with the Azerbaijan International Operating Company. Oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline remain the main economic driver while efforts to boost Azerbaijan's gas production are underway. However, Azerbaijan has made only limited progress on instituting market-based economic reforms. Pervasive public and private sector corruption and structural economic inefficiencies remain a drag on long-term growth, particularly in non-energy sectors. Several other obstacles impede Azerbaijan's economic progress: the need for stepped up foreign investment in the non-energy sector and 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 with Turkey and the nations of Europe. Long-term prospects will depend on world oil prices, the location of new oil and gas pipelines in the region, and Azerbaijan's ability to manage its energy wealth to promote sustainable growth in non-energy sectors of the economy and spur employment.

$86.03 billion (2009 est.)

$78.71 billion (2008 est.)

$71.04 billion (2007 est.)

$43 billion (2009 est.)

4.318 million (2008 est.)

19.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

4.6% of GDP (2009 est.)

4.1% of GDP (2008 est.)

2% (31 December 2009)

8% (31 December 2008)

19.76% (31 December 2008)

19.13% (31 December 2007)

$6.381 billion (31 December 2008)

$4.261 billion (31 December 2007)

$4.125 billion (31 December 2008)

$2.593 billion (31 December 2007)

$8.135 billion (31 December 2008)

$5.726 billion (31 December 2007)

cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep, goats

petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment; steel, iron ore; cement; chemicals and petrochemicals; textiles

18.6 billion kWh (2007 est.)

18 billion kWh (2007 est.)

786 million kWh (2007 est.)

548 million kWh (2007 est.)

1.04 million bbl/day (2009 est.)

126,000 bbl/day (2008 est.)

528,900 bbl/day (2007 est.)

2,848 bbl/day (2007 est.)

7 billion bbl (1 January 2009 est.)

23 billion cu m (2009 est.)

10.12 billion cu m (2008)

5.564 billion cu m (2008 est.)

2 trillion cu m (1 January 2009 est.)

$7.231 billion (2009 est.)

$16.45 billion (2008 est.)

$13.16 billion (2009 est.)

$30.59 billion (2008 est.)

oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Italy 40.2%, US 12.6%, Israel 7.6%, India 5.1%, France 4.9% (2008)

$5.448 billion (2009 est.)

$7.575 billion (2008 est.)

machinery and equipment, oil products, foodstuffs, metals, chemicals

Russia 18.8%, Turkey 11.2%, Germany 8.3%, Ukraine 7.9%, China 6.7%, UK 5.4% (2008)

$5.333 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$6.519 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$2.411 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$2.635 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$8.344 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$7.844 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

$5.382 billion (31 December 2009 est.)

$5.232 billion (31 December 2008 est.)

Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar - 0.811 (2009), 0.8219 (2008), 0.8581 (2007), 0.8934 (2006), 4,727.1 (2005)

1.311 million (2008)

6.548 million (2008)

AM 10, FM 11, shortwave 1 (2010)

1.485 million (2008)

condensate 1 km; gas 3,361 km; oil 1,424 km (2009)

Army, Navy, Air and Air Defense Forces (2010)

men between 18 and 35 are liable for military service; 18 years of age for voluntary military service; length of military service is 18 months and 12 months for university graduates (2006)

2.6% of GDP (2005 est.)

Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia; about 230,000 ethnic Armenians were driven from their homes in Azerbaijan into Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh; Azerbaijan seeks transit route through Armenia to connect to Naxcivan exclave; Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continues to mediate dispute; Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia have ratified Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on an even one-fifth allocation and challenges Azerbaijan's hydrocarbon exploration in disputed waters; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian; Azerbaijan and Georgia continue to discuss the alignment of their boundary at certain crossing areas

limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption; small government eradication program; transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe