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 as part of Soviet Azerbaijan in the 1920s 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. 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. In January 2011, Azerbaijan assumed a nonpermanent seat on the UN Security Council for the 2012-13 term.

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

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

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

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

9,493,600 (July 2012 est.)

17.3 births/1,000 population (2012 est.)

7.13 deaths/1,000 population (July 2012 est.)

0 migrant(s)/1,000 population (2012 est.)

BAKU (capital) 1.95 million (2009)

43 deaths/100,000 live births (2010)

1.92 children born/woman (2012 est.)

3.794 physicians/1,000 population (2007)

7.93 beds/1,000 population (2007)

urban: 51% of population

rural: 39% of population

total: 45% of population

urban: 49% of population

rural: 61% of population

total: 55% of population

fewer than 200 (2009 est.)

66 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular);

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

has not submitted an ICJ jurisdiction declaration; non-party state to the ICCt

18 years of age; universal

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

Constitutional Court the president proposes judges of all the courts to the Parliament which appoints them; Supreme Court; Economic Court

Azerbaijan Democratic Party or ADP [Sardar JALALOGLU]; 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]; Justice Party [Ilyas ISMAYILOV]; 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]; United Popular Azerbaijan Front Party or AXCP [Ali KARIMLI]; Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party [Gudrat HASANGULIYEV]; Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party or YAP [President Ilham ALIYEV]

Azerbaijan Public Forum [Eldar NAMAZOV]; Karabakh Liberation Organization

ADB, BSEC, CD, CE, CICA, CIS, EAPC, EBRD, ECO, EITI (compliant country), FAO, GCTU, GUAM, IAEA, IBRD, ICAO, ICC (NGOs), ICRM, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFC, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Interpol, IOC, IOM, IPU, ISO, ITSO, ITU, ITUC (NGOs), MIGA, NAM, OAS (observer), OIC, OPCW, OSCE, PFP, SELEC (observer), UN, UN Security Council (temporary), UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNHCR, UNIDO, UNWTO, UPU, WCO, WFTU (NGOs), 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, including construction, banking, and real estate, although most of this increase was tied to growth in the hydrocarbon sector. In 2011, economic growth slowed to 0.1%, largely because oil production reached a plateau. Real GDP growth improved in 2012, reaching about 40%, but the current global economic slowdown presents some challenges for the Azerbaijani economy as oil prices remain volatile, highlighting Azerbaijan's reliance on energy exports and lackluster attempts to diversify its economy. Oil exports through the Baku-Tbilisi-Ceyhan Pipeline remain the main economic driver while efforts to boost Azerbaijan's gas production are underway. Natural gas from fields under development in Azerbaijan by an international consortium is the only gas currently available for the geopolitically important Southern Corridor project, which aims to improve European energy security. 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, including 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 depend on world oil prices, the location of new oil and gas pipelines in the region, Azerbaijan's ability to negotiate export routes for its growing gas production, and its ability to manage its energy wealth to promote growth and spur employment in non-energy sectors of the economy.

$98.16 billion (2012 est.)

$94.57 billion (2011 est.)

$94.48 billion (2010 est.)

$71.04 billion (2012 est.)

6.206 million (2012 est.)

17.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

32.7% of GDP (2012 est.)

-3.2% of GDP (2012 est.)

5.4% of GDP (2012 est.)

5.5% of GDP (2011 est.)

5% (31 December 2012 est.)

5.25% (31 December 2011 est.)

19% (31 December 2012 est.)

19% (31 December 2011 est.)

$14.16 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$11.22 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$17.68 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$13.19 billion (31 December 2010 est.)

$13.78 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$12.72 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

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

$12.3 billion (2012 est.)

$17.15 billion (2011 est.)

$30.58 billion (2012 est.)

$34.49 billion (2011 est.)

oil and gas 90%, machinery, cotton, foodstuffs

Italy 32.6%, France 13.3%, US 7.6%, Germany 6.3%, Indonesia 5.4%, Czech Republic 5.3% (2011)

$10.78 billion (2012 est.)

$10.17 billion (2011 est.)

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

Turkey 18.1%, Russia 15.4%, China 7.8%, Germany 7.2%, UK 6.1%, Ukraine 4.6%, Italy 4.2% (2011)

$9.87 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$10.27 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$4.042 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$4.056 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$11.7 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$10.35 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

$6.923 billion (31 December 2012 est.)

$6.323 billion (31 December 2011 est.)

Azerbaijani manats (AZN) per US dollar -

20 billion kWh (2011 est.)

13.48 billion kWh (2009 est.)

380 million kWh (2009 est.)

110 million kWh (2009 est.)

5.798 million kW (2009 est.)

82.3% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

17.7% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

0% of total installed capacity (2009 est.)

987,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

821,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

0 bbl/day (2009 est.)

7 billion bbl (1 January 2012 est.)

161,100 bbl/day (2008 est.)

168,000 bbl/day (2011 est.)

63,950 bbl/day (2008 est.)

1,426 bbl/day (2008 est.)

16.68 billion cu m (2010 est.)

9.921 billion cu m (2010 est.)

6.755 billion cu m (2010 est.)

849.5 billion cu m (1 January 2012 est.)

35.12 million Mt (2010 est.)

1.684 million (2011)

10.12 million (2011)

3 state-run and 1 public TV channels; 4 domestic commercial TV stations and about 15 regional TV stations; cable TV services are available in Baku; 1 state-run and 1 public radio network operating; a small number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting; local FM relays of Baku commercial stations are available in many localities; local relays of several international broadcasters had been available until late 2008 when their broadcasts were banned from FM frequencies (2010)

condensate 1 km; gas 3,361 km; oil 1,424 km (2010)

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.)

Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified the Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea; the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability; residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan; local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders; bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian

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