| GEOGRAPHY |
| Country name: |
conventional long
form: Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form: Azerbaijan
local long form: Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form: none
former: Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic |
| Capital: |
Baku (Baki) |
| Location: |
Southwestern Asia,
bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small European
portion north of the Caucasus range |
| Geographic
Coordinates: |
40 30 N, 47 30
E |
| Area: |
total: 86,600
sq km
land: 86,100 sq km
water: 500 sq km
note: includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic
and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished
by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991 |
| Area
Comparative: |
slightly smaller
than Maine |
| Land
Boundaries: |
total: 2,013
km
border countries: Armenia (with Azerbaijan-proper) 566 km,
Armenia (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan exclave) 221 km, Georgia 322 km,
Iran (with Azerbaijan-proper) 432 km, Iran (with Azerbaijan-Naxcivan
exclave) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km |
| Coastline: |
0 km (landlocked);
note - Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.) |
| 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 |
| Elavation
Extremes: |
lowest point: Caspian
Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m |
| Natural
Resources: |
petroleum, natural
gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina |
| GOVERNEMENT |
| Governement
Type: |
republic |
| Administratives
Divisions: |
59 rayons (rayonlar;
rayon - singular), 11 cities* (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous
republic** (muxtar respublika)
: rayons: Abseron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu,
Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, Astara Rayonu, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan
Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu,
Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu,
Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir
Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Neftcala
Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu,
Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu,
Saki Rayonu, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan
Rayonu, Susa Rayonu, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu,
Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimli Rayonu,
Yevlax Rayonu, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu
: cities: Ali Bayramli Sahari, Baki Sahari, Ganca Sahari, Lankaran
Sahari, Mingacevir Sahari, Naftalan Sahari, Saki Sahari, Sumqayit Sahari, Susa
Sahari, Xankandi Sahari, Yevlax Sahari
: autonomous republic: Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi |
| Independence |
30 August 1991
(from Soviet Union) |
| National
Holiday: |
Founding of the
Democratic Republic of Azerbaidzhan, 28 May (1918) |
| Constitution: |
adopted 12 November
1995 |
| Legal
System; |
based on civil
law system |
| Suffrage |
18 years of age;
universal |
| Executive
Branch: |
chief of state: President
Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003)
head of government: Prime Minister Artur RASIZADE (since
4 November 2003); First Deputy Prime Minister Abbas ABBASOV (since
10 November 2003)
cabinet: Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed
by the National Assembly
elections: president elected by popular vote to a five-year term; election
last held 15 October 2003 (next to be held NA October 2008); prime minister and
first deputy prime ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the
National Assembly
election results: Ilham ALIYEV elected president; percent of vote -
Ilham ALIYEV 76.8%, Isa GAMBAR 14% |
| Legislative
Branch: |
unicameral National
Assembly or Milli Mejlis (125 seats; members elected by popular vote
to serve five-year terms)
elections: last held 4 November 2000 (next to be held NA November
2005)
note: 100 members of the current parliament were elected on the basis
of single mandate constituencies, while 25 were elected based on proportional
balloting; as a result of a 24 August 2002 national referendum on changes to
the constitution, all 125 members of the next parliament will be elected from
single mandate constituencies
election results: percent of vote by party - NA; seats by party - NAP
and allies 108, APF "Reform" 6, CSP 3, PNIA 2, Musavat Party 2, CPA 2, APF "Classic" 1,
Compatriot Party 1
note: PNIA, Musavat, and APF "Classic" parties refused to take their
seats |
| Judicial
Branch: |
Supreme Court |
| Political
parties and Leaders: |
Azerbaijan Popular
Front or APF [Ali KARIMLI, leader of "Reform" faction; Mirmahmud MIRALI-OGLU,
leader of "Classic" faction]; Civic Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir
RUSTAMKHANLY]; Civic Union Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]; Communist Party
of Azerbaijan or CPA [Ramiz AHMADOV]; Compatriot Party [Mais SAFARLI];
Democratic Party for Azerbaijan or DPA [Rasul QULIYEV, chairman]; Justice
Party [Ilyas ISMAILOV]; Liberal Party of Azerbaijan [Lala Shovkat HACIYEVA];
Musavat [Isa GAMBAR, chairman]; New Azerbaijan Party or NAP [vacant];
Party for National Independence of Azerbaijan or PNIA [Etibar MAMMADLI,
chairman]; Social Democratic Party of Azerbaijan or SDP [Araz ALIZADE
and Ayaz MUTALIBOV]
note: opposition parties regularly factionalize and form new parties |
| PEOPLE |
| Population: |
7,868,385 (July 2004
est.) |
| Age structure: |
0-14 years: 27%
(male 1,081,579; female 1,046,270)
15-64 years: 65.2% (male 2,499,618; female 2,630,386)
65 years and over: 7.8% (male 242,253; female 368,279) (2004
est.) |
| Median age: |
total: 27.3
years
male: 25.9 years
female: 28.8 years (2004 est.) |
| Nationality: |
noun: Azerbaijani(s)
adjective: Azerbaijani |
| Ethnic groups: |
Azeri 90%, Dagestani
3.2%, Russian 2.5%, Armenian 2%, other 2.3% (1998 est.)
note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh
region |
| Religions: |
Muslim 93.4%,
Russian Orthodox 2.5%, Armenian Orthodox 2.3%, other 1.8% (1995 est.)
note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; percentages
for actual practicing adherents are much lower |
| Languages: |
Azerbaijani (Azeri)
89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.) |
| COMUNICATIONS |
| Telephones - main
lines in use: |
923,800 (2002) |
| Telephones - mobile
cellular: |
870,000 (2002) |
| Telephone system: |
general assessment: inadequate;
requires considerable expansion and modernization; teledensity of 10
main lines per 100 persons is low (2002)
domestic: the majority of telephones are in Baku and other industrial
centers - about 700 villages still without public telephone service; satellite
service connects Baku to a modern switch in its exclave of Naxcivan
international: country code - 994; the old Soviet system of cable and
microwave is still serviceable; a satellite connection to Turkey enables Baku
to reach about 200 additional countries, some of which are directly connected
to Baku by satellite providers other than Turkey (1997) |
| Radio broadcast
stations: |
AM 10, FM 17,
shortwave 1 (1998) |
| Television broadcast
stations: |
2 (1997) |
| Internet country
code: |
.az |
| Internet hosts: |
586 (2004) |
| Internet users: |
300,000 (2002) |
| TRANSPORT |
| Railways: |
total: 2,957
km
broad gauge: 2,957 km 1.520-m gauge (1,278 km electrified)
(2003) |
| Highways: |
total: 24,981
km
paved: 23,057 km
unpaved: 1,924 km (2000) |
| Waterways: |
|
| Pipelines: |
gas 4,451 km;
oil 1,518 km (2004) |
| Ports and harbors: |
Baku (Baki) |
| Merchant marine: |
total: 56
ships (1,000 GRT or over) 253,004 GRT/318,922 DWT
by type: cargo 14, petroleum tanker 40, roll on/roll off
2
foreign-owned: Russia 1 (2004 est.) |
| Airports: |
67 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with
paved runways: |
total: 27
over 3,047 m: 2
2,438 to 3,047 m: 6
1,524 to 2,437 m: 15
914 to 1,523 m: 3
under 914 m: 1 (2003 est.) |
| Airports - with
unpaved runways: |
total: 40
2,438 to 3,047 m: 1
1,524 to 2,437 m: 1
914 to 1,523 m: 6
under 914 m: 32 (2003 est.) |
| Heliports: |
2 (2003 est.) |
|
