The nation of Azerbaijan is located in Southwestern Asia on the Caucasus Isthmus, on the western shore of the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia, with a small portion located in Europe north of the Caucasus mountain range.
Countries bordering on Azerbaijan include Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the southwest and south. The border between Azerbaijan and Armenia is in dispute, concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Independent since the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991, Azerbaijan is a republic with a president and prime minister, unicameral legislature, and Supreme Court. The capitol of the country is Baku, the main port directly on the Caspian Sea.
The population is 8,120,247, estimated as of July 2007, comprised of Azeri (90.6%), Dagestani, Russian, Armenian and other ethnic groups. The majority of the Armenian group lives in the Nagorno-Karabakh region. The predominant religion is Islam (93.4%), followed by Russian Orthodox, Armenian Orthodox and other. Many of the population naming a religious affiliation do not actively practice a religion, and the government is secular. Languages spoken are Azeri (90.3%), a Turkic dialect which can be understood by modern Turkish speaking and Turkmen speaking people, Lezgi, Russian, Armenian, and other languages.
The driving force behind the improving economy in recent years is the production and export sale of petroleum products from the Caspian Sea offshore oil wells, as well as foreign investment in this industry. Other industries include agriculture, steel, iron ore, chemicals and textiles.
The president serves as both the head of state and head of government in this presidential republic. Turkmenistan has a one party system (Democratic Party of Turkmenistan or DPT) and opposition parties are outlawed.
Web Sites
Catalog
Search the library's catalog for Azerbaijan.
Databases
Enter Azerbaijan and Caucasus in these databases: