A state in the southeastern part of the South Caucasus. The territory is 86.6 thousand km², including the Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic (NAR) with an area of 5.5 thousand km², completely isolated from southwestern Azerbaijan by the historical region of Zangezur (territory of Armenia), as well as an enclave.
Nagorno-Karabakh with an area of 4.4 thousand km² in the west. The capital is Baku (approx. 2.12 million), major cities: Ganja (formerly Elizavetpol, then Kirovabad, the second historical center of the country, 297 thousand), Sumgait (289 thousand), Nakhchivan (capital of NAR, 62.5 thousand). Administratively, it is divided into 87 districts. In 1988, due to Nagorno-Karabakh, a conflict arose between Azerbaijan and Armenia, which took on an armed character. On November 26, 1991, at an extraordinary session of the Supreme Council of the Azerbaijan Republic, a decision was made to abolish the status of the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast. Since May 1994, a ceasefire has been established on the Karabakh front. The population is 8.3 million (2004); of which 90.6% are Azerbaijanis (in addition to the AR, they live in South Azerbaijan in Iran - about 20 million, in Russia - over 1 million, in Georgia - more than 500 thousand, in Iraq, the USA), Russians (about 140 thousand), Lezgian ethnicities (about 170 thousand: Lezgins, Udins, Tukhums, Khinalugs, Budukhs, Kryz, Aghuls), Ukrainians, Tatars, as well as Tates, Kurds, Avars, Talysh, Turks, Georgians, mountain and European Jews. The official language is Azerbaijani. Religion: 90% of the population practice Islam, of which 60% are Shia (south and center of the country), 40% are Sunni (north and west). There are also Orthodox and Jewish denominations. The currency is the manat.
Russia - Azerbaijan
Diplomatic relations with the Russian Federation were established on April 4, 1992. Since December 1991, the AR has been a member of the CIS. It has been a member of the UN since 1992. Russian-Azerbaijani relations are developing based on the Treaty of Friendship, Cooperation, and Mutual Security, signed on July 3, 1997, and came into force on July 29, 1998, as well as 78 treaties and agreements.
The national holiday is May 28 - Republic Day.
Azerbaijan is a presidential republic. The constitution was adopted on November 12, 1995. The head of state is the president (since October 30, 2003 - Ilham Aliyev, elected on October 15, 2003). The highest legislative authority is the Milli Majlis - a permanent parliament (125 deputies). The highest executive authority is the Cabinet of Ministers (Prime Minister - Artur Rasizade).
On June 3, 1992, the Law on Political Parties was adopted, the main ones being: New Azerbaijan (ruling), Azerbaijan Popular Front, National Independence Party, Musavat ("Equality"), Democratic Party, Social Democratic Party, Liberal Party, and others.
In ancient times, the territory of Azerbaijan was inhabited by numerous tribes, which, during historical development, united into tribal unions that later became the embryos of the first state formations. The state of Manna - the most ancient of them - arose on the territory of present-day Iran. By the end of the 7th century BC, Manna fell under the dependence of the powerful state of the ancient East - Media, which also included the region of South (Iranian) Azerbaijan - Lesser Media, which later received the name of Antropatena. This state existed until 150 AD. Its territory mostly coincided with the borders of South (Iranian) Azerbaijan. The larger part of the territory of modern Azerbaijan Republic was called Albania in ancient times, whose statehood formed no later than the 3rd-2nd centuries BC. By the end of the 4th century, this state was captured by Iran. Subsequently, it was invaded by Arabs, Seljuk Turks, and Mongols. By the end of the 16th century, the struggle for influence in the South Caucasus was waged between Iran and Turkey. As a result of the Russo-Iranian wars of 1805-13 and 1826-28, a large part of present-day Azerbaijan became part of the Russian state.
The peace treaties of Russia with Iran (the Treaty of Gulistan, 1823, and the Treaty of Turkmenchay, 1828) defined the southern borders of Azerbaijan, which still exist today. In November 1917, Soviet power was established. On May 28, 1918, the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic was proclaimed. On April 28, 1920, Soviet power was restored in Azerbaijan. On December 30, 1922, Azerbaijan joined the USSR, initially as part of the Transcaucasian Socialist Federative Soviet Republic (TSFSR), and after its dissolution (1936) - as a union republic (Azerbaijan SSR).
On August 30, 1991, the Supreme Council of the country adopted a Declaration on the Restoration of State Independence based on the Act of 1918. On October 18, 1991, the Constitutional Act "On the State Independence of the Azerbaijan Republic" was adopted.
Azerbaijan is an industrial-agrarian country. It has significant reserves of oil, iron ore, and alunite, and industrial extraction of sulfur pyrite, barite, cobalt, molybdenum, and arsenic is carried out; marble and tuff are also present.
In 2004, GDP amounted to 41.872 trillion manats (8.52 billion USD). Growth compared to 2003 was 10.2%. Industrial production increased by 5.7% in 2004. The oil sector is the base sector (about 50% of industrial potential). Oil production amounted to 15.5 million tons, gas - about 5 billion m³, electricity production - 21.4 billion kWh. The volume of agricultural production grew by 8%. The economic situation shows a trend towards sustainable development. However, difficulties related to the disruption of economic ties due to the collapse of the USSR and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict have not been completely overcome. Market reform of the national economy is being carried out gradually. Foreign direct investment in 2004 amounted to 4.4 billion USD.
Agriculture of Azerbaijan
Agriculture occupies an important place in the economy of the country. Of the total land area (8.7 million hectares), agricultural land accounts for about 4 million hectares. More than 32% of this is arable land, and 2 million hectares are summer and winter pastures. In terms of sown areas, the leading crops are grains: wheat, rice, and winter barley. Among technical crops, cotton is in first place, followed by tobacco.
Horticulture and viticulture are the most important sectors of agriculture, and various subtropical crops (pomegranate, persimmon, fig, olives, feijoa, citrus) are also grown, as well as tea. Livestock farming is a major sector. There has been significant development in the breeding of cattle, sheep, and poultry. One of the oldest sectors of agriculture in the country is sericulture, which still plays an important role in Azerbaijan's economy. In 2004, 2.2 million tons of grains, 0.7 million tons of potatoes, about 1 million tons of vegetables, and 330 thousand tons of melons, 473 thousand tons of fruits and berries, and 3 thousand tons of tobacco were harvested. The share of the private sector in agriculture was 99%.
The number of officially registered unemployed continues to grow (56.2 thousand people in the first quarter of 2005). The average salary in 2004 was 97.5 USD, and the minimum consumer basket is estimated at 120 USD. The GDP per capita was 1041 USD. A significant portion of the working-age population works abroad (about 2 million in Russia, and in Turkey and other countries).
The total volume of trade in 2004 was 7.1 billion USD. Foreign trade relations are conducted with 119 countries. The main trading partners are Italy, Russia, Turkey, and Israel. The volume of Russian-Azerbaijani trade amounted to 757 million USD, of which 621.3 million was Russian exports and 135.7 million was imports. Growth was 50.6% compared to 2003. The structure of exports has a high proportion of energy carriers and energy-intensive materials - 85%. The main share of imports (65%) consists of food products.
The length of railways is 2117 km. A railway mainline to Iran (to Tabriz) passes through Azerbaijan. In terms of cargo volume, maritime transport is in second place. A significant portion of cargo and passengers is transported by road. The total length of all roads is about 24 thousand km, including paved roads - 12 thousand km.
Higher educational institutions (20 universities) are mainly concentrated in Baku and partially in Ganja: State University, Polytechnic, Pedagogical, Medical, Agricultural Institutes, Institute of Oil and Chemistry, Institute of Arts, State Conservatory, and others. The leading center of science is the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences.
Media in the Republic of Azerbaijan
There are more than 518 registered newspapers and magazines in the country. The largest newspapers include: "Azerbaijan" (in Azerbaijani, over 70 thousand copies), "Vyshka" (in Russian, about 50 thousand), "Baku Worker" (in Russian, about 4 thousand), "Azadlyg" (in Azerbaijani, about 40 thousand), "Mukhaliyyat" (in Azerbaijani, 40 thousand), "Khalq" (in Azerbaijani, over 30 thousand), "Echo" (in Russian, 10 thousand), "Zerkalo" (in Russian, 8 thousand).
There are 2 television centers: Baku and Nakhchivan. The state telegraph agency is Azertaj, and private telegraph agencies include Assa-Irada, Turan, Trend, and Caspian.