GeoFroggy

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Background

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 in 1923 as an autonomous republic within Soviet Azerbaijan after Armenia and Azerbaijan disputed the territory's status. 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. The OSCE Minsk Group, co-chaired by the United States, France, and Russia, is the framework established to mediate a peaceful resolution of the conflict. Corruption in the country is widespread, and the government, which eliminated presidential term limits in a 2009 referendum, has been accused of authoritarianism. Although the poverty rate has been reduced and infrastructure investment has increased substantially in recent years due to revenue from oil and gas production, reforms have not adequately addressed weaknesses in most government institutions, particularly in the education and health sectors.

Location

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

Area Comparative

Slightly smaller than Maine

Climate

Dry, semiarid steppe

Natural Hazards

Droughts

Environment Current Issues

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

Environment International Agreements

Partyto: Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

Signed,butnotratified: none of the selected agreements

Geography Note

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

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Map Reference

Middle East

Irrigated Land 2010

14,250 sq km

Area 2014

Total

86,600 sq km
Land

82,629 sq km
Water

3,971 sq km

Coastline

0 km

Geographical Coordinates

40 30 N, 47 30 E

Land use 2014

Arableland
21.78%
Permanentcrops
2.62%
Other
75.6%

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

Land Boundaries

Total
2,468 km
Armenia km
Georgia
428 km
Iran
689 km
Russia
338 km
Turkey
17 km

Natural Resources

Petroleum
Natural gas
Iron ore

Nonferrous metals
Bauxite

Azerbaijan