GeoFroggy

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Background

Azerbaijan - a secular 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 remains involved in the protracted Nagorno-Karabakh conflict with Armenia. Nagorno-Karabakh was a primarily ethnic Armenian region that Moscow recognized in 1923 as an autonomous oblast within Soviet Azerbaijan. In the late Soviet period, a separatist movement developed which sought to end Azerbaijani control over the region. Fighting over Nagorno-Karabakh began in 1988 and escalated after Armenia and Azerbaijan attained independence from the Soviet Union in 1991. By the time a ceasefire took effect in May 1994, separatists, with Armenian support, controlled Nagorno?Karabakh and seven surrounding Azerbaijani territories. The 1994 ceasefire continues to hold, although violence continues along the line of contact separating the opposing forces, as well as the Azerbaijan-Armenia international border. The final status of Nagorno-Karabakh remains the subject of international mediation by the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group, which works to help the sides settle the conflict peacefully. The OSCE Minsk Group is co?chaired by the United States, France, and Russia. In the 25 years following its independence, Azerbaijan succeeded in significantly reducing the poverty rate and has directed revenues from its oil and gas production to develop the country’s infrastructure. However, corruption remains a problem, and the government has been accused of authoritarianism. The country’s leadership has remained in the Aliyev family since Heydar ALIYEV became president in 1993 and was succeeded by his son, President Ilham ALIYEV in 2003. Following two national referendums in the past several years that eliminated presidential term limits and extended presidential terms from 5 to 7 years, President ALIYEV secured a fourth term as president in April 2018 in an election that international observers noted had serious shortcomings. Reforms are underway to diversify the country’s non-oil economy and additional reforms are needed to address weaknesses in government institutions, particularly in the education and health sectors, and the court system.

Location

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

Area Comparative

Tbout three-quarters the size of Pennsylvania; slightly smaller than Maine

Maritime Claims

none (landlocked)

Climate

Dry, semiarid steppe

Population Distribution

Highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the county, in and around Baku; apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population

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; surface and underground water are polluted by untreated municipal and industrial wastewater and agricultural run-off

Environment International Agreements

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

Signed, but not ratified: 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

Asia

Irrigated Land

14,277 sq km

Area 2020

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 2020

Agricultural Land
57.6%
Arable Land
22.8%
Forest
11.3%
Other
31.1%

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) to the west; Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

Elevation

Mean Elevation: 384 m
Lowest Point: Caspian Sea -28 m
Highest Point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,466 m

Land Boundaries

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

Natural Resources

Petroleum
Natural gas
Iron ore

Nonferrous metals
Bauxite

Azerbaijan