Azerbaijan

This article is about the country in Eurasia; for other uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).

Republic of Azerbaijan Azərbaycan Respublikası
Flag Coat of arms
Motto: Odlar Yurdu Land of the Eternal Fire
Anthem: Azərbaycan Respublikasının Dövlət Himni March of Azerbaijan
Capital and largest city	Baku
Official languages	Azerbaijani
Government	Representative democracy
• President	İlham Əliyev
• Prime Minister	Artur Rasizadə
Independence  From the Soviet Union
• Declared	August 30, 1991
• Formerly	Azerbaijan SSR
• Water (%)	negligible
Population
• 2005 estimate	8,411,000 (90th)
• 1999 census	7,953,438
GDP (PPP)	2005 estimate
• Total	$37,841,000,000 (87th)
• Per capita	$4,600 (112th)
HDI (2003)	0.729 high (101st)
Currency	Manat (AZN)
Time zone	UTC+4
• Summer (DST)	UTC+5
Calling code	994
ISO 3166 code	AZ
Internet TLD	.az

Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. At the crossroads of Eastern Europe and Western Asia, it is bounded by the Caspian Sea to the east, Russia to the north, Georgia to the northwest, Armenia to the west, and Iran to the south. The Nakhichevan Autonomous Republic (an exclave of Azerbaijan) borders Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, and Turkey to the northwest. According to the CIA World Factbook, "Armenia supports ethnic Armenian secessionists in Nagorno-Karabakh and since the early 1990s has militarily occupied 16% of Azerbaijan; over 800,000 mostly ethnic Azerbaijanis were driven from the occupied lands and Armenia".

Azerbaijan is a secular state, and has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001. A majority of the population are Shi'a Muslim Azerbaijanis, or simply Azeris. The country is formally an emerging democracy, however with strong authoritarian rule.

Etymology

There are several hypotheses regarding the origins of the name "Azerbaijan." The most common theory is that it is derived from "Atropatan." Atropat was the satrap at the time of the Persian Achaemenid dynasty, and gained independence after Alexander the Great destroyed the Achaemenids. The region was known as Media Atropatia or Atropatene at the time.

There are also alternative opinions that the term is a slight Turkification of Azarbaijan, in turn an Arabicized version of the original Persian name Âzarâbâdagân, made up of âzar+âbadag+ân (âzar=fire; âbâdag=cultivated area; ân=suffix of pluralization); that it traditionally means "the land of eternal flames" or "the land of fire", which probably implies Zoroastrian fire temples in this land. Some Azeri historians contend that the name is made up of four Azerbaijani components: az+er+bay+can, which means "the land of the brave Az people" or "an elevated place for the wealthy and exalted."

Historically, a large part of the territory of the present-day Azerbaijan Republic has been called Arran, named after Arran, a legendary founder of Caucasian Albania. However, the precise location identified by this name has shifted somewhat over time, currently referring to the lowland Karabakh plains situated between the Kura and Araks rivers.

Some opponents of the term Azerbaijan as the official name for the Republic founded in the first half of the twentieth century such as some Russian historians assert that it is not correct to use it as a political title for this region, because, they say, the term was first introduced by the national intelligentsia in early 20th century and later was endorsed by the Bolsheviks, with intention of claiming the northern province of Iran (Persia) which was called Azarbaijan since ancient times. To substantiate this claim they state that until the early 20th century the region of the Republic was mainly called Arran and not Azerbaijan and that its population had fought against Russia which had attacked Iran (Persia) in the 19th century (Russo-Persian Wars) finally causing the separation of the region from Iran due to the Treaties of Gulistan and Turkmanchai.

History

Main article: History of Azerbaijan

Nezami Ganjavi

The earliest known inhabitants of what is today Azerbaijan were the Caucasian Albanians, a Caucasian-speaking people who appear to have been in the region prior to the host of peoples who would eventually invade the Caucasus. Historically Azerbaijan has been occupied by a variety of peoples, including Persians, Greeks, Romans, Armenians, Arabs, Turks, Mongols and Russians.

The first state to emerge in the territory of present-day Republic of Azerbaijan was Mannae in the 9th century BC, lasting until 616 BC when it was overthrown by the Medes, who later became part of the Persian empire in 549 BC. The satrapies of Atropatene and Caucasian Albania were established in the 4th century BC and included the approximate territories of present-day Azerbaijan and southern parts of Dagestan.

Islam spread rapidly in Azerbaijan following the Arab conquests in the 7th–8th centuries. After the power of the Arab Khalifate waned, several semi-independent states have been formed, the Shirvanshah kingdom being one of them. In the 11th century, the conquering Seljuk Turks became the dominant force in Azerbaijan and laid the ethnic foundation of contemporary Azerbaijanis or Azeri Turks. In the 13–14th centuries, the country experienced Mongol-Tatar invasions.

Azerbaijan was part of the Safavid state in 15th–18th centuries. It also underwent a brief period of feudal fragmentation in the mid-18th to early 19th centuries, and consisted of independent khanates. Following the two wars between the Qajar dynasty of Persia, as well as the Ganja, Guba, Baku and other independent khanates, and the Russian Empire, Azerbaijan was acquired by Russia through the Treaty of Gulistan in 1813, and the Treaty of Turkmenchay in 1828, and several earlier treaties between the Russian czar and the khans concluded in the first decade of the 19th century.

After the collapse of the Russian Empire during World War I, Azerbaijan declared independence and established the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic. This first Muslim republic in the world lasted only two years, from 1918 to 1920, before the Soviet Red Army invaded Azerbaijan. Subsequently, Azerbaijan became part of the Soviet Union.

Azerbaijan re-established its independence upon the collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991. Despite a cease-fire in place since 1994, Azerbaijan has yet to resolve its conflict with Armenia over the predominantly ethnic Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh region. Azerbaijan has lost control of 16% of its territory including Karabakh, and must support some 800,000 refugees and internally displaced persons as a result of the conflict.

According to the US Presidential Determinations, "The actions taken by the government of Armenia in the context of the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh are inconsistent with the territorial integrity and national sovereignty principles of the Helsinki Final Act. Armenia supports Nagorno-Karabakh separatists in Azerbaijan both militarily and financially. Nagorno-Karabakh forces, assisted by units of the Armenian armed forces, currently occupy the Nagorno-Karabakh region and surrounding areas in Azerbaijan. This violation and the restoration of peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan have been taken up by the OSCE." The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was the reason for the UN Security Council resolutions 822, 853, 874 and 884 ; as well as resolutions by the Organization for Islamic Conference (OIC), PACE resolution 1416 ). The UN and international community recognize the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh and all other currently occupied territories.

Politics

File:Ilham aliyev.jpg

Ilham Aliyev, President of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is a presidential republic. The head of state and head of government are separate from the country’s law-making body. The people elect the president for a five-year term of office. The president appoints all cabinet-level government administrators. A fifty-member national assembly makes the country’s laws. The people of Azerbaijan elect the National Assembly. Azerbaijan has universal suffrage above the age of eighteen.

After the presidential elections of October 15, 2003, an official release of the Central Election Committee (CEC) gave Isa Gambar — leader of the largest opposition bloc, Bizim Azerbaycan ("Our Azerbaijan") — 14% percent of the electorate and the second place in election. Third, with 3.6%, came Lala Shevket Hajiyeva, leader of the National Unity Movement, the first woman to run in presidential election in Azerbaijan. Nevertheless, the OSCE, the Council of Europe, Human Rights Watch and other international organizations, as well as local independent political and NGOs voiced concern about observed vote rigging and a badly flawed counting process.

Several independent local and international organizations that had been observing and monitoring the election directly or indirectly declared Isa Gambar winner in the 15 October election. Another view shared by many international organisations is that in reality a second tour of voting should have taken place between the two opposition candidates Isa Gambar and Lala Shevket.

• Human Rights Watch commented on these elections: "Human Rights Watch research found that the government has heavily intervened in the campaigning process in favor of Prime Minister Ilham Aliev, son of current President Heidar Aliev. The government has stacked the Central Election Commission and local election commission with its supporters, and banned local non-governmental organizations from monitoring the vote. As the elections draw nearer, government officials have openly sided with the campaign of Ilham Aliev, constantly obstructing opposition rallies and attempting to limit public participation in opposition events. In some cases, local officials have closed all the roads into town during opposition rallies, or have extended working and school hours—on one occasion, even declaring Sunday a workday—to prevent participation in opposition rallies." (source: HTML format)
• OSCE’s final report (source: HTML format or PDF format)

Azerbaijan held parliamentary elections on Sunday, 6 November 2005.

U.S. President George W. Bush noted, "Azerbaijan is a modern Muslim country that is able to provide for its citizens and understands that democracy is the wave of the future."[ http://today.az/news/politics/26264.html ]

Azerbaijan was elected as one the members of the newly established Human Rights Council (HRC) by the General Assembly on 9 May 2006. Term of office will begin on 19 June 2006. [1]

Subdivisions

Main article: Subdivisions of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan is divided into:

• 59 raions (rayonlar; rayon – singular),
• 11 cities (şəhərlər; şəhər – singular),
• 1 autonomous republic (muxtar respublika), which itself is divided into:
  • 7 rayons
  • 1 city

Geography

Map of Azerbaijan

Main article: Geography of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has an arid climate, except in the southeast. Temperatures vary by season. In the southeast lowland, temperatures average 6 °C (43 °F) in the winter and 26 °C (80 °F) in the summer — though daily maxima typically reach 32 °C (89 °F). In the northern and western mountain ranges, temperatures average 12 °C (55 °F) in the summer and –9 °C (20 °F) in the winter.

Annual rainfall over most of the country varies from 200 to 400 millimetres (8 to 16 in) and is generally lowest in the northeast. In the far southeast, however, the climate is much moister and annual rainfall can be as high as 1300 millimetres (51 in). For most of the country, the wettest periods are in spring and autumn, with summers being the driest.

Economy

Main article: Economy of Azerbaijan

Baku, Azerbaijan's capital

The economy is largely based on industry. Industries include machine manufacture, petroleum and other mining, petroleum refining, textile production, and chemical processing. Agriculture accounts for one-third of Azerbaijan’s economy. Most of the nation’s farms are irrigated. In the lowlands, farmers grow such crops as cotton, fruit, grain, tea, tobacco, and many types of vegetables. Silkworms are raised for the production of natural silk for the clothing industry. Azerbaijan’s herders raise cattle, domestic sheep and goats near the mountain ranges. Seafood, including caviar and fish are caught in the nearby Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan has a highly dynamic economy, mainly because of oil, and has a GDP growth rate of up to 11% a year.

Demographics

Main article: Demographics of Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan has population of 7,961,619 (July 2006 est.)[2], 90.6% of whom are ethnic Azerbaijani (also called Azeris; 1999 census figures). Azeris also form the second biggest ethnic group and around 24% of the population of Iran, predominating in the northwestern regions of the country. The second largest ethnic group is Russians, who now form roughly 1.8% of the population, most having emigrated since independence. Numerous 'Dagestani' peoples live around the border with Dagestan. The main peoples are the Lezgis, Avars and the Tsakhurs. Smaller groups include the Budukh, Udins, Kryts and Khinalug/Ketsh around the village of Xinaliq.

Azerbaijan also contains numerous smaller groups, such as Georgians, Kurds, Talysh, Tatars and Ukrainians. Some people argue that the number of Talysh is greater than officially recorded, as many of them are counted as Azerbaijanis.Around the town of Quba in the north live the Tats, also known as the Mountain Jews, who are also to be found in Dagestan. Many Tats have emigrated to Israel in recent years, though this trend has slowed and even reversed more recently. The country’s large Armenian population mostly fled to Armenia and to other countries with the beginning of the Armenian-Azeri conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh. During the same period, Azerbaijan also received a large influx of Azerbaijanis fleeing Armenia and later Nagorno-Karabakh and adjacent provinces occupied by the Armenians. Virtually all of Azerbaijan’s Armenians now live in Nagorno-Karabakh.

Most Azerbaijanis (about 60–70%) are Twelver Shia Muslim. Other religions or beliefs that are followed by many in the country are the orthodox Sunni Islam, the Armenian Apostolic Church (in Nagorno-Karabakh), the Russian Orthodox Church, and various other Christian and Muslim sects. The Tats in Quba, as well as several thousand Ashkenazim Jews in Baku, follow Judaism. Adherence to religious dogmas is nominal for the majority of the population and attitudes are secular. Traditionally, villages around Baku and the Lenkoran region are considered stronghold of Shi‘ism, and in some northern regions populated by Sunni Dagestani people, the Salafi sect has gained a following. Folk Islam is widely practiced, but an organized Sufi movement is absent.

Culture

Main article: Culture of Azerbaijan

The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, a member of the Oguz subdivision of the Turkic language family, and is spoken by around 95% of the republic’s population, as well as about a third of the population of Iran. Its closest relatives in language are Turkish and Turkmen. As a result of the language policy of the Soviet Union, Russian is also commonly spoken as a second language among the urbane.

• Music of Azerbaijan
• Islam in Azerbaijan
• Azerbaijani literature

Pictures of Azerbaijan

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• File:Çirax Qala.jpg
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See also

• Baku
• History of Azerbaijan
• Culture of Azerbaijan
• Politics of Azerbaijan
• Subdivisions of Azerbaijan
• Geography of Azerbaijan
• Demographics of Azerbaijan
• Communications in Azerbaijan
• Transportation in Azerbaijan
• Foreign relations of Azerbaijan
• Public holidays in Azerbaijan
• List of Azerbaijanis
• Military of Azerbaijan
• Scout Association of Azerbaijan

References

• Forrest, Brett (Nov. 28, 2005). "Over a Barrel in Baku". Fortune, pp. 54–60.

External links

• CIA World Factbook: Azerbaijan
• BBC Country Profile: Azerbaijan
• Open Directory Project: Azerbaijan directory category
• Library of Congress Portals to the World: Azerbaijan directory category
• Azerbaijan from A to Z
• Azerbaijan International world's largest website about Azerbaijan
• Encyclopedia of Nations — Azerbaijan
• Democratic Youth Movement New Idea
• Virtual Azerbaijan Republic
• Caucaz.com: Weekly online magazine publishing articles and reports about Azerbaijan and South Caucasus. Available in English and French.
• Baku Today
• Independent newspaper Azadliq
• State Statistical Committee of the Azerbaijan Republic
• United Nations Office in Azerbaijan with a country report
• IFEX: Press Freedom in Azerbaijan
• Azerbaijan joins UN rights body
• Freedom of Information in Azerbaijan