Azerbaijan

Azerbaijan

Note--Azerbaijan continues to be plagued by an unresolved eight-year-old conflict with Armenian separatists over its Nagorno-Karabakh region. The Karabakh Armenians have declared independence and seized almost 20% of the country's territory, creating almost 1 million Azeri refugees in the process. Both sides have generally observed a Russian-mediated cease-fire in place since May 1994, and support the OSCE-mediated peace process, now entering its fifth year. Nevertheless, Baku and Xankandi (Stepanakert, Nagorno-Karabakh region) remain far apart on most substantive issues from the placement and composition of a peacekeeping force to the enclave's ultimate political status, and prospects for a negotiated settlement remain dim.

Geography                 Economy                 Defense Forces
 

People                    Transportation          Government



Communications            History      	          Travel

GEOGRAPHY

Location

Southwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran and Russia

Area

Note: Includes the exclave of Naxcivan Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh region; the region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991

Land Boundaries

Total 2,013 km, Armenia (west) 566 km, Armenia (southwest) 221 km, Georgia 322 km, Iran (south) 432 km, Iran (southwest) 179 km, Russia 284 km, Turkey 9 km

Coastline

0 km (landlocked)

Note: Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)

Maritime Claims

None; landlocked

International Disputes

Violent and longstanding dispute with ethnic Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh over its status; Caspian Sea boundaries are not yet determined

Climate

Dry, semiarid steppe

Terrain

Large, flat Kur-Araz Lowland (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag (Karabakh) Upland in west; Baku lies on Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula that juts into Caspian Sea
lowest point: Caspian Sea -28 m
highest point: Bazarduzu Dagi 4,485 m

Natural Resources

Land Use

Irrigated Land

14,010 sq km (1990)

Environment

Note: Landlocked

PEOPLE

Population

7,676,953 (July 1996 est.)
7,789,886 (July 1995 est.)

Age Structure

0-14 Years

32% (male 1,270,812; female 1,215,781) (July 1996 est.)
33% (male 1,315,313; female 1,241,952) (July 1995 est.)

15-64 Years

61% (male 2,293,688; female 2,423,222) (July 1996 est.)
61% (male 2,307,496; female 2,437,810) (July 1995 est.)

65 Years and Over

7% (male 179,048; female 294,402) (July 1996 est.)
6% (male 183,389; female 303,926) (July 1995 est.)

Population Growth Rate

0.78% (1996 est.)
1.32% (1995 est.)

Birth Rate

22.28 births/1,000 population (1996 est.)
22.05 births/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Death Rate

8.69 deaths/1,000 population (1996 est.)
6.56 deaths/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Net Migration Rate

-5.8 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1996 est.)
-2.32 migrant(s)/1,000 population (1995 est.)

Sex ratio

at birth: 1.05 male(s)/female
under 15 years: 1.04 male(s)/female
15-64 years: 0.95 male(s)/female
65 years and over: 0.61 male(s)/female
all ages: 0.95 male(s)/female (1996 est.)

Infant Mortality Rate

74.5 deaths/1,000 live births (1996 est.)
33.9 deaths/1,000 live births (1995 est.)

Life Expectancy at Birth

Total Fertility Rate

2.64 children born/woman (1996 est.)
2.64 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

Ethnic Divisions

Note: Almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

Religions

Note: Religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; actual practicing adherents are much lower

Languages

Azeri 89%, Russian 3%, Armenian 2%, other 6% (1995 est.)

Literacy

Age 15 and over that can read and write (1989)

Labor Force

2.789 million

By occupation:

GOVERNMENT

Names

Digraph

AJ

Type

Republic

Capital

Baku (Baki)

Administrative Divisions

59 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities* (saharlar; sahar - singular), 1 autonomous republic** (muxtar respublika); Abscron Rayonu, Agcabadi Rayonu, Agdam Rayonu, Agdas Rayonu, Agstafa Rayonu, Agsu Rayonu, AliBayramli Sahari*, Astara Rayonu, Baki Sahari*, Balakan Rayonu, Barda Rayonu, Beylaqan Rayonu, Bilasuvar Rayonu, Cabrayil Rayonu, Calilabad Rayonu, Daskasan Rayonu, Davaci Rayonu, Fuzuli Rayonu, Gadabay Rayonu, Ganca Sahari*, Goranboy Rayonu, Goycay Rayonu, Haciqabul Rayonu, Imisli Rayonu, Ismayilli Rayonu, Kalbacar Rayonu, Kurdamir Rayonu, Lacin Rayonu, Lankaran Rayonu, Lankaran Sahari*, Lerik Rayonu, Masalli Rayonu, Mingacevir Sahari*, Naftalan Sahari*, Naxcivan Muxtar Respublikasi**, Neftcala Rayonu, Oguz Rayonu, Qabala Rayonu, Qax Rayonu, Qazax Rayonu, Qobustan Rayonu, Quba Rayonu, Qubadli Rayonu, Qusar Rayonu, Saatli Rayonu, Sabirabad Rayonu, Saki Rayonu, Saki Sahari*, Salyan Rayonu, Samaxi Rayonu, Samkir Rayonu, Samux Rayonu, Siyazan Rayonu, Sumqayit Sahari*, Susa Rayonu, Susa Sahari*, Tartar Rayonu, Tovuz Rayonu, Ucar Rayonu, Xacmaz Rayonu, Xankandi Sahari*, Xanlar Rayonu, Xizi Rayonu, Xocali Rayonu, Xocavand Rayonu, Yardimb Rayonu, Yevlax Rayonu, Yevlax Sahari*, Zangilan Rayonu, Zaqatala Rayonu, Zardab Rayonu

Independence

30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

National Holiday

Independence Day, 28 May

Constitution

Adopted NA April 1978; writing a new constitution

Legal System

Based on civil law system

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive Branch

Legislative Branch

Unicameral

National Assembly (Milli Mejlis)

Elections last held 12 and 26 November 1995 (next to be held NA); percent of vote by party NA; seats - (125 total) number of seats by party NA

Judicial Branch

Supreme Court

Political Parties and Leaders

Azerbaijan Popular Front (APF), Ebulfez ELCIBEY, chairman; Musavat Party, Isa GAMBAR, chairman; National Independence Party, Etibar MAMEDOV, chairman; Social Democratic Party (SDP), Araz ALIZADE, chairman; Communist Party, Ramiz AKHMEDOV, chairman; People's Freedom Party, Yunus OGUZ, chairman; Independent Social Democratic Party, Arif YUNUSOV and Leila YUNOSOVA, cochairmen; New Azerbaijan Party, Heydar ALIYEV, chairman; Boz Gurd Party, Iskander HAMIDOV, chairman; Azerbaijan Democratic Independence Party, Qabil HUSEYNLI, chairman; Islamic Party of Azerbaijan, Ali Akram, chairman; Ana Veten Party, Fazail AGAMALIYEV; Azerbaijan Democratic Party, Sardar Jalaloglu MAMEDOV; Azerbaijan Democratic Party of Proprietors (DPOP), Makhmud MAMEDOV; Azerbaijan Patriotic Solidarity Party, Sabir RUSTAMHANLI; Azerbaijan Republic Reform Party, Fuad ASADOV; Communist Party of Azerbaijan (unregistered), Sayad SAYADOV; Equality of the Peoples Party, Faukhraddin AYDAYEV; Independent Azerbaijan Party, Nizami SULEYMANOV; Labor Party of Azerbaijan, Sabutai HAJIYEV; Liberal-Democratic Party of Azerbaijan, Lyudmila NIKOLAYEVNA; National Enlightenment Party, Hajy Osman EFENDIYEV; National Liberation Party, Panak SHAKHSEVEV; Peasant Party, Firuz MUSTAFAYEV; Radical Party of Azerbaijan, Malik SHARIFOV; United Azerbaijan Party, Kerrar ABILOV; Vetan Adzhagy Party, Zakir TAGIYEV

Other Political or Pressure Groups

Self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic; Talysh independence movement

Member of

BSEC, CCC, CIS, EBRD, ECE, ECO, ESCAP, FAO, IBRD, ICAO, IDA, IDB, IFAD, IFRCS, ILO, IMF, IMO, Intelsat, Interpol, IOC, ITU, NACC, NAM (observer), OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UNIDO, UPU, WHO, WIPO, WMO, WTrO (observer)

National Anthem

Flag

Three equal horizontal bands of blue (top), red, and green; a crescent and eight-pointed star in white are centered in red band

ECONOMY

Overview

Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or Georgia, the other Transcaucasian states. It resembles the Central Asian states in its majority nominally Muslim population, high structural unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent products are oil, cotton, and gas. Production from the Caspian oil and gas field has been in decline for several years, but the November 1994 ratification of the $7.5 billion oil deal with a consortium of Western companies should generate the funds needed to spur future industrial development. Azerbaijan shares all the formidable problems of the ex-Soviet republics in making the transition from a command to a market economy, but its considerable energy resources brighten its long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures have yet to be replaced. Whereas the economies of most of the former Soviet republics had begun to bottom out in 1995, Azerbaijan's economy continued to plummet because of its late start on economic reform.

National Product

GDP - purchasing power parity - $11.5 billion (1995 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1994), $13.8 billion (1994 estimate as extrapolated from World Bank estimate for 1992)

National Product Real Growth Rate

-17% (1995 est.)
-22% (1994 est.)

National Product Per Capita

$1,480 (1995 est.)
$1,790 (1994 est.)

Inflation Rate (consumer Prices)

85% (1995 est.)
28% monthly average (1994)

Unemployment Rate

2.3% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of unregistered unemployed and underemployed workers (December 1995)
0.9% includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of other unemployed and underemployed workers (December 1994)

Budget

Exports

$549.9 million (f.o.b., 1995)
$366 million to non-FSU countries (f.o.b., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

Imports

$681.5 million (c.i.f., 1995)
$296 million from non-FSU countries (c.i.f., 1994)

Commodities:

Partners:

External Debt

$100 million (of which $75 million to Russia)

Industrial Production

Growth rate -21% (1995 est.), -25% (1994)

Electricity

Industries

Agriculture

Cotton, grain, rice, grapes, fruit, vegetables, tea, tobacco; cattle, pigs, sheep and goats

Illicit Drugs

Illicit cultivator of cannabis and opium poppy; mostly for CIS consumption; limited government eradication program; transshipment point for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic Aid

Currency

1 manat = 100 gopik

Exchange Rates

Manats per US$1 - 4,375 (April 1996), 4,500 (April 1995), 4,168 (end of December 1994)

Fiscal Year

Calendar year

TRANSPORTATION

Railroads

Highways

Pipelines

Crude oil 1,130 km; petroleum products 630 km; natural gas 1,240 km

Ports

Baku (Baki)

Airports

COMMUNICATIONS

Telephone System

710,000 telephones; 202,000 persons waiting for telephone installations (January 1991); domestic telephone service is of poor quality and inadequate

Radio

Television

DEFENSE FORCES

Branches

Army, Air Force, Navy, Maritime Border Guard, National Guard, Security Forces (internal and border troops)

Manpower Availability

Males age 15-49 1,952,390; males fit for military service 1,574,813; males reach military age (18) annually 68,006 (1996 est.)

Defense Expenditures

33.5 billion manats, NA% of GDP (1994); 70.5 billion rubles, 10% of GDP (1993 budget allocation); note - conversion of the military budget into U.S. dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

History
World Atlas

last updated: 1 december 1997