Azerbaijan Facts

by countryaah · Published June 3, 2019 · Updated April 25, 2020

Azerbaijan, state of the South Caucasus, western Asia; 87,000 km², 9.9 million residents (2019).Azerbaijan borders east to the Caspian Sea, south to Iran, west to Armenia, and north to Georgia and the Russian Federation. Azerbaijan also includes the Autonomous Republic of Nachichevan and the Autonomous Region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The latter is militarily controlled by Armenia since 1993. The capital is Baku (1.2 million residents, 2015).

Country facts

Azerbaijan Republic / Azerbaijan Republic
Country abbreviation: AZ
Area: 87 000 km²
Population (2019): 9.9 million residents
Capital: Baku
Main languages: Azerbaijani
State: Republic
Head of State: Ilham Alijev (President)
Head of Government: Ali Asadov
Per capita GDP (2018): US $ 4,721
GNI per capita (2018): 4,050 US dollars
Currency unit: 1 manat = 100 gopik
Currency code: AZM
Country number (telephony): 994
Internet domain name: az
Time difference compared to Sweden: +3
National Day: May 28 (Founding of the Republic, 1918)
Independence Day: December 25, 1991

Nature

Land use: forest (11%), agricultural land (48%), other (41%)
Highest mountain: Bazardjuzi (4,466 m asl)
Longest river: Kura (1,515 km)

Population

Population density (2019): 114 residents per km²
Natural population growth (2019): 0.5%; birth rate 14 ‰, death rate 9 ‰
Age structure (2019): 0-14 years (22%), 15-64 (69%), 65- (9%)
Average life expectancy (2019): men 73 years, women 78 years
Infant mortality (2019): 11 per 1,000 live births
Population forecast 2050: 11 million residents
HDI (2017): 0.757 (place 80 of 189)
Urbanization rate (2019): 53%
Most populous cities (2015): Baku (1.2 million residents), Gjandzja (328,400), Sumgait (290,500)

Business

Industry’s contribution to GDP (2017): agriculture (6%), industry (54%), service (40%)
Exports (2017): US $ 15,150 million
Main export products: oil, natural gas
Main exporting countries: Italy, Turkey, Israel
Imports (2017): US $ 9,040 million
Main import products: machinery, oil products, food
Main importing countries: Russian Federation, Turkey, China
Railway network (2017): 2 900 km

Azerbaijan is located in western Asia and its northern border is formed by the mountain ranges of the Greater Caucasus. The country’s other highland area is the Little Caucasus in the southwest. Otherwise, Azerbaijan mainly consists of lowlands, mainly on the shores of the Caspian Sea and around the Kura River and its tributary Aras. Middle and eastern Azerbaijan has a dry subtropical climate with mild winters and hot summers. The south-eastern part has a more humid Mediterranean climate.

The country’s current constitution was adopted in 2002 and gives the president, who is elected for five years, a strong position. Parliament is also elected for five years. Azerbaijan became independent in 1991. Political life has long been marked by the conflict with Armenia over Nagorno-Karabakh.

Since the middle of the 19th century, when oil was found and an oil industry was built up with the help of foreign investments, i. by the Nobel and Rothschild families, this commodity has had its mark on the country’s economic and social development. Outside the oil and natural gas industry, the economy has remained largely of an agricultural nature. From the end of the 1990s, the oil and gas industry and related businesses, including construction and communications industries, experienced strong growth.