Azerbaijan
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
This article is about the country in Eurasia. For other uses, see Azerbaijan (disambiguation).
| Republic of Azerbaijan
Azərbaycan Respublikası (Azerbaijani)
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Anthem:
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Location of Azerbaijan.
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| Capital | Baku 40°25′N 49°50′E | |||||
| Official languages | Azerbaijani | |||||
| Demonym | Azerbaijani | |||||
| Government | Unitary dominant-partysemi-presidential republic | |||||
| • | President | Ilham Aliyev | ||||
| • | Prime Minister | Artur Rasizade | ||||
| Legislature | National Assembly | |||||
| Formation | ||||||
| • | Democratic Republic | 28 May 1918 | ||||
| • | Soviet Socialist Republic | 28 April 1920 | ||||
| • | Independence from the Soviet Union | 30 August 1991 (declared) 18 October 1991 (independence) 25 December 1991 (completed) | ||||
| • | Constitution adopted | 12 November 1995 | ||||
| Area | ||||||
| • | Total | 86,600 km2 (114th) 33,436 sq mi | ||||
| • | Water (%) | 1.6 | ||||
| Population | ||||||
| • | 2016 estimate | 9,754,830[1] (89th) | ||||
| • | Density | 110.6/km2 (103rd) 274.1/sq mi | ||||
| GDP (PPP) | 2015 estimate | |||||
| • | Total | $168.4 billion[2] | ||||
| • | Per capita | $17,500[2] | ||||
| GDP (nominal) | 2015 estimate | |||||
| • | Total | $63.983 billion[2] | ||||
| • | Per capita | $6,794[2] | ||||
| Gini (2008) | 33.7[3] medium | |||||
| HDI (2013) | 0.751[4] high · 76th | |||||
| Currency | Manat (₼) (AZN) | |||||
| Time zone | AZT (UTC+04) | |||||
| Drives on the | right | |||||
| Calling code | 994 | |||||
| ISO 3166 code | AZ | |||||
| Internet TLD | .az | |||||
| a. | The Nagorno-Karabakh Republic is an unrecognised de facto sovereign state, widely considered de jure part of Azerbaijan. | |||||
Azerbaijan (
i/ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/ az-ər-by-jahn; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan [ɑzærbɑjdʒɑn]), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is a country in the Transcaucasian region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe.[5] 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. Theexclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short border with Turkey in the north west.
i/ˌæzərbaɪˈdʒɑːn/ az-ər-by-jahn; Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan [ɑzærbɑjdʒɑn]), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Azərbaycan Respublikası), is a country in the Transcaucasian region, situated at the crossroads of Southwest Asia and Southeastern Europe.[5] 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. Theexclave of Nakhchivan is bounded by Armenia to the north and east, Iran to the south and west, while having a short border with Turkey in the north west.
The Azerbaijan Democratic Republic proclaimed its independence in 1918. The country was incorporated into the Soviet Union in 1920 as the Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic.[6][7] The modern Republic of Azerbaijan proclaimed its independence on 30 August 1991,[8] before the official dissolution of the USSR. In September 1991, the disputed Armenian-majority Nagorno-Karabakh region re-affirmed its willingness to create a separate state as the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.[9] The region and seven adjacent districts outside it became de facto independent since the ending of the Nagorno-Karabakh War in 1994, these regions are internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan until a final solution to status of the Nagorno-Karabakh is found through negotiations facilitated by the OSCE.[10][11][12][13]
Azerbaijan is a unitary semi-presidential republic. The country is a member state of the Council of Europe, the OSCE and the NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) program. It is one of the six independent Turkic states, being an active member of the Turkic Council and the TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan has diplomatic relations with 158 countries and holds membership in 38 international organizations.[14] It is one of the founding members of GUAM, the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS)[15] and Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. A member of the United Nations since 1992, Azerbaijan was elected to membership in the newly established Human Rights Council by the United Nations General Assembly on 9 May 2006 (the term of office began on 19 June 2006).[16] Azerbaijan is also a member state of the Non-Aligned Movement, holds observer status in World Trade Organization and is a correspondent at the International Telecommunication Union.[14][17]
The Constitution of Azerbaijan does not declare an official religion, and all major political forces in the country are secularist, but the majority of people and some opposition movements adhere to Shia Islam.[18]Azerbaijan has a high level of human development which ranks on par with most Eastern European countries.[19] It has a high rate of economic development[20] and literacy,[21] as well as a low rate ofunemployment.[22] However, corruption in Azerbaijan is widespread, especially in the public service.[23][24] The ruling party, New Azerbaijan Party, has been accused of authoritarianism and human rights abuses.[25][26]