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Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Az?rbaycan), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan (Azerbaijani: Az?rbaycan Respublikasi), is a country in the Caucasus region of Eurasia. Located 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. The Nagorno-Karabakh region in the southwest of Azerbaijan proper declared itself independent from Azerbaijan in 1991, but it is not recognized by any nation and considered a legal part of Azerbaijan.
Azerbaijan is a secular state, and has been a member of the Council of Europe since 2001, EU's European Neighborhood Policy partner since 2006, NATO Partnership for Peace (PfP) member since 1994, NATO Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) since 2004 and Commonwealth of Independent States's member since 1991. The Azerbaijani people (or simply Azeris) are the majority population, most of whom (about 70%) are traditionally adherents of Shi'a Islam. The remaining Muslims are Sunni. Other religions include Russian Orthodoxy(2.5%), Armenian Orthodoxy (2.3%), other (6%). The country is formally an emerging democracy, but with strong authoritarian rule.
Etymology and usage
The name Azerbaijan itself is thought to be derived from Atropates, the Satrap (governor) of Media in the Achaemenid empire, who ruled a region found in modern Iranian Azarbaijan called Atropatene. Atropates name is believed to be derived from the Old Persian roots meaning "protected by fire." The name is also mentioned in the Avestan Frawardin Yasht: âterepâtahe ashaonô fravashîm ýazamaide which translates literally to: We worship the Fravashi of the holy Atare-pata.
Raions
Azerbaijan is divided into fifty-nine raions, and one autonomous republic (muxtar respublika), Nakhichevan. Nakhichevan itself is subdivided into seven raions and one city.
The city of Baku is the capital of Azerbaijan.
Geography
Azerbaijan contains nine of the eleven climatic zones. It is arid, dry, and subtropical with hot summers and mild winters. Temperatures vary by season and area. 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 millimeters (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
Azerbaijan's 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 obtained from the nearby Caspian Sea. Azerbaijan has a highly dynamic economy, mainly because of oil, and its annual gross domestic product (GDP) growth soared 34.5% to reach $20.6 billion in 2006, making it the fastest growing economy in the world for the second-year straight. GDP per capita rose 33% to make $2,373. The 2007 GDP growth forecast ranges from 18% by the Economist Intelligence Unit to 22% by the Asian Development Bank.
Culture
The official language of Azerbaijan is Azerbaijani, a member of the Oghuz subdivision of the Turkic language family, and is spoken by around 95% of the republic’s population, as well as about a quarter of the population of Iran. Its closest relatives in language are Turkish, Turkmen and Gagauzian. As a result of the language policy of the Soviet Union, Russian is also commonly spoken as a second language among the urbane. A bid for the 2016 Summer Olympics has been placed by Azerbaijan, with Baku as the host city. However, due to strong Asian competition, it may not even make it out of its own continent's vote.
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