Azerbaijan

Republic of AzerbaijanAzarbaijchan Respublikasy

republicIndependence 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Azerbaijan as the 1993 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 77 fields, one of 34 editions from 1992 to 2025.

field in that editiontext changed from the edition beforenot in that editionthe open editionEach field below ends in its editions, 1990 to 2025. Point at a year above to follow it down.

CapitalBaku (Baky)
Area86,600 km2
LocationSoutheastern Europe, between Armenia and Turkmenistan, bordering the Caspian
1993

Every edition of Azerbaijan

Populationas each edition published it
7.57 million July 1993 est. · 7.45m in 1992
Population growth% a year
1.5% 1993 est. · 0.4% in 2025
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 27.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
70.6 years 1993 est. · 75.9 yrs in 2025
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.76 children per woman 1993 est. · 2.9 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
35.7 deaths per 1,000 live births 1993 est. · 45 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
Not in this edition $2,040 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
-25% 1992 · 4.1% in 2025

Geography

Southeastern Europe, between Armenia and Turkmenistan, bordering the Caspian | Sea

14 fields

Land useshare of 86,600 km2

arable land 18%permanent crops 0%meadows and pastures 25%forest and woodland 0%other 57%irrigated 14,010 km2 (1990)
Area
86,600km2
land area: 86,100 km2comparative area: slightly larger than Maine
Note
note: includes the Nakhichevan' Autonomous Republic and the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast; region's autonomy was abolished by Azerbaijan Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)note: Azerbaijan does border the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)Maritime claims: NAnote: Azerbaijani claims in Caspian Sea unknown; 10 nm fishing zone provided for in 1940 treaty regarding trade and navigation between Soviet Union and Iran
Land boundaries
2,013km
total · 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

Location

Southeastern Europe, between Armenia and Turkmenistan, bordering the Caspian Sea

Map references

Africa, Asia, Commonwealth of Independent States - Central Asian States, Commonwealth of Independent States - European States, Middle East, Standard Time Zones of the World

International disputes

  • violent and longstanding dispute with Armenia over status of Nagorno-Karabakh, lesser dispute concerns Nakhichevan;
  • some Azerbaijanis desire absorption of and/or unification with the ethnically Azeri portion of Iran;
  • minor irredentist disputes along Georgia border

Climate

dry, semiarid steppe; subject to drought

Terrain

  • large, flat Kura-Aras Lowland (much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Karabakh Upland in west;
  • Baku lies on Aspheson Peninsula that juts into Caspian Sea

Natural resources

petroleum, natural gas, iron ore, nonferrous metals, alumina

Environment

local scientists consider Apsheron Peninsula, including Baku and Sumgait, and the Caspian Sea to be "most ecologically devastated area in the world" because of severe air and water pollution

Note

landlocked

People

14 fields
Population
7,573,435
(July 1993 est.)growth rate: 1.5% (1993 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1993 est.)

Birth
24.09Death
6.61Net migration
-2.45

Male · female(1993 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years70.6
66.77 · 74.63
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy100%
100% · 100%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 9-49 can read and write (1970)

Religions

Moslem 87%Russian Orthodox 5.6%Armenian Orthodox 5.6%other 1.8%
Labor force
2.789million
by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 26%, other 42% (1990)

Infant mortality rate

35.7 deaths/1,000 live births (1993 est.)

Total fertility rate

2.76 children born/woman (1993 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Azerbaijani(s)
adjective:
Azerbaijani

Ethnic divisions

Azeri 82.7%, Russian 5.6%, Armenian 5.6%, Daghestanis 3.2%, other 2.9%, note - Armenian share may be less than 5.6% because many Armenians have fled the ethnic violence since 1989 census

Languages

Azeri 82%, Russian 7%, Armenian 5%, other 6%

Government

Republic

21 fields

Names

conventional long form:
Republic of Azerbaijan
conventional short form:
Azerbaijan
local long form:
Azarbaijchan Respublikasy
local short form:
none
former:
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

Type

republic

Capital

Baku (Baky)

Administrative divisions

1 autonomous republic (avtomnaya respublika); Nakhichevan (administrative center at Nakhichevan)

note: all rayons except for the exclave of Nakhichevan are under direct republic jurisdiction; 1 autonomous oblast, Nagorno-Karabakh (officially abolished by Azerbaijani Supreme Soviet on 26 November 1991) has declared itself Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Independence

30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Constitution

adopted NA April 1978; writing a new constitution mid-1993

Political parties and leaders

  • New Azerbaijan Party, ALIYEV;
  • Musavat Party (Azerbaijan Popular Front - APF), Isa GAMBAROV;
  • National Independence Party (main opposition party), Etibar MAMEDOV;
  • Social Democratic Party (SDP), Zardusht Ali ZADE;
  • Party of Revolutionary Revival (successor to the Communist Party), Sayad Afes OGLV, general secretary;
  • Party of Independent Azerbaijan, SOVLEYMANOV

Other political or pressure groups

self-proclaimed Armenian Nagorno-Karabakh Republic

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Elections

President:
last held 8 June 1992 (next to be held NA); results - Abdulfaz Ali ELCHIBEY, won 60% of vote
National Council:
  • last held 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme Soviet (next expected to be held late 1993 for the National Council);
  • seats for Supreme Soviet - (360 total) Communists 280, Democratic Bloc 45 (grouping of opposition parties), other 15, vacant 20;
  • note - on 19 May 1992 the Supreme Soviet was disbanded in favor of a Popular Front-dominated National Council;
  • seats - (50 total) 25 Popular Front, 25 opposition elements

Executive branch

president, council of ministers

Legislative branch

National Parliament (National Assembly or Milli Mejlis)

Judicial branch

Supreme Court

Leaders

Chief of State:
President Ebulfez ELCHIBEY (since 7 June 1992)
Head of Government:
  • Prime Minister Penah HUSEYNOV (since 29 April 1993; resigned 7 June 1993; likely replacement - E'tibar MAMEDOV);
  • National Parliament Chairman Isa GAMBAROV (since 19 May 1992; resigned 13 June 1993; likely replacement Geydar ALIYEV)

Member of

BSEC, CSCE, EBRD, ECO, ESCAP, IBRD, IDB, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, ITU, NACC, OIC, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Hafiz PASHAYEV
chancery:
1615 L Street NW, Washington, DC 20036
telephone:
NA

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard MILES
embassy:
Hotel Intourist, Baku
mailing address:
APO AE 09862
telephone:
7-8922-91-79-56

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

Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or Georgia, | the other Transcaucasian states.

19 fields
Real growth rate
-25%
(1992)industrial production growth: growth rate -27% (1992)
Inflation, consumer prices
20%per month
(1992 est.)
Unemployment rate
0.2%
includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of underemployed workers
External debt
$1.3billion
(1991 est.)

Overview

Azerbaijan is less developed industrially than either Armenia or Georgia, the other Transcaucasian states. It resembles the Central Asian states in its majority Muslim population, high structural unemployment, and low standard of living. The economy's most prominent products are cotton, oil, and gas.

Production from the Caspian oil and gas field has been in decline for several years. With foreign assistance, the oil industry might generate the funds needed to spur industrial development. However, civil unrest, marked by armed conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region between Muslim Azeris and Christian Armenians, makes foreign investors wary.

Azerbaijan accounted for 1.5% to 2% of the capital stock and output of the former Soviet Union. 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 propects somewhat.

Old economic ties and structures have yet to be replaced. A particularly galling constraint on economic revival is the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, said to consume 25% of Azerbaijan's economic resources.

Budget

revenues $NA; expenditures $NA, including capital expenditures of $NA (1992)

Exports

$821 million to outside the successor states of the former USSR (f.o.b., 1992 est.)

commodities:
oil and gas, chemicals, oilfield equipment, textiles, cotton (1991)
partners:
mostly CIS and European countries

Imports

$300 million from outside the successor states of the former USSR (c.i.f., 1992 est.)

commodities:
machinery and parts, consumer durables, foodstuffs, textiles (1991)
partners:
European countries

Electricity

6,025,000 kW capacity; 22,300 million kWh produced, 2,990 kWh per capita (1992)

Industries

  • petroleum and natural gas, petroleum products, oilfield equipment;
  • steel, iron ore, cement;
  • chemicals and petrochemicals;
  • textiles

Agriculture

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

Illicit drugs

  • illicit producer of cannabis and opium;
  • mostly for CIS consumption;
  • limited government eradication program;
  • used as transshipment points for illicit drugs to Western Europe

Economic aid

wheat from Turkey

Currency

1 manat (abbreviation NA) = 10 Russian rubles; ruble still used

Fiscal year

calendar year

Communications

6 fields

Networkskm

Highways
36,700Railroads
2,090 (1990)
Highways: (1990); 31,800 km hard surfaced; 4,900 km earth · Railroads: ; does not include industrial lines

Railroads

2,090 km; does not include industrial lines (1990)

Highways

  • 36,700 km total (1990);
  • 31,800 km hard surfaced;
  • 4,900 km earth

Pipelines

crude oil 1,130 km, petroleum products 630 km, natural gas 1,240 km

Ports

inland - Baku (Baky)

Airports

total:
65
useable:
33
with permanent-surface runways:
26
with runways over 3,659 m:
0
with runways 2,440-3,659 m:
8
with runways 1,220-2,439 m:
23

Telecommunications

  • domestic telephone service is of poor quality and inadequate;
  • 644,000 domestic telephone lines (density - 9 lines per 100 persons (1991)), 202,000 persons waiting for telephone installations (January 1991);
  • connections to other former USSR republics by cable and microwave and to other countries via the Moscow international gateway switch;
  • INTELSAT earth station installed in late 1992 in Baku with Turkish financial assistance with access to 200 countries through Turkey;
  • domestic and Russian TV programs are received locally and Turkish and Iranian TV is received from an INTELSAT satellite through a receive-only earth station

Defense Forces

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

3 fields
Defense expenditures
2,848million rubles
NA% of GDP (1992 est.); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results

Branches

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

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,842,917;
  • fit for military service 1,497,640;
  • reach military age (18) annually 66,928 (1993 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Azerbaijan.” The World Factbook 1993. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/azerbaijan/1993.

How to cite ← 1992 edition 1994 edition →