Azerbaijan

Azerbaijani RepublicAzarbaycan Respublikasi

republicIndependence 30 August 1991 (from Soviet Union)

Azerbaijan as the 1995 edition of the CIA World Factbook published it: 81 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 (Baki)
Area86,600 sq km
LocationSouthwestern Asia, bordering the Caspian Sea, between Iran
1995

Every edition of Azerbaijan

Populationas each edition published it
7.79 million July 1995 est. · 7.45m in 1992
Population growth% a year
1.32% 1995 est. · 1.5% in 1993
Median ageyears
Not in this edition 27.1 yrs in 2003
Life expectancyyears at birth
71.09 years 1995 est. · 70.6 yrs in 1993
Fertility ratechildren per woman
2.64 children per woman 1995 est. · 2.9 in 1992
Infant mortalitydeaths per 1,000 live births
33.9 deaths per 1,000 live births 1995 est. · 45 in 1992
GDP per capitaeach edition's own dollars
$1,790 1994 est. · $2,040 in 1994
GDP real growth% a year
-22% 1994 est. · -25% in 1993

Geography

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

14 fields

Land useshare of 86,600 sq km

arable land 18%permanent crops 4%meadows and pastures 25%forest and woodland 0%other 53%irrigated 14,010 sq km (1990)
Area
86,600sq km
land area: 86,100 sq kmcomparative area: slightly larger than Maine
Note
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
Coastline
0km
(landlocked)note: Azerbaijan borders the Caspian Sea (800 km, est.)Maritime claims: none; landlocked
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

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

Map references

Commonwealth of Independent States - European States

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

Natural resources

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

Environment

current issues:
  • local scientists consider the Abseron (Apsheron) Peninsula (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, water, and soil pollution;
  • soil pollution results from the use of DDT as a pesticide and also from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton
natural hazards:
droughts; some lowland areas threatened by rising levels of the Caspian Sea
international agreements:
signed, but not ratified - Biodiversity, Climate Change

Note

landlocked

People

15 fields
Population
7,789,886
(July 1995 est.)growth rate: 1.32% (1995 est.)

Per 1,000 population(1995 est.)

Birth
22.05Death
6.56Net migration
-2.32

Male · female(1995 est.)

TotalMale · femaleLife expectancy years71.09
67.4 · 74.97
TotalMale · femaleLiteracy97%
99% · 96%
MaleFemaleLiteracy age 15 and over can read and write (1989)

Ethnic divisions(1995 est.)

Azeri 90%Dagestani Peoples 3.2%Russian 2.5%Armenian 2.3%other 2% (1995 est.)note: almost all Armenians live in the separatist Nagorno-Karabakh region

Religions(1995 est.)

Muslim 93.4%Russian Orthodox 2.5%Armenian Orthodox 2.3%other 1.8% (1995 est.)note: religious affiliation is still nominal in Azerbaijan; actual practicing adherents are much lower
Labor force
2.789million
by occupation: agriculture and forestry 32%, industry and construction 26%, other 42% (1990)

Age structure

0-14 years:
33% (female 1,241,952; male 1,315,313)
15-64 years:
61% (female 2,437,810; male 2,307,496)
65 years and over:
6% (female 303,926; male 183,389) (July 1995 est.)

Infant mortality rate

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

Total fertility rate

2.64 children born/woman (1995 est.)

Nationality

noun:
Azerbaijani(s)
adjective:
Azerbaijani

Languages

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

Government

Republic; President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993); Acting Prime Minister Fuad QULIYEV (since 9 October 1994)

22 fields

Legislature, 50 seatsone dot, one seat

Popular Front 25opposition elements 25

Names

conventional long form:
Azerbaijani Republic
conventional short form:
Azerbaijan
local long form:
Azarbaycan Respublikasi
local short form:
none
former:
Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

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

Suffrage

18 years of age; universal

Executive branch

chief of state:
  • President Heydar ALIYEV (since 18 June 1993);
  • election last held 3 October 1993 (next to be held NA);
  • results - Heydar ALIYEV won 97% of vote
head of government:
Acting Prime Minister Fuad QULIYEV (since 9 October 1994); First Deputy Prime Ministers Abbas ABBASOV, Samed SADYKOV, Vahid AKHMEDOV (since NA)
cabinet:
Council of Ministers; appointed by the president and confirmed by the Mejlis

National Assembly (Milli Mejlis)

  • elections last held 30 September and 14 October 1990 for the Supreme Soviet (next expected to be held September 1995 for the National Assembly);
  • 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 prorogued in favor of a Popular Front-dominated National Council;
  • seats - (50 total) Popular Front 25, opposition elements 25

note: since June 1993 ALIYEV has rotated in several supporters to replace Popular Front adherents

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, IBRD, ICAO, IDB, IFAD, ILO, IMF, INTELSAT, INTERPOL, IOC, ITU, NACC, OIC, OSCE, PFP, UN, UNCTAD, UNESCO, UPU, WHO, WMO

Diplomatic representation in US

chief of mission:
Ambassador Hafiz Mir Jalal PASHAYEV
chancery:
(temporary) Suite 700, 927 15th Street NW, Washington, DC 20005
telephone:
[1] (202) 842-0001

FAX

[1] (202) 842-0004

US diplomatic representation

chief of mission:
Ambassador Richard D. KAUZLARICH
embassy:
Azadliq Prospect 83, Baku
mailing address:
use embassy street address
telephone:
[9] (9412) 96-00-19, 98-03-37

FAX

[9] (9412) 98-37-55

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
GDP per capita, PPP
$1,790
(1994 est.)
Real growth rate
-22%
(1994 est.)industrial production growth: growth rate -25% (1994)
Inflation, consumer prices
28%monthly average
(1994)
Unemployment rate
0.9%
includes officially registered unemployed; also large numbers of other unemployed and underemployed workers (December 1994)

Budget

Revenues
$167.5 millionExpenditures
$234.6 million (1994)
expenditures including capital expenditures of $NA

Installed generating capacity, 4,900,000 kW

Electricity production
17.5 billionElectricity consumption per capita
2,270 (1994)

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 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 long-term prospects. Baku has only recently begun making progress on economic reform, and old economic ties and structures have yet to be replaced.

National product

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

Exports

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

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

Imports

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

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

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

Economic aid

recipient: wheat from Turkey

Currency

1 manat = 100 gopik

Exchange rates

manats per US$1 - 4500 (April 1995), 4168 (end of December 1994)

Fiscal year

calendar year

Transportation

5 fields

Airports by runway lengthpaved left, unpaved right · 69 in all

2
over 3,047 m
6
2,438 to 3,047 m
17
1,524 to 2,437 m
3
914 to 1,523 m
7
1
under 914 m
33
PavedUnpaved

Networkskm

Highways
36,700Railroads
2,090
Highways: paved or graveled: 31,800 km · unpaved: earth 4,900 km (1990) · Railroads: ; does not include industrial lines · broad gauge: 2,090 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Railroads

total:
2,090 km in common carrier service; does not include industrial lines
broad gauge:
2,090 km 1.520-m gauge (1990)

Highways

total:
36,700 km
paved or graveled:
31,800 km
unpaved:
earth 4,900 km (1990)

Pipelines

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

Ports

Baku (Baki)

Communications

3 fields

Telephone system

  • 710,000 telephones;
  • 90 telephones/1,000 persons (1991);
  • 202,000 persons waiting for telephone installations (January 1991);
  • domestic telephone service is of poor quality and inadequate
local:
a joint venture to establish a cellular telephone system (Bakcel) in the Baku area is supposed to become operational in 1994
intercity:
NA
international:
  • connections to other former USSR republics by cable and microwave and to other countries via the Moscow international gateway switch;
  • INTELSAT link installed in late 1992 in Baku with Turkish financial assistance with access to 200 countries through Turkey;
  • since August 1993 an earth station near Baku has provided direct communications with New York through Russia's Stationar-11 satellite

Radio

broadcast stations:
AM NA, FM NA, shortwave NA
radios:
NA

Television

broadcast stations:
NA; 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
televisions:
NA

Defense Forces

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

3 fields
Defense expenditures
70.5billion rubles
10% of GDP (1993 budget allocation); note - conversion of the military budget into US dollars using the current exchange rate could produce misleading results THE BAHAMAS

Branches

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

Manpower availability

  • males age 15-49 1,927,955;
  • males fit for military service 1,553,736;
  • males reach military age (18) annually 68,407 (1995 est.)

Central Intelligence Agency. “Azerbaijan.” The World Factbook 1995. Archived by The Factbook, thefactbook.org/azerbaijan/1995.

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