Azerbaijan

• large, flat Kur-Araz Ovaligi (Kura-Araks Lowland, much of it below sea level) with Great Caucasus Mountains to the north, Qarabag Yaylasi (Karabakh Upland) to the west;
• Baku lies on Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) that juts into Caspian Sea

• highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the county, in and around Baku;
• apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population

• local scientists consider the Abseron Yasaqligi (Apsheron Peninsula) (including Baku and Sumqayit) and the Caspian Sea to be the ecologically most devastated area in the world because of severe air, soil, and water pollution;
• soil pollution results from oil spills, from the use of DDT pesticide, and from toxic defoliants used in the production of cotton;
• surface and underground water are polluted by untreated municipal and industrial wastewater and agricultural run-off

party to:

Air Pollution, Biodiversity, Climate Change, Climate Change-Kyoto Protocol, Desertification, Endangered Species, Hazardous Wastes, Marine Dumping, Ozone Layer Protection, Ship Pollution, Wetlands

signed, but not ratified:

none of the selected agreements

noun:

Azerbaijani(s)

adjective:

Azerbaijani

• highest population density is found in the far eastern area of the county, in and around Baku;
• apart from smaller urbanized areas, the rest of the country has a fairly light and evenly distributed population

at birth:

1.06 male(s)/female

0-14 years:

1.13 male(s)/female

15-24 years:

1.14 male(s)/female

25-54 years:

0.98 male(s)/female

55-64 years:

0.84 male(s)/female

65 years and over:

0.64 male(s)/female

total population:

0.98 male(s)/female (2020 est.)

conventional long form:

Republic of Azerbaijan

conventional short form:

Azerbaijan

local long form:

Azarbaycan Respublikasi

local short form:

Azarbaycan

former:

Azerbaijan Soviet Socialist Republic

etymology:

the name translates as "Land of Fire" and refers to naturally occurring surface fires on ancient oil pools or from natural gas discharges

name:

Baku (Baki, Baky)

geographic coordinates:

40 23 N, 49 52 E

time difference:

UTC+4 (9 hours ahead of Washington, DC, during Standard Time)

daylight saving time:

does not observe daylight savings time

etymology:

the name derives from the Persian designation of the city "bad-kube" meaning "wind-pounded city" and refers to the harsh winds and severe snow storms that can hit the city note: at approximately 28 m below sea level, Baku's elevation makes it the lowest capital city in the world

66 rayons (rayonlar; rayon - singular), 11 cities (saharlar; sahar - singular); rayons: Abseron, Agcabadi, Agdam, Agdas, Agstafa, Agsu, Astara, Babak, Balakan, Barda, Beylaqan, Bilasuvar, Cabrayil, Calilabad, Culfa, Daskasan, Fuzuli, Gadabay, Goranboy, Goycay, Goygol, Haciqabul, Imisli, Ismayilli, Kalbacar, Kangarli, Kurdamir, Lacin, Lankaran, Lerik, Masalli, Neftcala, Oguz, Ordubad, Qabala, Qax, Qazax, Qobustan, Quba, Qubadli, Qusar, Saatli, Sabirabad, Sabran, Sadarak, Sahbuz, Saki, Salyan, Samaxi, Samkir, Samux, Sarur, Siyazan, Susa, Tartar, Tovuz, Ucar, Xacmaz, Xizi, Xocali, Xocavand, Yardimli, Yevlax, Zangilan, Zaqatala, Zardab cities: Baku, Ganca, Lankaran, Mingacevir, Naftalan, Naxcivan (Nakhichevan), Saki, Sirvan, Sumqayit, Xankandi, Yevlax

history:

several previous; latest adopted 12 November 1995

amendments:

• proposed by the president of the republic or by at least 63 members of the National Assembly;
• passage requires at least 95 votes of Assembly members in two separate readings of the draft amendment six months apart and requires presidential approval after each of the two Assembly votes, followed by presidential signature;
• constitutional articles on the authority, sovereignty, and unity of the people cannot be amended;
• amended 2002, 2009, 2016

citizenship by birth:

yes

citizenship by descent only:

yes

dual citizenship recognized:

no

residency requirement for naturalization:

5 years

chief of state:

President Ilham ALIYEV (since 31 October 2003); First Vice President Mehriban ALIYEVA (since 21 February 2017)

head of government:

Prime Minister Ali ASADOV (since 8 October 2019); First Deputy Prime Minister Yaqub EYYUBOV (since June 2006)

cabinet:

Council of Ministers appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly

elections/appointments:

• president directly elected by absolute majority popular vote in 2 rounds if needed for a 7-year term (eligible for unlimited terms);
• election last held on 11 April 2018 (next to be held in 2025);
• prime minister and first deputy prime minister appointed by the president and confirmed by the National Assembly;
• note - a constitutional amendment approved in a September 2016 referendum expanded presidential terms from 5 to 7 years;
• a separate constitutional amendment approved in the same referendum also introduced the post of first vice-president and additional vice-presidents, who are directly appointed by the president

election results:

Ilham ALIYEV reelected president in first round; percent of vote - Ilham ALIYEV (YAP) 86%, Zahid ORUJ (independent) 3.1%, other 10.9%

note: OSCE observers noted shortcomings in the election, including a restrictive political environment, limits on fundamental freedoms, a lack of genuine competition, and ballot box stuffing

highest courts:

• Supreme Court (consists of the chairman, vice chairman, and 23 judges in plenum sessions and organized into civil, economic affairs, criminal, and rights violations chambers);
• Constitutional Court (consists of 9 judges)

judge selection and term of office:

• Supreme Court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis;
• judges appointed for 10 years;
• Constitutional Court chairman and deputy chairman appointed by the president;
• other court judges nominated by the president and appointed by the Milli Majlis to serve single 15-year terms

subordinate courts:

Courts of Appeal (replaced the Economic Court in 2002); district and municipal courts

• Azerbaijan Democratic Enlightenment Party
• Civil Solidarity Party or CSP [Sabir RUSTAMKHANLI]
• Civil Unity Party or CUP [Sabir HAJIYEV]
• Great Order Party
• Islamic Party of Azerbaijan [Mavsum SAMADOV]
• Musavat [Arif HAJILI]
• Popular Front Party [Ali KARIMLI]
• Motherland Party or AVP [Fazail AGAMALI]
• National Renaissance Party
• Party for Democratic Reforms (PDR)
• Social Democratic Party [Ayaz MUTALIBOV]
• Social Prosperity Party [Khanhusein KAZIMLI]
• Unity Party (VP) [Tahir KARIMLI]
• Whole Azerbaijan Popular Front Party [Gudrat HASANGULIYEV]
• Yeni (New) Azerbaijan Party or YAP [President Ilham ALIYEV]

chief of mission:

Ambassador Elin SULEYMANOV (since 5 December 2011)

chancery:

2741 34th Street NW, Washington, DC 20008

telephone:

[1] (202) 337-3500

FAX:

[1] (202) 337-5911

consulate(s) general:

Los Angeles

chief of mission:

Ambassador Earle LITZENBERGER (since 12 March 2019)

telephone:

[994] (12) 488-3300

embassy:

111 Azadliq Prospekti, Baku AZ1007

mailing address:

American Embassy Baku, US Department of State, 7050 Baku Place, Washington, DC 20521-7050

FAX:

[994] (12) 488-3330

• three equal horizontal bands of sky blue (top), red, and green;
• a vertical crescent moon and an eight-pointed star in white are centered in the red band;
• the blue band recalls Azerbaijan's Turkic heritage, red stands for modernization and progress, and green refers to Islam;
• the crescent moon and star are a Turkic insignia;
• the eight star points represent the eight Turkic peoples of the world

name:

"Azerbaijan Marsi" (March of Azerbaijan)

lyrics/music:

Ahmed JAVAD/Uzeyir HAJIBEYOV

note: adopted 1992; although originally written in 1919 during a brief period of independence, "Azerbaijan Marsi" did not become the official anthem until after the dissolution of the Soviet Union

Fitch rating:

BB+ (2016)

Moody's rating:

Ba2 (2017)

Standard & Poors rating: BB+ (2016)

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

agriculture:

37%

industry:

14.3%

services:

48.9% (2014)

lowest 10%:

3.4%

highest 10%:

27.4% (2008)

• 3 state-run and 1 public TV channels;
• 4 domestic commercial TV stations and about 15 regional TV stations;
• cable TV services are available in Baku;
• 1 state-run and 1 public radio network operating;
• a small number of private commercial radio stations broadcasting;
• local FM relays of Baku commercial stations are available in many localities;
• note - all broadcast media is pro-government, and most private broadcast media outlets are owned by entities directly linked to the government

number of registered air carriers:

42 (2020); inventory of registered aircraft operated by air carriers: 44

annual passenger traffic on registered air carriers:

2,279,546 (2018)

annual freight traffic on registered air carriers:

44.09 million mt-km (2018)

total:

2,944 km (2017)

broad gauge:

2,944.3 km 1.520-m gauge (approx. 1,767 km electrified) (2017)

• the Azerbaijan military has approximately 67,000 total active personnel;
• 56,000 Army;
• 2,500 Navy;
• 8,500 Air Force) (2019 est.)

• the inventory of the Azerbaijan military includes mostly Russian and Soviet-era equipment;
• since 2010, Russia is the leading supplier of arms to Azerbaijan, followed by Israel and Turkey (2020)

• 18-35 years of age for compulsory military service;
• service obligation 18 months or 12 months for university graduates;
• 17 years of age for voluntary service;
• 17 year olds are considered to be on active service at cadet military schools (2012)

• Azerbaijan, Kazakhstan, and Russia ratified the Caspian seabed delimitation treaties based on equidistance, while Iran continues to insist on a one-fifth slice of the sea;
• the dispute over the break-away Nagorno-Karabakh region and the Armenian military occupation of surrounding lands in Azerbaijan remains the primary focus of regional instability;
• residents have evacuated the former Soviet-era small ethnic enclaves in Armenia and Azerbaijan;
• local border forces struggle to control the illegal transit of goods and people across the porous, undemarcated Armenian, Azerbaijani, and Georgian borders;
• bilateral talks continue with Turkmenistan on dividing the seabed and contested oilfields in the middle of the Caspian

• limited illicit cultivation of cannabis and opium poppy, mostly for CIS consumption;
• small government eradication program;
• transit point for Southwest Asian opiates bound for Russia and to a lesser extent the rest of Europe