The central and eastern parts of the country have a subtropical dry climate. The southeast has a subtropical moist climate. Some of these areas receive almost 60 inches of precipitation each year, much of it in winter. In both these regions winter is mild, but summers are very hot. Temperatures of 110 F are not unheard of.
Higher elevations have a dry continental climate with cold winters and hot summers.
Russians and Armenians make up sizable minorities in Azerbaijan. About 13 million Azerbaijanis live outside the country, mostly in Iran. There are four main dialect divisions. The literary tradition dates to the 14th century. In 1992 the Azerbaijani government switched from the Cyrillic to the Roman alphabet as its official orthography.