In the northeast, the southern limits of the Caucasus Range extend into Azerbaijan, although much of the land adjoining the Caspian Sea is flat and low-lying. The climate is continental with hot summers and cold winters, especially in the highlands.
Rainfall is light overall with the heaviest falls in summer.
In September of that year, Ayaz Mutalibov received over 80 per cent of the vote in presidential elections, but he resigned six months later following public protests. In the subsequent elections of June 1992 Abulfaz Elchibey was elected, but was ousted a year later by a military-led coup. His successor, Haydar Aliyev, was confirmed as president at elections in October 1993, although these were thought to be less democratic than those held previously. A major reason for the downfall of the constitutional leadership was the continued military failure in the conflict with Armenia over the disputed territory of Nagorno-Karabakh. A cease-fire was reached in early 1994, with Moscow's help and after Azerbaijan had rejoined the Commonwealth of Independent States.