Armenians make up more than 80 percent of the population living in the Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast, a district in the south of the republic. There have been violent ethnic riots since 1988 between Azerbaijanis and Armenians after Armenian demands that Nagorno-Karabakh be united with the Armenian republic. The Soviet government intervened to stop the violence, but the fighting escalated when the Soviet troops were withdrawn after the dissolution of the Soviet Union. Economy Raw cotton and tobacco are the leading crops. Wheat, barley, and corn are the major grain crops.
Rice is grown through irrigation.
Potatoes, fruits, grapes, and vegetables are other crops. Tea and citrus fruits are specialties of the humid Lenkoran lowland. Cattle, sheep, and goats graze the lowlands and the mountains and are the basis of wool and meat production. Silk is a major product. The Baku area is the site of extensive petroleum and natural gas fields.