Azerbaijan

**Azerbaijan**, wey dem dey officially call **Republic of Azerbaijan**, be one transcontinental den landlocked country wey dey de boundary between West Asia den Eastern Europe. E be part of de South Caucasus region, den e get de Caspian Sea for east, Russia ein Dagestan republic for north, Georgia for northwest, Armenia den Turkey for west, den Iran for south. Baku be de capital den de biggest city.

De area wey now be Azerbaijan, first dem rule am under Caucasian Albania, then later different Persian empires take over. Till de 19th century, e still be part of Qajar Iran, but after de Russo-Persian wars of 1804–1813 den 1826–1828, de Qajar Empire lose ein Caucasian territories to de Russian Empire; de treaties of Gulistan for 1813 den Turkmenchay for 1828 set de border between Russia den Iran. De region north of de Aras River be part of Iran before Russia conquer am for de 19th century, den e be part of de Caucasus Viceroyalty.

By de late 19th century, Azerbaijani national identity start emerge, wey for 1918, de Azerbaijan Democratic Republic declare ein independence from de Transcaucasian Democratic Federative Republic, just one year after de Russian Empire collapse. E be de first secular democratic Muslim-majority state. But for 1920, de Soviet Union conquer am den e turn de Azerbaijan SSR. De modern Republic of Azerbaijan declare ein independence on 30 August 1991, just before de Soviet Union dissolve. For September 1991, de ethnic Armenian majority for Nagorno-Karabakh region declare de self-proclaimed Republic of Artsakh, wey e turn de facto independent after de First Nagorno-Karabakh War for 1994, even tho de region den seven surrounding districts still dey internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan. After de Second Nagorno-Karabakh War for 2020, de seven districts plus parts of Nagorno-Karabakh return to Azerbaijani control.  For 2023, one Azerbaijani offensive end de Republic of Artsakh den e lead to mass flight of Nagorno-Karabakh Armenians.

Azerbaijan be one unitary semi-presidential republic. E be one of de six independent Turkic states den e be active member of de Organization of Turkic States den de TÜRKSOY community. Azerbaijan get diplomatic relations plus 182 countries den e be member of 38 international organizations, like de United Nations, de Council of Europe, de Non-Aligned Movement, de OSCE, den de NATO PfP program. E be founding member of GUAM, de Commonwealth of Independent States, den de OPCW. Azerbaijan be observer state for de World Trade Organization.

De majority of de country ein population (97%) be nominally Muslim. De Constitution of Azerbaijan no dey declare any official religion, den all de major political forces for de country be secular. Azerbaijan be developing country den e dey rank 89th for de Human Development Index. De ruling New Azerbaijan Party, wey e dey power since 1993, dem accuse am of authoritarianism under presidents Heydar Aliyev den ein son Ilham Aliyev. Dem talk say e dey worsen de country ein human rights record, wey dey including more restrictions on civil liberties, especially press freedom den political repression.

## Government den politics

### Administrative divisions
Der be 14 economic regions; 66 rayons (*rayonlar*, singular *rayon*) den 11 cities (*şəhərlər*, singular *şəhər*) under de direct authority of de republic. Moreover, Azerbaijan dey include de Autonomous Republic (*muxtar respublika*) of Nakhchivan. De Presido of Azerbaijan dey appoint de governors of dese units, while dem dey elect de government of Nakhchivan wey de parliament of Nakhchivan Autonomous Republic dey approve am.

* Baku Economic Region
** Baku
* Absheron-Khizi Economic Region
** Absheron (Abşeron)
** Khizi (Xızı)
** Sumgait (Sumqayıt)
* Central Aran Economic Region
** Aghdash (Ağdaş)
** Goychay (Göyçay)
** Kurdamir (Kürdəmir)
** Ujar (Ucar)
** Yevlakh (Yevlax)
** Yevlakh (Yevlax; city)
** Zardab (Zərdab)
** Mingachevir (Mingəçevir)
* Mil-Mughan Economic Region
** Beylagan (Beyləqan)
** Imishli (İmişli)
** Saatly (Saatlı)
** Sabirabad (Sabirabad)
* Shirvan-Salyan Economic Region
** Bilasuvar (Biləsuvar)
** Hajigabul (Hacıqabul)
** Neftchala (Neftçala)
** Salyan (Salyan)
** Yevlakh (Yevlax)
** Shirvan (Şirvan)
* Mountainous Shirvan economic region
** Aghsu (Ağsu)
** Gobustan (Qobustan)
** Ismayilli (İsmayıllı)
** Shamakhi (Şamaxı)
* Ganja-Dashkasan Economic Region
** Dashkasan (Daşkəsən)
** Goranboy (Goranboy)
** Goygol (Göygöl)
** Samukh (Samux)
** Ganja (Gəncə)
** Naftalan (Naftalan)
* Gazakh-Tovuz Economic Region
** Aghstafa (Ağstafa)
** Gadabay (Gədəbəy)
** Gazakh (Qazax)
** Shamkir (Şəmkir)
** Tovuz (Tovuz)
* Guba-Khachmaz Economic Region
** Guba (Quba)
** Gusar (Qusar)
** Khachmaz (Xaçmaz)
** Shabran (Şabran)
** Siyazan (Siyəzən)
* East Zangezur Economic Region
** Gubadly (Qubadlı)
** Jabrayil (Cəbrayıl)
** Kalbajar (Kəlbəcər)
** Lachin (Laçın)
** Zangilan (Zəngilan)
* Lankaran-Astara Economic Region
** Astara (Astara)
** Jalilabad (Cəlilabad)
** Lankaran (Lənkəran)
** Lerik (Lerik)
** Masally (Masallı)
** Yardimli (Yardımlı)
** Lankaran (Lənkəran; city)
* Nakhchivan Economic Region
** Babek (Babək)
** Julfa (Culfa)
** Kangarli (Kəngərli)
** Ordubad (Ordubad)
** Sadarak (Sədərək)
** Shahbuz (Şahbuz)
** Sharur (Şərur)
** Nakhchivan (Naxçıvan)
* Shaki-Zagatala Economic Region
** Balakan (Balakən)
** Gabala (Qəbələ)
** Gakh (Qax)
** Oghuz (Oğuz)
** Shaki (Şəki)
** Zagatala (Zaqatala)
** Shaki (Şəki; city)
* Karabakh Economic Region
** Aghjabadi (Ağcabədi)
** Barda (Bərdə)
** Aghdam (Ağdam)
** Fuzuli (Füzuli)
** Khojaly (Xocalı)
** Khojavend (Xocavənd)
** Shusha (Şuşa)
** Tartar (Tərtər)
** Khankendi (Xankəndi)

## Demographics

### Ethnicity
De ethnic composition of de population according to de 2009 population census: 91.6% Azerbaijanis, 2.0% Lezgins, 1.4% Armenians (almost all Armenians dey live insyd de break-away region of Nagorno-Karabakh), 1.3% Russians, 1.3% Talysh, 0.6% Avars, 0.4% Turkish people, 0.3% Tatars, 0.3% Tats, 0.2% Ukrainians, 0.1% Tsakhurs, 0.1% Georgians, 0.1% Jews, 0.1% Kurds, oda 0.2%.

## References


## Read further

* Altstadt, Audrey. *Frustrated Democracy in Post-Soviet Azerbaijan* (2018)
* Broers, Broers Laurence. *Armenia and Azerbaijan: Anatomy of a rivalry* (Edinburgh University Press, 2019).
* Cornell, Svante E. *Azerbaijan since independence* (Routledge, 2015).
* Dragadze, Tamara. "Islam in Azerbaijan: The Position of Women" in *Muslim Women's Choices* (Routledge, 2020) pp.&nbsp;152–163.
* Elliott, Mark. *Azerbaijan with Georgia* (Trailblazers Publications, 1999).
* Ergun, Ayça. "Citizenship, National Identity, and Nation-Building in Azerbaijan: Between the Legacy of the Past and the Spirit of Independence." *Nationalities Papers* (2021): 1–18. online
* Goltz, Thomas. *Azerbaijan Diary : A Rogue Reporter's Adventures in an Oil-Rich, War-Torn, Post-Soviet Republic*. M E Sharpe (1998). 
* Habibov, Nazim, Betty Jo Barrett, and Elena Chernyak. "Understanding women's empowerment and its determinants in post-communist countries: Results of Azerbaijan national survey." *Women's Studies International Forum.* Vol. 62. Pergamon, 2017.
* Olukbasi, Suha. *Azerbaijan: A Political History*. I.B. Tauris (2011). Focus on post-Soviet era.

## External links

### General information
* Azerbaijan International
* Heydar Aliyev Foundation
* Azerbaijan. *The World Factbook*. Central Intelligence Agency.
* Azerbaijan at University of Colorado at Boulder
* Country profile from BBC
* Key Development Forecasts for Azerbaijan from International Futures
* Visions of Azerbaijan Journal of The European Azerbaijan Society
* 

### Major government resources
* President of Azerbaijan website
* Azerbaijan State Statistical Committee
* United Nations Office in Azerbaijan

### Major news media
* Network NEWS Azerbaijan Archived 14 November 2016 at the Wayback Machine
* Azerbaijan Today
* Trend News Agency
* News.Az

### Tourism
* Azerbaijan Tourism Portal
* Travel in Azerbaijan in Visions of Azerbaijan Journal